Assessments Over, Time For Fun!

With the final assessment done and most of the coaching hours complete, surfboards were strapped to the van and all the gappies set off on their final trip of the course – back to the beautiful south of Morocco for more surf, sunsets and fun!

With the tunes blaring we made our way down and stopped off close to our final destination for a good surf session to shake off the stiffness from the cars. It was a great way to begin the days away, with good waves in a beautiful setting and only the gappies in the water for most of it – a theme that would continue for the next few days. After a couple of hours in the water, we continued the final bit of our journey to the campsite near Mirleft, our home for the next two nights. The day ended with a lot of food, a calming sunset and some drinks and conversations that went on into the night!

The next morning brought an early start, and after our breakfast feast of anything you could ever want to set you up for the day, we headed off to check out some spots between the campsite down to Sidi Ifni. Taking in the scenery and visiting a few pumping spots, we chose one near the camp and everyone eagerly leapt into the ocean to catch some waves and work up an appetite for lunch. Later in the afternoon we left some gappies resting and a smaller group headed out to another spot for a second session, which went on until sunset. After a day of good surf and stunning views, it’s no surprise everyone was keen to eat some more delicious food and spend their last night away together as a group talking and listening to a somewhat eclectic mix of music (with an appearance of music from some of the nations of the gappies!).

The final morning was a slower start, and after another impressive breakfast we packed up the car and van and made our way to Mirleft – stopping to check some spots along the way – for a final mammoth session to end the trip. The beach was deserted apart from some local fishermen, the waves were clean and strong, the sea was blue and the gappies were beyond excited. What was meant to be the usual 2 hour surf before heading back to Taghazout turned into 4 hours in the water for some of the gappies, with the boys in the group reluctant to get out until everyone was starving! Some epic waves were caught, barrels were attempted and one gappie got his first one (the first of many to come!). Eventually we tore ourselves away from the stunning location and made a quick late lunch stop before making the 3 hour journey back to Taghazout, the place these guys have called home for the last 3 months.

This final trip was a great way to round off the course, and now it’s time for the gappies to return to their countries or to new places. Some to new jobs, some to more travels, all to new adventures – with a hunger to keep on surfing. All will leave with great memories, strong friendships and the sense that Morocco feels a bit like home.

A big thank you to Hayley Statter for writing this post and all the photos!