Surfing Taghazout

Right Point · Best Oct-Mar · 3-12 ft · Crowd 5/5

NW swell, NE offshore wind, low tide

Anchor Point is the long right point at the north end of Taghazout and the best-known wave in Morocco. On a solid north-west swell it lines up along the rocks for several hundred metres, with walls you can turn on all the way down.

It needs a proper winter swell to start working, and it holds a lot of size. You paddle out from the rocks at the top of the point, which takes some timing when sets are coming through. There are sea urchins on the rocks, so booties help.

From October to March it's busy most good days, with local surfers, people from the surf camps and travellers who have been in Taghazout for weeks. Early mornings are calmer before the wind comes up.

Right Reef · Best Nov-Mar · 2-6 ft · Crowd 4/5

NW swell, NE wind, high tide

Mysteries is a short right over reef just north of Anchor Point. It only breaks properly at high tide and is less consistent than Anchor, which is where the name comes from.

On its day it's a fast, fun wave with a takeoff close to the rocks. Because it's so close to Anchor Point, it fills up quickly when it's working. Watch the rocks on the inside as the tide drops.

It's at its best from November to March. Taghazout, with its surf houses and cafés, is ten minutes away on foot.

Right Point · Best Oct-Mar · 3-10 ft · Crowd 2/5

NW swell, E offshore wind, all tides

Killer Point is a right point about a kilometre north of Anchor Point, named after the orcas that locals say were seen offshore. It breaks further out than the other Taghazout points and handles bigger swells.

The walk or drive along the dirt track keeps the crowd down, and it's rarely busy. At low tide you can scramble round under the cliffs to the point and skip the long paddle, but check the tide so you're not cut off on the way back. It works at all stages of the tide, and the north wind is partly blocked here.

The season runs from October to March, when north-west groundswells arrive most weeks. On the right swell it's one of the longest rides around Taghazout, but it's also exposed and a long way from help, so don't surf it alone on a big day.

Taghazout is the base, with surf houses and cafés in the village, and Anchor Point is the obvious alternative if you don't want the walk.

Left & Right Reef · Best Oct-Mar · 2-6 ft · Crowd 2/5

NW swell, NE wind, rising tide

La Source is a reef break between Killer Point and Mysteries, next to a freshwater spring that runs down the cliff. It has a right and a left peak, and is best on a rising tide towards high.

It's smaller and easier than the points around it and usually has far fewer people. A good option when Anchor Point is crowded and the swell isn't too big.

You reach it on foot or by car along the coast road north of Taghazout. Bring water, as there's nothing at the spot.

Right Point · Best Oct-Mar · 2-6 ft · Crowd 3/5

NW swell, NE wind, low tide

Hash Point is the small right point in front of Taghazout village, close enough to check from the cafés. It works best at low tide on a north-west swell and is smaller and slower than Anchor Point.

The bottom is rocky, so it's better for surfers who can already turn and pick a wave. On bigger days it's a less crowded alternative to the main point, a few minutes' walk away.

It's a good place to warm up on your first day in Taghazout, or to surf when Anchor Point is too big or too crowded. At higher tides it gets slow and fat, so the hour or two around low tide is usually best.

Everything is close: the village, the cafés on the terraces above the beach and the surf shops are a two-minute walk away.

Beach Break · Best Oct-Mar · 2-6 ft · Crowd 3/5

NW swell, ENE wind, low tide

Panoramas is a beach and reef set-up at the south end of Taghazout, with lefts and rights. It's one of the more consistent spots in the area and works best around low tide.

There are rips and some rocks, so it's not the easiest beach for a first lesson, but improvers use it a lot. In summer it's often flat. Several surf camps and cafés are right above the beach.

On bigger swells the reef section has more power, and Hash Point is a few minutes' walk north.