Survival with the Surf Club: Taking Morocco

For forty nine members of the St Andrean Surf Club, the annual trip to Morocco was the bright light that shone at the end of that brutal first semester tunnel. Arriving at Gatwick, pale, sleep deprived, and – in my case, hungover – we swapped wellies for flipflops and stocked up on enough export strength vodka to ensure that we’d thoroughly wipe our memories of those late-night library sessions. The week that followed was a blur of sun, waves and cheesy house music that left us all slightly sunburnt and with a serious case of holiday blues. A week of surfing and partying can make or break – here’s a simple guide of how to survive.

1. Putting “Party” before any activity makes it fun.

The question of “party wave?” changes any standard wave to one of carnage. A party wave, when everyone tries to catch the same wave at the same time, can be hilarious or downright painful. In small numbers, party waves can result in you high-fiving your friend as you triumphantly surf towards the beach in unison, or more often than not, with surfboards clashing and gruesome wipeouts – and black eyes to prove it. By the same logic, “Party Bus” changes an early morning journey to the beach into a rave with the speakers at full volume and the surfboards almost falling from the roof when everyone just gets too in-the-zone to Million Voices. In Morocco, party = better.

Image © Carey-Jayne Marvin

2. Explore!

Taghazout is a surreal mélange of a Moroccan fishing village and surfers’ haven – the mosque even has a built-in surf shop. Grab your mates, go for a walk, chat with the locals (finally a real life use for those “riveting” French language tutorials you’ve self-certified for all year), and buy some of the great value local produce. Also be sure to haggle for some cool African clothing you can wear back in St Andrews that will remind you of your sun-soaked week away.

Image © Amelia Sandbach

3.  When it comes to drinking, go hard or go home.

It’s time to put the 50% strong spirits you bought in duty free into use. You’ll be knackered after a day in the sun (it’s a hard life, I know) but if you crack open the bottle – you’re in for a good night. With surf trip-come-weird and wonderful drinking games, ranging from clenching a coin between your cheeks and dropping it into a glass to having to drink for saying almost any word in the dictionary. Once these games have rendered you sufficiently tipsy, it’s time to get in the Shisha Tent, get on the tables and bust out those dance moves you’ve been perfecting all year in the Lizard.

4. If in doubt, paddle out.

You will be hungover, and the 8:30am rise will not help, but there is a solution. Get your wetsuit on, grab your board and get in the sea. Your hangover will be the last thing on your mind when you’re paddling on to your best wave of the day. Other than this, you can always rely on the miraculous waters in the pools of Paradise Valley. High in the Moroccan hills, there is an oasis of rock pools and waterfalls whose healing qualities hippies have sworn by since the 60s. If it can cure a German couple of their terminal illnesses, as the legends claim, it will destroy your hangover. Slap on some sun lotion and go tombstoning, you won’t regret it.

Image © Amelia Sandbach

With these guidelines in mind, you’ll be sure to have an unforgettable week away from the Bubble that will leave you tanned, chilled, and ready to brave the new semester. If you can’t wait till next year, join up with the surf club now, where you can always brave the waters of East Sands to catch the all-important wave.

headline image © of Carey-Jayne Marvin