In Morocco, surf spots threatened by luxury tourism and concrete

When the sun goes down, they come up from the beach barefoot, dripping wetsuits, boards under their arms. In the white and blue streets of Taghazout, a fishing village on the Atlantic coast in southern Morocco, surfers blend into the landscape. Everything in this place nicknamed “the Mecca of Moroccan surfing” evokes the spirit of sliding. “Surf schools”, “surf camps” and bohemian inns share space with fish tajine stalls, restaurants “ healthy » and the shops spreading out their souvenir T-shirts on the sidewalk.

At the entrance to the village, it is impossible to miss the giant portrait of Ramzi Boukhiam, Moroccan surfing champion and native son, painted on a facade on the main street. A little further on, a tagged map indicates the spots that make the destination famous: Boilers, Killer Point, La Source, Mysteries… and especially Anchor Point, which in 2020 became a stage of the World Surf League. This mythical place also hosted the first edition of the African Nations Surfing Championship in March, bringing together athletes from eight countries.

“For the experienced, the season goes from October to May, but in summer the waves are suitable for beginners. There are spots for all levels,” says Abdellah Bennani, 43, instructor and son of a fisherman from Taghazout, who can testify to the metamorphosis his village has experienced since the time when it was still the little secret paradise of a few insiders from Europe, Australia or USA: “They arrived in a van, wild camped on the beach, came to buy their fish in the village… I was 14 when one day, one of them gave me a board. That’s how I learned, watching them. »

Yogis and nomadic workers

Because for a long time, Taghazout has traced its path far from the mass tourism that makes the reputation of Agadir, about twenty kilometers away. “Surf tourism appeared there spontaneously in the 1960s and 1970s, with the arrival of surfers from the hippie movement”, explains Stéphanie Crabeck, a Belgian university specialist in tourism, who is interested in the role of surfing as a lever for development in Taghazout: ” At that time, the village did not really exist. There were only sheds where the fishermen from the mountains stored their equipment. Taghazout was born from this meeting between locals and hippies. It developed gradually to meet the needs of these first visitors. »

A whole economic sphere was set up around boardsports from the 1980s, with a boost in the 2000s. Witness today the thirty schools and surf shops, the some 120 “surf camps” which have hatched within a radius of 15 km, seaside inns and restaurants attracting wave pros, but also more and more yogis and nomadic workers. “90% of the local population live from surfing, directly or indirectly”, reports Saïd Bella, co-founder of the “Taghazout Surf Expo” trade fair, the first edition of which was held in 2022.

However, this ecosystem remains precarious, with interests that are often contradictory with the rapid real estate development on the coast. In recent years, the surfing community has mobilized on several occasions to defend its favorite places, threatened by the artificialization of the coasts. As in 2015, against the project of a seawater desalination plant in Boilers, which was finally moved a hundred kilometers away. Or in 2016, against the construction of hotel residences in front of four world-class spots north of Taghazout.

“A spot is the wave, but it’s also everything behind it, defends Ahmed Belmadani, manager of a surf camp. The constructions affect the circulation of the wind, the natural movement of sand and waves. Not to mention that they degrade the environment and block access to beaches for surfers. »

Real estate has also gained the coast south of Taghazout. On the 4.5 km bay which extends below the village, where there was previously only sand and argan trees, a new seaside resort emerged in 2015: “Taghazout Bay”, devoted to high tourism of range. Major global luxury hotel brands, such as Hyatt, Hilton and Radisson, have settled there, as well as a 27-hole golf course overlooking the ocean, surrounded by premium villas and residences. The project had setbacks. In 2020, villas and part of the hotels were demolished due to violations of the planning law.

Bungalows, swimming pools and skatepark

The surfing community is concerned to see the environment distorted. “Taghazout Bay has nothing to do with surfing. We propose from 5-star hotels and buffets to people who just want to live in the open air and eat grilled fish on the beach! », deplores Hicham Limati, founding member of the Confederation of Moroccan Tourist Surfing Companies, who points the finger at the “marginalization” of the sector: “The decision-makers did not understand that tourist surfing could be the driving force behind the development of this area. If we had given him the space, we could have created a hundred micro-enterprises which would have supported the majority of the inhabitants of the surrounding area. The potential is huge, but nothing is being done to develop this niche. And wealth only benefits the wealthiest. »

In the surrounding towns, opinions are divided on these hotels that are emerging from the ground. While some highlight the layout, aesthetics and tourist enthusiasm generated by Taghazout Bay, many regret the low economic impact. “These large hotels have certainly created jobs, but for guards, gardeners, divers, cleaners… Junior positions, paid between 250 and 400 euros per month. They do not contribute to the emergence of a middle class. Otherwise, why do young people in the region all dream of going to Europe? », deplores Reda Taoujni, editor-in-chief of the media Maghreb Times, in Agadir, and local critical voice. When contacted, the Taghazout resort development and promotion company did not respond to our requests.

Attention is now focused on a new development project, this time at Anchor Point, an absolute gem for surfers. A “surf village” should see the light of day, including hotels, bungalows, swimming pools, skate park, promenade… Nothing to do with Taghazout Bay, according to the specifications: “Authenticity and predominance of nature are the key words, assures Arnold Delahaye, the architect commissioned by the Regional Tourism Development Corporation. The density will be low, with light constructions. The objective is for everything to drown in the argan tree. »

Abdellah Bennani is doubtful. “In recent years, it’s concrete everywhere, and finally it’s nature that takes a lot of money, he laments. Maybe these real estate projects appeal to the surf-yoga generation, but former surfers, those with a surfing spirit, don’t like it. They are already going elsewhere, further south. » In search of other still wild places of pilgrimage.