Tailored fun in The Magic Bay!

Celia (Spanish) messaged me after reading a post I sent out to the members of the Tamraght Surf Club WhatsApp chat, and was interested in Private surf lessons. We did a few sessions in Tamraght, where we got to know each other, and then Celia spoke out her wish to go to Imsouane, surf there and have me as her coach with her. And so a nomadic digital primary teacher, and a nomadic surf coach took off to The Magic Bay for a few days of intensive surf training.

Driving to Imsouane is a pleasure, especially with a chatty Spanish woman on the passanger seat, and her charismatic four footed friend, - I think he is a long haired spanial - 'Bobby' in his bed on the middle seat. Our first little adventure was getting some extra fuel in the village of Tamri. The local Afriquia gas station was out of service, but driving up the curb, an old man signalled us with his stick to follow him. Driving through narrow little streets, dodging goats, sheep and dogs, we ended up at someone's backdoor, where a friendly man wearing an Afriquia polo shirt, helped us to some gasoline. Moroccan improvisation, Moroccan hospitality.

Celia has been surfing since 2021, you could say she is quite novice, but having her own board (a midlength kind of minimal; similar to what I rode as my first board), and a good wetsuit, I could tell she's a keen surfer. Our first session was focussed on positioning, and the pop-up. In Tamraght, we'd been focussing on the pop-up mainly, and I could tell she was losing her 'bad habit' of using the knee, and she was getting more and more consistant, and (!) quick on her feet. Soon after our arrival, we also met up with Mohammed, a friend of Celia, who is doing surf coaching and guiding in the area. The three of us made tagine, Mohammed showing us how it is really done. We bought meat from the local butcher, and had all the spices and herbs to make it into a delicious feast. And so it was. It was the perfect 'Day 2' kind of meal, as our first surfs were done, and we were hungry!

To get some supplies, we payed a visit to the village of Tamanar. A beautful coastal road, and a desert like backcountry road showed us a part of Morocco both of us hadn't seen before. The local souk was lovely, and the fried fish tasted well good.

On Day 3 - it was Celia's birthday! - we added some Theory, going through her very own Personal Development Plan. I have created this tool - an extensive Excel sheet - coming from the ISA L2 course, and my experience as a surfer/coach. We spoke about fears, goals, technique, body fitness, flexibility and a mirriad of other relevant factors that play a role in a surfers' journey. With long-term goals written down, we then focussed on drawing up some short-term goals, and even brought it down to goals for upcoming sessions, giving Celia the focus to train on her very next progression. She was pretty stoked with that as a B-day present!

On our last day surfing, the waves really played in favor of Celia. As the first couple of days, the waves were rather big, now it calmed down a bit. Even though the peak - 'where the waves breaks first' - was still big enough for advanced surfers to trade waves, we decided to focus on the first section, and Celia managed to catch a few long unbroken waves. In between those unbroken waves, she caught a lot of waves that had a crumbly face, but opened up further down the line, giving her the view of those beautiful Imsouane longboard waves. Imsouane is such a 'giving wave' in that sense, allowing surfers of all levels to find gems, long rides, so those butterflies can rise in the belly, resulting in the feeling of pure joy! They don't call it 'The Magic Bay' for nothing. It's the people, and the waves that make the love for this place being felt by so many..

Our evenings were spent in the local cafe's, or in the infamous hotspot lounges, where live music, and wild circus arts, are changed up with a discjockey sweeping up a vibrant multi-cultural dance floor.. Oh Imsouane...! We love you.

Celia wrote a review about our surf training journey:

"I started learning surfing about 1,5 years ago and I was feeling stuck with my pop up. I’ve tried many different coaches in various countries but by far Ivo has been the best. He took me to surf spots around Tamraght and Imsouane and shared loads of useful tips about the local area. The time spent outside the water doing theory was very valuable to understand better how the surf spots work and to plan each individual session. For each session we planned my goals and he made me feel very safe in the water. He managed to unblock some of my fears and bad habits after the very first session. After the coaching sessions he wrote a development plan for me to work on short and long term goals. I feel now more motivated and confident in the water thanks to him. I cannot recommend him enough! " - Celia Thanks for reading, and if this makes you interested in booking your next 'Tailored Surf Trip in Morocco', do let me know, and we will make it happen! Take it easy, take care.

IB.