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Morocco Surfing Trip (December 2009)

At the end of the Christmas term 14 students accompanied by Lt Grey and his wife Sarah, Flt Morgan and OCdt Thompson went on a surf trip to a small town called Taghazout in Morocco.

After a long day of waiting for lessons and major sport to finish we finally started our journey at 2200hrs on Saturday, raring to get to the sun, sea and sand. The journey to Gatwick Airport did not take us long, however that unfortunately left us with a 4 hour wait in an airport with only a Starbucks for amusement. However in true Welbeck spirit we went exploring, which included jumping on a bus to see if we could find some more shops in another terminal. Finally boarding the aircraft, everyone was asleep within minutes.

Once arriving at our destination airport the last thing we expected was to be kitted out and jump straight on to transport that afternoon to go surfing. We left for the beach with all the kit and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon aimed at getting a feel for the boards. The afternoon proved to be very successful, with most people standing up for the first time and some even getting ‘out back’.

After returning to our accommodation and fighting for the showers, we relaxed for the evening. The caterers even brought out ‘nibbles’ each night before dinner, however I think they were shocked as on the first night we cleaned them out of bread! They quickly learnt that Welbexians certainly have big appetites. The evening’s entertainment ranged from Cranium and Quizzes to sports including table tennis, with only one rule (if the ball touches the floor it is out).

From then onwards we got into a routine with a full continental breakfast every morning at 0730hrs (although by Saturday we were getting up at 0730hrs instead) followed by getting our kit together and heading out at 0845hrs. Each morning we drove around the local beaches to find the best surf. This often meant going back to the first place we went to and then changing beaches half way through. For the first part of the day we had lessons from our instructor Jo Hale which covered a wide range of activities such as basic surfing techniques, safety drills, tides, currents and surfing etiquette (which later on definitely proved useful). The general plan of the day was lessons in the morning, and then practising what we had learnt in the afternoon.

As the week progressed we became more confident on the water and started attempting to catch waves. However, we soon learnt that those head covers we had learnt on Day 1 were probably one of the most important things we had learnt. By the end of the week we were certainly getting the hang of it and definitely had the bruises to prove it. Everyone progressed to better boards with some even trying out tricks. We surfed at a variety of beaches including Crocodiles, Bananas, Panoramas and even Agadir’s beach, but as well as surfing we visited a variety of places including the Souk, a Moroccan market selling just about everything you could think of, including tortoises! We also visited the old town of Agadir at the top of a mountain which overlooked the new city and the harbour.

The final evening was spent at a local restaurant celebrating the end of a fantastic week and also Kim Norris’s 18th birthday. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the week, and from all of the students who went I would like to thank Lt Grey for organising the trip along with Flt Morgan, OCdt Thompson and Sarah for accompanying us.

Alice Roberts, Nelson 08E

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