The 5 spots around Tamraght by level — the honest guide

Every morning at AMANAR, our instructors are up before you are. They check the swell, the tide, the wind direction. Then they pick the spot. This guide is their reasoning, laid out flat.

1. Crocro Beach — the beginner spot, bar none

First stop for every beginner session. A sandy beach break with accessible lefts and rights and an all-sand bottom. The waves are gentle, consistent, and the sets arrive with enough of a gap between them.

• Level: complete beginner to low intermediate
• Best time: all year, especially May to September
• Ideal tide: mid to high
• The catch: sessions between 10am and noon in high season — far too crowded

2. Devil's Rock — versatile and often overlooked

Between Tamraght and Aourir, a slightly punchier beach break. The dominant wave is a left, but rights form depending on the sandbanks. Ideal when you want out of school mode without taking on a real point break yet.

• Level: low intermediate to intermediate
• Tide: low to mid
• Watch out: the lateral currents can catch you off guard — always with an instructor

3. Banana Beach — the intermediates' secret

Less known to the guidebooks, Banana Beach is where our instructors will take you in your second week. The waves carry more power and more length. This is where you genuinely start to understand surfing.

4. Killers — for the experienced only

A rocky point break with long, hollow waves. Killers is for surfers who already know their surfskate, who can read a spot properly, and who can handle getting out of the water over rocks.

5. Anchor Point — the pilgrimage

Twenty minutes north towards Taghazout, Anchor Point is one of the best right-hand point breaks in Africa. If your level allows it, a session there is a memory for life.

When to stay in bed

On days when the wind is onshore (blowing in from the sea), the waves are chaotic and shapeless. No shame in reading, heading to a café, or riding your surfskate. That's part of understanding surfing too.

How to read the conditions before choosing a spot

Three variables decide the spot of the day: swell size (under 1 m, the Tamraght beach breaks stay surfable while the Taghazout points sleep; above 2 m, it's the other way round), the tide (Crocodiles is at its best on a rising tide, Devil's Rock tolerates almost anything, the rocky points usually demand mid-tide), and the wind — the golden rule of the bay: mornings are offshore or windless, and the thermal picks up in the afternoon. That's why lessons head out early.

What that means for your level

Beginner: your first two weeks of surfing will play out between Crocodiles and Devil's Rock, full stop. Sand bottom, consistent whitewater, room to fall without consequence. Intermediate: Banana Point is your proving ground — the right is long enough to link several manoeuvres on the same wave, which no beach break will ever give you. Experienced: Anchor Point and Killers are worth the trip as soon as the swell passes 1.5 m — but read up on priority at the peak: these waves are coveted, and localism is real on the big days.

Safety: the three local rules

One: near the rocks (Devil's Rock earns its name on its northern end), find the rip that gets you out before you get in — ask any local surfer and they'll show you. Two: at the peak, priority goes to whoever is closest to the breaking part; burning someone on a Moroccan point will earn you a reputation in a single session. Three: never surf a spot you're discovering alone — that is precisely what instructors who know every sandbank in the bay are for.

The right board for the spot

Foam (a 7'6 to 8' softboard) for your first go on the beach breaks — buoyancy forgives everything. A mini-mal or a longboard to get the most out of Banana. A shortboard only makes sense once you're on the points, and only if your paddling is up to it. On wetsuits: 3/2 mm does the job most of the year, 4/3 mm from December to February for long sessions. Everything can be rented on site — no need to travel with your own board for a first stay.

Want to see these spots from our rooftop before you throw yourself in? The surf packages include our instructors picking the spot every morning, based on the day's conditions — not on a timetable.

Your first day: what actually happens

No serious instructor asks what your level is — they watch it. The first session always opens with twenty minutes of assessment in the whitewater: your paddling, how you read the water, your take-off if you have one. That is what decides your spot for the week, not the box you ticked on the booking form. Two pieces of advice for that first day: sleep properly the night before (jet lag gets paid for in the water), and don't lie about your level — overestimate yourself and you get a frustrating session, underestimate yourself and you get a boring one. The ocean checks everything, very fast.