The Turbulent Sea

The Turbulent Sea. 

Contemplation

Contemplating the paddle out (at Tamri Beach in Morocco). 

Morocco - "The Sand"

The seaside town of Tifnit (one of the favorite spots I visited).

Morocco is a very beautiful country with a unique culture and interesting landscape. When I visited, I spent the majority of my time close to the town of Agadir. The climate in this region is very dry and desert-like (If you go a bit further south, you will be in the Western Sahara). These are a few pictures I took from the beaches around Agadir. I loved the washed out colors of the buildings and the bright/blue contrast of the ocean.

Sand Dunes at another deserted beach.

Loved the washed out colors of the homes mixed with the desert sands.

Cool color combination.

Can I get some flare?

Another charming seaside village on sand dunes.

Yes?

The fleet of fishing boats at Tifnit

Loved the doors on the buildings in Morocco. Seemed like every house had a unique entry.

Making the trek to the reef break at Tifnit.

Could I get some building with my satellite TV? (only about 5 of the 500 channels were in English) I stayed in one of these apartments featured on the right.

Flying from Casablanca to Agadir... Atlas mountains in the background.

Morocco - "The Surf"

The famous "Anchor Point" in Tagazhout. Surfer in the midst of a cutback.

Morocco has some of the best right hand point breaks in the world (water also stays relatively warm year round)... and in Taghazout, several of these point breaks happen to be located within a 5 mile radius of each other. They need a bit of a swell to break well, but if you stay there for at least a week during January or February, you're guaranteed at least a couple sessions at one of these spots. Recommend staying at Surf Maroc if you want to stay in a good location, have comfortable accommodations, eat great food, and be right next to the surf!

When I visited Morocco, the locals were complaining about the surf being "small"... but we still managed to surf head high+ waves the entire trip. I have to credit our surf guides Simo & Jo for finding us these waves. It wouldn't have been the same without them. Thank you!!
Also want to thank the gracious hosts at Surf Maroc!

View of Anchor Point from the car lot.

Chilling out on the rocks in Taghazout.

In Morocco, body boarders are respected the same as surfers. The doesn't seem to be any animosity between the two. Here we have a body boarder from Ireland (Chris) taking off deeper than everyone else at Anchors.

Waiting to make "the jump" at Anchors (timing is everything). Before I paddled out for my frist session, we saw someone that didn't time the jump too well... and was covered in blood. Not the most motivating thing to see before my first session.

The wave at Tifnit... one of my favorite spots in Morocco (not to be confused with Tiznit or Tinfit).

The "Trestles Wave"?

Looking down at Killers... epic. It was cool to see the swell lines form a boomerang shape as they hit the reef. I didn't get a chance to surf Killers, but it looked like it had great potential.

Just around the corner from Taghazout is a beach break called Tamri. This was a really interesting spot... because the wind could be blowing fully onshore at all the breaks in Tagazhout and still be offshore in Tamri. The beach break might look perfect in this picture, but it was challenging if you were surfing it for the first time... sandbars were constantly shifting and conditions were constantly changing (I just did what the locals did).

Looking down the beach at Tamri. 

This photo was taken on the way to the reef break at Tifnit. If you didn't feel like walking, you could take the donkey for 10 dirham (1 USD).

One of the surf mobiles. It was deceptively large inside the car.

Local fisherman at Tiftin.

Maine Coastline

I took this photo on the northern most end of York Beach (in Maine) where a giant point sticks out into the ocean. I like to imagine that if the swell was big enough, came from the right direction, and the tide was right... a wave would break the entire length of the point. I don't think that this is actually possible, but it's fun to imagine!

A Frigid Barrel

You may not believe your eyes, but this shot was actually taken in New Hampshire... and yes, that is a barrel. A cold front had passed through the area and it left us with about a half day of swell. I got to New Hampshire in the early afternoon and immediately went to a "semi-secret" spot (that's not really a secret). I really only refer to it as a secret spot because it hardly ever breaks well... and no one bothers to check it on most days. Anyways, the wave was breaking quite well this day and was actually barreling at take off. The water was cold, but no one was out... fun times! As with most swells in the Northeast, it was extremely short lived... and this spot was completely flat the next morning.

"Back Lit" New Hampshire

I took this photo towards the end of the day at a "semi-secret" surf spot in New Hampshire (can't consider surf spots to be fully secret when they have names and a parking lot). Regardless, this spot only breaks well when the waves are overhead in size (which does not happen to often). There are a bunch of jagged rocks and boils on the inside... and the waves need to be big enough to clear the rocks. Anyways, I liked the lighting and color of this photo. Thought it looked unique.

End of Day Beach Scene

The end of the day at little cove in Maine. I really liked the deep blue color of the sky.

Low Tide and Washed Up Objects

When there is a big swell, you can always find interesting things washed up on the rocks during low tide. Here we have a busted up lobster trap (which is a common site in Maine... not so common in the rest of the world though). I don't think this will be catching any lobsters again.

Beach Plants

For some reason, there are always interesting plants at the beach (that you don't see anywhere else). They seem to be a bit tougher and grittier than the normal plants. Here is one such example of a plant found on the beaches of Maine.

Driftwood & Rope

Relaxing on the rocks overlooking Long Sands beach in York, ME... enjoying the sunset after a long day of surfing and eating lobster.

The No Fun Zone

Driving along the coastal route in Maine, there are many beautiful little beaches tucked away. However, most of them are covered with "NO TRESPASSING" signs. There are no surf at any of the beaches (that I know of)... so I don't really care to go to them. However, I've never agreed with the concept of owning a beach. I think they should be open to the public (although, I guess if I owned property next to a world class surf spot, I wouldn't mind making it private for myself).

The Golden Hour at York Beach

After a long day of surfing, it's nice to kick back and watch a beautiful sunset. These photos taken at York Beach, ME. There was a very thin layer of clouds along the horizon... and as the sun started to set, it made those clouds glow. I thought it was pretty incredible.

Beach Day - York, ME

I heard that there would be fun surf on Saturday... so decided to drive up to Maine for the day. The waves weren't as big as I had hoped (chest to head high). However, the weather was very nice for an early December day (upper 40s and sunny). Yes, the water is rather cold (in full wetsuit with gloves, hood, and booties)... but not quite as cold as it will be in January. I was actually kind of hot when I first got in.

Nor'easter Dreamin' on Such a Fall Day

Sorry to everyone that lost their power... but I love Nor'easters! These pictures show a few reasons why.