Western Sahara Surf Guide

The Western Sahara surf is great – epic at times. There is plenty of spots and a gret consistency if you swing by in the right season.

Western Sahara is Africa’s last occupied country if you ask anybody but a Moroccan. Several NGO’s have proclaimed that the locals here are being suppressed by the Moroccan occupants and as you can imagine that creates some tension.

If you go outside Laâyoune and Dakhla you won’t experience the tension that much though and in general the population is super friendly if you respect their religious norms.

Luckily leaving the bigger cities is exactly what you should do if you go here on a surfing trip even though you will also find great surfing on the Dakhla Peninsula.

The Waves in Western Sahara

From October to February there is this small window of great surf along the coast of Western Sahara. This kind of consistency of quality waves you will have to travel far to find elsewhere on the planet.

Western Sahara surf is all about remote and quality spots. You will find a super consistency at a number of surf spots all along the coast all through the winter from October to February.

Most of the surf spots are pretty remote but then you will often have the surf all by yourself. If you are looking for a guide in Western Sahara you might want to check out Sahara Surf at www.SaharaSurf.com.

Also check out Senegal or Mauritania if you have the time.

Look out for…

Don’t talk about politics with the locals since the current occupation as it is a tricky subject for many here, and you never know who comes knocking at your door if you are too pro or too con separation from Morocco.

Other than that, Western Sahara seems to be a nice country to travel through. Especially if you like rugged desert landscapes and remote surf spots.

Visa to Western Sahara

The same rules apply here as in Morocco, that means that you probably don’t need to purchase a visa in advance. You might have to hassle a little as you enter the actual Western Sahara as police and other authorities can be pretty suspicious here.

Western Sahara Surf Spots:

Lâayoune: Her you find beach breaks north of town as well as along the pier. Go 20 kilometers south and you will find a nice right reef break at Zbarat.

Bojador: In Bojador you find surf spots just on the point west of the town as well as up along the coast to the north at all the points.

Dakhla: On the Dakhla Peninsula you will find a nice sheltered right just at the point. If you go up along the Peninsula you will find some of the classics here in Western Sahara – Pointe de l’Or being one of them.

Nouâdhibou: Right next to the border to Mauritania you have the Nouâdhibou Peninsula and here you will find a number of point breaks. It really is a nice place to go check the little explored surf of Western Sahara, but it sure is a long drive if you come from the north. Many people only go here if they are driving through to Mauritania or Senegal.

Western Sahara Links:

www.magicseaweed.com
www.wannasurf.com
www.surfline.com

After your visit to Western Sahara please report back to GoSurfAfrica.com and let your experiences and photos benefit later surf explorers. Also contact us if you need more information about the Western Sahara surf and we will try to help you and answer all your questions: contact@gosurfafrica.com.