After perfecting her surfing skills with us on our November Surf Coaching Holiday to Secret Morocco we caught up with Alice Martin to ask her how she found it.
Alice Martin is 29 years old and works in London directing her own music management company (Peachy management).
What has your surfing experience been prior to the trip?
I probably had about half a dozen lessons as a complete beginner before the holiday, spread over 2 years. Now and then I’d head to Cornwall and just hire a foamy and enjoy messing around in white water though.
Why did you choose to come on a Surf Coaching Holiday and why Secret Morocco?
I chose Morocco because I had been recommended it for my level of experience and it appealed to me that the beaches weren’t going to be rammed with people. It makes me nervous when the surf is as busy as the M25, which is no good when you’re learning.
How much was your flight out there and who did you fly with?
I paid £116 return with Easyjet, which I though was super cheap.
Please describe what happened with regards the coaching side of the trip, starting with the first day and ending with the last?
On the first morning after being plied with amazing local pancakes and a tone of nutella (I’m still missing them) we set off in the van with the local guides and our instructor to check out one of the spots.
Our instructor was with us all the time, and he really helped by giving little tips like when to stand more forward on your board, posture, even down to making sure we had stretched correctly before getting in. They filmed us a lot and the video analysis sessions are really useful. You can really see your positioning and little habits that need adjusting that you might not of realised beforehand. The wave always seemed to be so much scarier in your head when its coming at you and you can hear it, but once you witness yourself standing up and the wave not looking as scary as it seemed, it makes you push on and get more water confidence. Videos and pictures are so important yet most of us don’t really get to have that sort of coaching experience.
The photos speak for themselves but I definitely reached my goal of riding waves! I will never forget that feeling of getting up on a greeny from outback, trimming right and seeing this beautiful glassy water to my side. I remember thinking ‘Woah I am actually surfing now’ and I’ve never felt so happy. Getting out of the water to cheers and screams from everyone up on the beach is so much fun and really encouraging.
What was the highlight of the trip for you?
The highlight of the trip, besides riding shoulder-high green waves and completely shredding, yeeeeew!! … That would be the camaraderie amongst the group. We all had such a good laugh, not to mention being ecstatic for each other and our achievements. I met some brilliant and interesting people; we will definitely be seeing each other again. It was great seeing everyone’s surfing improve over the days and looking at all the photos at the villa with a glass of red.
What else did you get up to other than surfing?
We enjoyed an amazing massage a Moroccan spa and also had time to chill out and enjoy the sun too, and as I mentioned before, the local bar in the evening was always a lovely way to wind down. It was nice to experience an area of Morocco I may not have considered before hearing of surf coaching holidays.
What did you think of the accommodation?
The accommodation was clean, spacious, well equipped and we even had wifi!
The beds were really comfy and it was nice and quiet at night. Everything was also walking distance from the town and not far from the beaches at all, so we didn’t have to spend a lot of time driving around.
You took the food package; can you give us your opinion on that please?
The food was lovely, fresh and home cooked. We had a lot of tagines, rice and vegetables. They were really healthy but filling meals, just what we needed after sunsoaked days on the beach and in the surf. It was really good value for money and so nice not to have to worry about finding food. We would come back from a surf, shower and then have dinner waiting for us, which was great.
What would you rate the holiday out of 10 and would you go on another surf coaching holiday?
I would rate the holiday a 9 or 10 out of 10.
Mainly because it went so fast and I wanted more time to surf!
What would you say to somebody who wanted a small group surf coaching experience and was thinking of coming on a Surf Coaching holiday?
I would say do it. I randomly booked my flight one day so I would stop procrastinating. I’m so glad I did. I think it can be a bit daunting going away to do an activity like this, even if you’re experienced. I think the key things that Surf Coaching offered here that made me go with them to Morocco was knowing I would have direct access to a coach, and the same coach all week. Same goes for being in a calm, friendly village where the locals get to know you within a few days. So yeah, I would advise anyone to come! I’m going back for sure!
If you fancy hitting Secret Morocco and scoring some empty waves for yourself, take a look at the info here and join us for an epic trip.
