Looking at the mere prospect of dealing with three massive swells in a row (accurately forecasted in strength and duration by Tony Butt’s prediction on this very site) I opted for a quick and hopefully fruitful option. I’ve never been a last minute man, you know jumping on planes with a boardbag half packed and zipped up in a matter of minutes because a swell is looking good on the other side of the world… No, I always left it to chance with more or less success. But this time, I wanted to score a semi secret bay in Morocco; that has been on my mind for quite a while…

Plane tickets cost 250 euros from Bordeaux straight to Casablanca, a bargain considering what the Kingdom looked to have on offer for the next 10 days (special thanks to Royal Air Maroc for being one of the last companies to not charge extra fees for surfboards!). Looking at the potential size of the swell, a stop in Safi wouldn’t hurt either but more with video camera in hand than above my 7 foot gun. Upon arrival in the big fishing town, I quickly realised that every man and his dog in European pro surfing was there but Safi was in a strange mood, not revealing what all these guys were after: long thick brown barrels…There was a general retreat in front of mint teas and Tajines but I had better plans for once: heading south, toward more favourable winds, towards sunnier skies and a sheltered bay. The first couple of days maxed out the first outer cove and we struggle to find a decent line-up. Then when the ocean pulse decreased in power, the long right hand point break turned its magic on…

I had never scored that wave despite numerous trips to morocco in the past and that day I probably understood the beauty of combining accurate surf forecasting and cheap airline tickets. Such a simple and efficient way to score a wave that you’ve been dreaming about. Just choose yours and be on to Tony…