How surfers kept one of the world’s best waves hidden in Morocco for 15 years

For years, Safi was little more than a name on the map of Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Nestled between cliffs and factories, this port city concealed one of the most perfect waves on the planet, fiercely guarded by a small group of surfers who discovered it in the 1980s and chose to keep it to themselves.

Meet the punishing wave of Safi

Nicknamed Le Jardin and Ras Lafaa – “the garden” or “the snake’s head” – Safi stayed off the international radar as it peeled through the winters: a long, hollow, fast, and punishing right-hander. “We had the privilege of surfing it alone for 15 years,” recalls Laurent Mirramon, one of the early pioneers. “But secrets like that never last forever.”

The wave was first spotted by a dockworker from Casablanca. Realizing its potential, he brought along three trusted friends and they set a golden rule: never speak of Safi. They rented a house on the cliffs and called the place the garden. By the mid-1990s, legends like Ross Clarke-Jones and Tom Carroll began showing up, lured by tales that sounded more like myths. Once the images emerged, there was no doubt – Safi was real.

Today, the wave draws surfers from around the globe. But with fame came growing pains: overcrowding, friction with locals, and increasing pressure on an environment as fragile as it is unforgiving. “Safi is not a place for beginners,” warns Moroccan surfer Ramzi Boukhiam. “It demands respect, technique and, above all, an awareness of where you are.”

Safi is no longer a secret – but it remains a symbol. Not just of a perfect wave, but of a culture born on the edge of the desert, shaped by seafaring tradition, the rebellious soul of surfing, and the eternal hunt for the perfect ride.

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