A beginner’s guide to surfing in Tamraght

The best first lesson happens on the beach. Lying on a board on the sand, you can practise where to put your chest, how to paddle, and how to get to your feet in one movement rather than three.

Beginners start in whitewater, the foamy part of a wave that has already broken. It pushes you towards the shore, which makes it a far better place to learn balance and timing than the green, unbroken wave beyond it.

Expect to fall. Falling is most of the first day, and learning to do it safely — away from the board, arms covering your head — is the single most useful habit you will pick up.

Five things worth practising on the sand

• Paddling with long, relaxed strokes while keeping your head up.
• The pop-up: hands under your chest, push, and bring both feet under you.
• A balanced stance, knees bent, eyes looking where you want to go.
• Falling flat and shallow, away from the board.
• Spotting the channels where the water is pulling back out to sea.

Almost every beginner starts on a soft-top board. It is wide, buoyant and forgiving, and it is much kinder to you and to everyone else in the water if it hits someone. Shorter boards look better and will teach you less.

The Atlantic here is cooler than many visitors expect. Most surfers wear a wetsuit for much of the year. How thick it needs to be depends on the season and on how easily you feel the cold. A suit that fits snugly keeps you warmer than a thick one that lets water flush through it.

If you are unsure what suits you, do not buy anything yet. Rent for your first trip and use the week to work out what you actually like.

Before you paddle out, stand and watch the water for a few minutes. Notice where the waves break, how often sets arrive, and where the foam is being pushed back out to sea. Water flowing steadily away from the beach is often a rip current, and it is worth knowing how to spot one.

If you are ever caught in a rip, stay calm and do not try to swim straight back against it. Float, raise an arm if you need help, and swim across the current, parallel to the beach, until you are out of it.

Wind, tide and swell all change how a beach behaves. Mornings are often calmer. Local instructors and lifeguards are the best source for how a particular beach is behaving on a particular day.

Every surfer starts the same way: swallowing a little seawater and laughing about it.

Surfing has a few simple, unwritten rules that keep the water safe and friendly. The surfer closest to the breaking part of the wave has priority, and you should never drop in on someone who is already riding it.

Hold on to your board and do not let it become a projectile. Look around before you paddle out, call out if you are about to cross someone's path, and apologise if you get it wrong. Respect local surfers, share the waves, and stay out of the way of advanced surfers at the more demanding breaks.

Surfing uses your shoulders, back and legs in ways everyday life does not. A little stretching before and after a session helps, and so does drinking plenty of water. The Moroccan sun can be strong even on cool days, so wear sun protection and reapply it.

Do not underestimate rest. Most people feel the second or third day hardest, and sore shoulders on day two are normal. Listen to your body and take a break when you need one — an afternoon of yoga or a slow lunch will do more for your week than forcing a fourth session.

Progress is personal. Some people stand on day one. Others need a few days, and neither is a problem. You will probably spend your first sessions in whitewater, learning to paddle, catch a wave and stand, and that is exactly where you should be.

By the end of a week most people can catch unbroken waves and ride them in a straight line. Every surf and every week is different, so ask about conditions, equipment and how sessions are planned before you book.

Learning to surf in Morocco is as much about the place as the waves: long beaches, bright light and slow evenings after the water. Start with a lesson, choose a forgiving board, and let your first trip be about enjoying the ocean. The standing up will come.