Running bodyboarding holidays all over the world means I often get asked my favourite destination, which is a tough call as all our locations have something unique and special to offer. In Secret Morocco it is the long, punchy, empty point breaks that I most look forward to.
What is a point break?
When the conditions are perfect a point break can create a really long wave as the wave wraps around a point or headland and then runs along the coastline of a bay or cove. Point breaks can have rock, coral, or sandy bottoms. Here in Secret Morocco, the point breaks we surf are sand bottomed, and break along beautiful auburn coloured cliffs.
Practice makes perfect
It comes as no surprise that some of the world’s most stylist bodyboarders grew up surfing pointbreaks as well as reefs and beach breaks: Ryan Hardy (North Point), Mitch Rawlins and Matt Lackey (The Super bank), Jeff and Dave Hubbard (The secret points of Kauai).
With pointbreaks offering predictability, time, and an endless wall of water, they are the perfect wave for improving your riding. Their mechanical certainty and length of ride means you can keep practicing a manoeuvre over and over again until you’ve nailed it. What’s more, the deep-water channel provides an element of safety, which enables bodyboarders to ride bigger waves than they normally would.
Paddling out
Point break waves can sometimes be tricky to enter and exit. Beware of surrounding rocks on the headland or point, and don’t try to paddle out straight into the breaking waves. Instead, take advantage of the deep channel where duck dives are not required and on occasions there is a conveyor belt like rip taking you to the peak. If you become caught inside, paddle away from the breaking part of the wave toward the deep channel and ski lift like rip.
Tips for bodyboarding a point break
- As barrel crazed bodyboarders, we seek to position ourselves in the faster hollower sections of the point break. Take time to look for this section of the wave before paddling out.
- Also, as bodyboarders we have the advantage of being able to take off late, so be prepared to “turn and go” when a surfer wipeouts. This will increase your wave count no end, especially on busy days.
- In Secret Morocco I really enjoy the long point break waves for refining my cutbacks, cutback reverses and cutback to forward spin combinations. Not to mention the endless fun you can have dropknee on these long walling waves.