This is the wave that put Taghazout on the map, and the one that fills the videos. It is also why a lot of trips start badly: you come for Anchor Point, you go too early, and you spend the week paddling.
What the sheet says
| Level | advanced to expert |
|---|---|
| Type | rock point, right |
| Tide | mid |
| Rating | 4.9 / 5 |
| Crowd factor | 5 / 5 |
Two lines settle it. The floor is "advanced", and that is not a courtesy: it is the level at which you can place yourself, paddle in a running current and get out on your own. And the crowd factor is at its maximum, which means that even at the right level, you will be sharing.
A 4.9 does not say the wave is easy. It says it is excellent for the people it is aimed at.
The real filter is not the wave, it is the peak
On a point, everybody waits in the same place. Position is negotiated, so is the order of go, and somebody who cannot read that yet will take two waves in a morning while others take fifteen.
That is where the frustration comes from, far more than from the technical difficulty of the wave itself.
Where to go instead, without feeling punished
- Boilers: reef, intermediate to advanced, rated 4.6. It is the step before, and it is excellent.
- Banana Beach (Tamraght): sand, beginner to intermediate. Nothing like it in intensity, everything like it in waves caught.
- La Baie (Imsouane): a point, but open from beginner to advanced, and on every tide. The longest right in the region, and the most forgiving.
When it works
Anchor Point needs swell. The months rated `excellent`, November to February, are its months, at 2.2 m of average swell. In summer, at 0.7 m, it is simply not the same wave, and the point of going disappears.
Frequently asked
Can I just go and watch?
Yes, and it is a good way to start the week. The point is easy to read from the road.
Do I need booties?
Over rock, on the way in and the way out, they save a week ruined by a cut. Few people regret them.
First time in Morocco and I am intermediate: do I go?
Go and look, surf elsewhere for two days, then judge. The wave is not going anywhere.
The other breaks are documented from the Taghazout guide.
