Photo: Amine Nader // NowNowMedia
There aren’t many secret spots left in the surfing world. Between Google Maps, influencers, Reddit, and just the surfing community at large, pretty much every wave in the world has been found (though not all of them have been ridden yet). However, the latest release from Now Now Media hearkens back to a time when a wave could still be kept a secret, as was the case with the Moroccan jewel, Safi.
Of course, Safi is now world renowned for its endless barrels (and punishing wipeouts). In fact, it has a legitimate claim to being the longest, heaviest right-hand point break in the world. Back in the early 1980s, though, it was only known to a small group of friends who swore each other to secrecy. They even took to referring to the spot as “Le Jardin” or “The Garden,” so they could talk about it without revealing it to other surfers. As a result, they had the spot to themselves for over a decade.
However, the garden could only stay theirs for so long. “We were lucky,” explains Othman Aboufiras, one of the privileged few who was in on the secret. “We had the chance to surf this wave alone, but it’s not easy to keep a secret like this. You want to share it with your friends.”
Photo: Are Frapwell // NowNowMedia
Eventually, word got out. Then, Australian pro Ross Clarke-Jones made it out there and blew the lid off the whole thing. Of course, while that opened the door for truly world-class surfing on a world-class break, it also brought with it a host of new problems, including the teeming crowds that are the bane of every modern surfer.
The entire progression is lovingly detailed in the piece by filmmaker Will Bendix, who artfully tells the tale of Safi by playfully cutting back and forth between the break’s past and present. The edit is more than just a history lesson, though. There’s also a hell of a lot of surfing in there, with appearances from Ramzi Boukhiam, Matt Bromley, Eli Beukes, Clarke-Jones, Laurent Miramon, Mehdi Serghini, Henri Elgrichi and more.
The project is the latest in the Origin documentary series from Now Now Media. The films explore the backstories behind iconic waves worldwide – in a process that involves years of filming and investigation into the unique character of each location. “The story behind the Origin series documentary films is that Will Bendix and I decided to focus on waves as the heroes of these specific films, as they should be,” explained producer Alan Van Gysen. “There are so many films and so much content out there about surfers – vlogging etc., we just really wanted to shift the focus onto the waves themselves – but then also the interesting things around those waves. Things like environmental issues, social issues… and really also shine the light on the communities around these areas, drawing respected local people into the filmmaking process.”
Check out the full video below.
