Somewhere near the take-off at Boilers, a rusted ship's boiler sits on the rocks. It's from an old wreck, and at low tide you can see it clearly from the road. That's the name. Some people will tell you it's also about the water boiling up through holes in the reef as the sets come through. Either way, once you've watched a wave here throw over that shallow ledge, you'll think the name fits.
Where it is
Boilers is the furthest north of the Taghazout breaks, just before the Cap Ghir lighthouse on the N1 towards Tamri. It's about 20 minutes' drive from Taghazout and a bit more from Tamraght. You park by the road just before the lighthouse. The wind hits the car as you come round the headland, and that's the first hint of why this place works.
How the wave works
A fast, hollow right that breaks hard over shallow reef and rock. The lip comes over vertically, and it doesn't give you much time. Boilers usually gets more swell than the spots in Taghazout, and the mountains behind it funnel the wind offshore, so it's rarely blown out. When everything else is choppy, Boilers can be clean.
- Swell: west to north-west. It works from medium size up to properly big.
- Wind: offshore in easterlies, and sheltered more often than anywhere else nearby
- Tide: low is the most common call. On a big swell it works through more of the tide.
- Season: winter
- Level: advanced to expert
Getting in and out
This is the part that decides whether you should be here. You jump off the rocks, and the rocks hide the sets from you until they're close. The way it's done: someone on the shore watches the horizon and tells you when to go, and you go straight away. Coming back in, you time it with the lull and climb out where the regulars do. If you don't know where that is, watch someone do it first.
There are sea urchins on the reef and plenty of sharp rock. Reef booties are a good idea. A cut foot here can end your trip.
Who it's for
Experienced surfers who are comfortable with hollow waves over shallow reef, and with a rock entry. If you're not sure you're one of them, you're not, and that's fine. Anchor Point or Banana Point will give you a better day.
Even if you don't surf, the lighthouse and the view from the road are worth stopping for on the way to Tamri or Imsouane.
The live forecast for Boilers is on this page above.