A beginner lesson at Panorama. Sand bottom and forgiving waves make it the right classroom.
Quick answer
Panorama is a sand-bottomed right-hand point just south of Taghazout village and the best beginner wave in the area. It works on small to medium NW swell, likes mid tide and a light NE wind, and it is forgiving because there is nothing hard underneath you. Most beginner surf lessons in Taghazout run here or at Devil’s Rock.
What Panorama is
Panorama sits just along from Taghazout village, below the hotel it takes its name from. It is a right-hander that runs over a sand bottom, which is the single most important thing about it: you can fall off badly here and the worst that happens is you get wet.
The wave is not dramatic. It is not going to appear in a surf film. It is long, gentle and repeatable — exactly what you want when you are trying to stand up for the twentieth time.
When Panorama works
| Condition | What works |
|---|---|
| Swell direction | NW to N, but it does not need much of it |
| Size | Small to medium. Waist to chest high is ideal for learning |
| Tide | Mid tide is the sweet spot. High tide can go fat, low can be shallow and quick |
| Wind | Light NE offshore in the morning. Mornings are almost always the better session |
| Bottom | Sand, with some rock at the top of the point |
| Best season | Works year-round. Summer is small and ideal for total beginners |
Conditions are a guide, not a guarantee. Message us the week you arrive and we will tell you what it is actually doing.
Who Panorama suits
Complete beginners, first and foremost. Also improvers working on turning rather than just standing, and longboarders on a small clean day.
Advanced surfers will find it soft unless there is real size running. That is fine — it is not trying to be Anchor Point.
Why we teach here
Three reasons, in order of importance. The bottom is sand, so a bad fall has no consequences. The wave breaks in a predictable place, so I can put you where the wave is going to be rather than guessing. And it is wide enough that a group of six can spread out without colliding.
On bigger days we move lessons to Devil’s Rock in Tamraght, which handles more size while staying beginner-friendly. Which beach a lesson runs on is decided on the morning, not in advance — that flexibility is most of what you are paying an instructor for.
Getting there
Walking distance from most places in Taghazout village, or a two-minute drive. There is parking along the road above the beach. If you are booked into a lesson we bring the boards and the wetsuits, so you only need to bring yourself and water.
When to go somewhere else
When it is big, Panorama gets messy and closed out — that is the day for Devil’s Rock or, if you already surf, Hash Point. When it is flat, Banana Point sometimes still has something small and rideable.