This past March, the Nymph Wetsuits team headed to Morocco to film a new bodyboard clip and the advertising campaign for their upcoming 2026/27 Thermal Steamer Range. With BC+ Team riders Tristan Roberts and Ethan Capdeville already on the ground for the opening stage of the IBC World Tour at Anza Beach, it made perfect sense to fly Steph Kokorelis in from Portugal to join them. Rounding out the crew were two motivated locals — Badr Eddine (IBC Rookie of the Year 2025) and rising grom Hamza Moumou — both fired up to surf alongside the team and be part of a Pride x Nymph collaboration.
A Slow Start
The trip didn't exactly kick off with perfect conditions. The forecast was largely flat, with only two or three days showing any real potential — and even those didn't deliver the kind of waves worth pointing a lens at around the Agadir area. Still, it was good to see the crew sharing waves and getting into rhythm together. Fresh off his victory at the IBC Morocco Pro, Tristan was clearly locked in — precise, powerful, and making every maneuver count.
The Quemao Call
Mid-trip, a promising swell window opened up — and with it came an invitation neither Ethan nor Steph could turn down: the El Quemao Class in Lanzarote was on, with a two-day run confirmed. The decision was quick. As one of the most prestigious bodyboard events in Europe — notable for its mixed surfers-and-bodyboarders format and the privilege of surfing one of Europe's best waves with just two or three people in the water — missing it simply wasn't an option. The timing wasn't ideal; the boys would miss the peak swell days in Morocco. But the Quemao is the Quemao.
Tristan, however, had to stay behind. Holding a single-entry visa, leaving Morocco would have meant not being able to return. So he remained, while Steph and Ethan made the journey to Lanzarote.
Steph's take on surfing Quemao for the first time: "Quemao is easily one of the best waves for bodyboarding. Even if it wasn't at its best, we still got some sick sessions and saw how much potential it has — definitely want to surf it more."
One Swell lighting up Morocco & Canaries
While Steph and Ethan were threading barrels over a thousand-year-old lava reef, Tristan headed north with Hamza and Badr to chase down the swell. Their first target didn't fire as hoped, but word reached them that Jérôme Sahyoun and a crew of high-calibre surfers were riding an unorthodox point break south of Safi. They followed the tip. The wave wasn't a typical bodyboard setup — long, not particularly steep, no barrel, and difficult to read for a ramp — but Tristan made it work, launching an air-reverse that left everyone stunned.
The crew then drove south to chase a slab they'd been eyeing as a centrepiece for the film. After hours of driving through the countryside and a few eyebrow-raising police checkpoints, they arrived to find it absolutely firing.
Tristan's reaction: "It's like the little brother of the slab from the Pride film Roadkill — shot in Australia. A lot more friendly, a lot more playful. It doesn't line up too often — fickle wave, very exposed to wind and sensitive to swell. But the moment I arrived, I knew we were going to score."
The crew had three straight days of carnage at the slab. Pure carnage.
The Long Road Back
Back in Lanzarote, the competition unfortunately ended early for both athletes — Steph going out in Round 1 and Ethan in Round 2. Frustrated, but grateful to have competed in such a well-organised and prestigious event, they packed their bags and began the long journey back to Morocco. The travel was brutal: 24 hours door-to-door, a sleepless overnight layover in Madrid, and a bleary-eyed arrival into Marrakesh the following day.
They picked up Sébastien Boulard and headed for Charatan — one of Morocco's finest waves. But on arrival, it became clear the spot was unsurfable. The floods that had swept through Morocco in February had left the water quality in a state that made surfing there out of the question. A short night in Casablanca, then five more hours on the road to Safi. By now, Tristan had already departed for South Africa, his 30-day visa up.
The waves at Safi were cooking but unforgiving — fast, with plenty of closeouts, and not another surfer in sight. Just Steph and Ethan, figuring it out alone.
Steph on the session: "It was a full adventure — hiking down a sketchy cliff with rocks crumbling, then figuring out how to even get in. Long paddle, heavy conditions... but we ended up scoring these dreamy right-handers with long barrels, just the two of us out there having fun."
The Final Day
With neither rider having secured many clips — having missed the best days of swell and with limited footage from Quemao — the pressure was on for their final day. A big part in the film was still within reach, but only if the swell cooperated. It didn't. The ocean went nearly flat, and with it, the opportunity slipped away.
That's how it goes sometimes. But despite the missed windows and the exhausting travel, both Steph and Ethan left Morocco stoked — grateful for the Quemao invitation and the experiences in between.
Steph's final word on his first time in Morocco: "I got to see that this place is special — eating my first ever tagine, just chilling on a beach in Taghazout. That's when it really clicked."
