Western Sahara - Surfing on the Edge of the Sahara Desert

The disputed region of Western Sahara in north Africa is under the control of the Kingdom of Morocco. Easily accessible via domestic flights from Casablanca, Morocco annexed the vast territory after the departure of the colonial authorities of the former Spanish Sahara in 1975. 

While this de facto annexation is controversial and not internationally recognized, it is a fact on the ground and the Polisario guerillas intent on an independent country for the Saharawi people of the region languish in camps across the border in Algeria where they have resided for decades, since the fighting ended in the early 1990’s.

The region is sparsely populated and for good reason - the harsh desert environment is a difficult place for people to live. Other than settlements like Laayoune and Dakhla on the long peninsula sticking out from the mainland, human presence is scarce in the vast, arid emptiness of the Sahara Desert, where even camels struggle to survive.