Abdeljalil Mahfoudi

Abdeljalil Mahfoudi, who goes by the nickname, “Bamboo”, grew up in the farmlands of inland Morocco. When he was 16 years old his family moved to Taghazout, a coastal town in southern Morocco, and that’s where his surf journey began. Bamboo fell in love with surfing right from the start and decided to dedicate his life to the ocean, becoming a surf instructor and sharing his passion for the ocean with people from all over the world at various surf schools in the area.

In early 2020, in the beginning stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bamboo left Taghazout for a quick camping trip up the coast to Imsouane to go surfing and fishing. Little did he know he would get stuck in Imsouane for months and eventually build a new life there. He landed a job as a surf instructor at Olo (where SWA runs retreats) and became an entrepreneur coaching private clients in the area as well. He’s been there ever since!

Bamboo loves his life in Imsouane, where he balances working hard as a surf coach in the high season and then traveling in the off season. His favorite way to spend the off season every year is getting tubed in Indonesia.