Eamon Armstrong Pro Kiteboarder

So just back from a trip with Puremagic crew to Dakhla, Morocco where we spent 2 and a half weeks there. We were there with 2 groups of kitesurfers from Ireland and we were on hand to help improve their level of riding as well as hang out and enjoy the desert! Dakhla is a town in the very south of Morocco in the western Sahara. We were staying in the camp Dakhla Magic, formaly called Auberge de Nomad. The camp is about 28km from Dakhla city and we kitesurf in this huge lagoon just beside the camp. We also scored a great festival in Dakhla city that had a big stage in the centre of the city. There was also a big downwind race organised for the festivities and some of the top racing riders from all over the world had been invited to come and compete. So we basically had 1 group of students for the first week, then few days off for the festival, and then the second group of students for the last week.

We unfortunately didnt get the wind we hoped for, with only half the time we spend there being windy. And of course when theres no wind what else do you but party hard! As we passed through Paris we all raided the duty free and bought 2-3 bottles of hard liquor each, there being 14 of us…and obviously that wasnt enough as it was all finished before the end of the first week. In between all the boozing we scored some pretty good conditions, 11m, 9, and 7m weather. A 5m would have even got use on at least 2 days! So it was great for training on new tricks in the lighter wind and then trying to get current tricks nice and smooth in the higher winds. My goal for the trip was to learn the frontmobe but didnt get it although i can feel i’m very close now (although considering a french rider folded his leg the day we arrived trying a frontmobe, that kind of freaked me out). I also had a few scary mega loops on my 7m with some savage wipeouts but at least i’m getting a bit more daring and going for it in windier weather.

Even with no wind we got to do some other cool stuff like desert walking, looking at sand, surfing, drinking coke and other sugary drinks, drink more alcohol, and quad biking! The Quad biking was actually quite insane! No signing your life away no insurance documents or anything, just walk in take a helmet and body armour and hop on the quad and cane it! The terrain was great for it, endless desert and sand dunes. We had a guide who brought us on a trial but you basically just follow him doing what you like and rallying the quad to pieces. We had a number of near accidents, we a Steve rolling his, a few people almost falling off, myself almost going over the front and finally the big one, Marco flipping his and it landing on top of him! Well sketch! But he made it out ok so thats the main thing.

The Festival was also a great time! We headed into town to send off the first group of students on the plane then we grabbed a bite to eat and hit a bottle of pre-mixed rum and coke at a ratio of like 5:1. After we checked out the music in the plaza and waited and waited for some artist franz and Toff were dying to see. We waited about an hour for him, ‘Fudel’, the guy who franz said, ‘is quite famous in france but you’d never to his concert if he played there!’. We finally gave up and hit the nearby hotels rooftop bar where apparently the kitesurfers were meant to be partying. We meet some great people at it and had a fantastic, crazy time! Big shout out to the ladies Ania, Jo, Jemma and Sjoukje who all looked like they were going to have a chilled out night sipping on G&T’s until the Puremagic crew arrived in and straight away bought a bottle of whiskey and tequilas and god know what else but great craic was had by all and boy was it messy! So after the rooftop party we had no plan so just followed all the pro riders back to their camp just on the edge of the city. Myself and Larence piled into the riders bus and as we pull away from the hotel theres no sign of Franz or Toff. I then here someone say to me that they’ve just been taken by the police! So bus pulls off and stops at a random dodgy fast food place and we grab some random chicken roll thing, with extra ketcup, that you just know could make it all go horribly wrong the next day…but we went with it anyway! We arrive back at the camp and we freak out, a FREE BAR! Sorted we get stuck in. We were basically handed out slabs of heineken and that was it. Music and all the place was sweet! To top off the night we found beds in these empty tents that had been reserved for this artist Fudel!!! Epic night!

The next morning we woke up and scored some free breakfast in the riders camp then got a lift with them back to our camp on their bus which was bringing them to the race spot. We grabbed ourselves a couple of hours sleep and then pumped our stuff and hit the water and downwinded it to the next camp, Dakhla Atittude. The conditions were sweet, powered on 11m and water was flat and shallow. There was no sign of the race starting so myself and franz went on a freesyling session and considering the night we had had we were riding super good! Some of the local Moroccan crew here were ripping super hard too so there was a great vibe on the water. These guys really have a high level of riding and on another day i witnessed them taking some of the biggest wipeouts i’ve seen guys take, ever! After 20 minutes kites started to head off to the starting area so Franz, Larence and myself. We also entered this downwind race that all the riders had come for. Windsurfers and kiters gathered at the camp just downwind from us where the race was due to start. We had decided in the fun spirit of the Puremagic team that we’d start the race then screw the course and head straight for the finish expecting a big cheer for the what would look like winners arriving first on the finish line. But we arrive and like only 3 people are waiting on the beach, no cheers or greetings or anything! It was a fun downwinder of 27km or so and it was a great feeling to have just 3 of us kiting in the middle of nowhere with no boats or anything just total freedom!

So once again we had a great time there and I hope to be back next year again to party hard in the desert an score some sweet wind and flat water!

Later

Eamo