Galicia sits in the north-western corner of Spain where the Atlantic hits hard. Quiet, rugged, and genuinely beautiful. In September the weather is still good, the water temperature comfortable, surf is consistent and the summer crowds have gone.

Casa Prior is a restored stone farmhouse set in private gardens, a fifteen-minute walk from the beaches at Santa Comba and Esmelle. The house belongs to Camilla, who lives on site and looks after guests personally. Stone walls, wooden beams, a terrace for morning coffee and evening meals.

The house sits on a peninsula with walking and running paths in every direction, some crossing to other parts of the coastline, others leading to neighbouring villages. Good country for running, cycling, or simply wandering. There are several bars, restaurants, and two small grocery stores within easy reach. Ferrol is fifteen minutes by car; A Coruna forty-five minutes; Santiago de Compostela an hour.

Cabo Prior

Ermita de Santa Comba

Breakfast is eggs, bread, yoghurt, fresh fruit, coffee and tea. Lunch is light: tortilla, fresh salads, bread with local cheese and cured meats, either on the terrace or taken to the beach. Dinner is served at a shared table each evening: locally sourced fish, clams, vegetables from the garden. Wine is served with dinner and beer is available throughout. All dietary requirements can be accommodated with advance notice.

Coaching is led by Luis Rodriguez, one of Galicia's most experienced surf coaches and a former ISA World Championship finalist. Sessions run each morning, with groups split by ability where needed. The trip is suitable for beginner to intermediate surfers. Some prior experience in the water is helpful, though not essential.

Luis Rodriguez
Surf Coach, Galicia

Daily yoga sessions are led by Camilla in the courtyard of Casa Prior, open to the garden. Sessions can be held inside. The focus is yin yoga: slow, restorative, and designed around what surfing does to the body.

Camilla
Host and Yoga Lead, Casa Prior

Fly into Santiago de Compostela. Two good options from London:

LGW, departs 09:40, arrives 12:50. Vueling/Iberia, non-stop.
LHR, departs 18:50, arrives 22:00. Vueling/Iberia, non-stop.

We will arrange two airport transfers on Thursday. If you are arriving outside those times please make your own way to the property. One return transfer on Sunday 13th September for the 16:50 from Santiago.

Casa Prior has four rooms sleeping up to ten guests in total.

Rooms are allocated by wavestate prior to arrival. We do our best to arrange by gender but cannot guarantee this in every case. Most guests find that sharing is part of what makes the trip, but if it is a concern, please get in touch before booking.

If you would like to guarantee a double bed and private bathroom, this is available at a supplement. Couples and guests travelling together will be prioritised for Rooms 1 and 4. Please indicate your preference at the time of booking.

Oualidia sits on Morocco's Atlantic coast, roughly halfway between Casablanca and Essaouira, where the ocean cliffs give way to a five-mile tidal lagoon. A place of outstanding natural beauty, where Moroccans themselves come on holiday, with uncrowded waves and a charm entirely its own. Wide open beaches and waves that are as forgiving and enjoyable as any you will find.

Villa La Diouana has been the place to stay in Oualidia for over fifteen years. Perched on a clifftop with a large garden, pool, and views straight out over the lagoon and ocean. Your hosts are James von Leyden and his wife. James is a novelist whose two crime thrillers set in Morocco, A Death in the Medina and Last Boat from Tangier, are published by Hachette. They know the area intimately and during the week James will share some of his insights with guests.

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HOST

Tom

Head of wavestate

Tom runs wavestate and hosts every trip in person. He handles the logistics on the ground throughout the week, surfs alongside guests, and assists Abdou with coaching. A qualified ISA surf coach and RNLI lifeguard, he also films sessions and runs the evening theory and footage review.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Georgie

Trip Host & Creative Director, wavestate

After years connecting people across the entertainment industry, Georgie found her truest community in the water. On the trip she co-hosts alongside Tom, making sure guests are comfortable, organising daily activities and excursions outside of surf, and keeping things running smoothly. She has surfed from the Atlantic coast of West Africa to Sri Lanka, and knows what makes a trip really work.

VILLA HOST

James von Leyden

James von Leyden first came to Morocco in 1985 and has been returning ever since. He spent 30 years as an advertising copywriter before turning to fiction, and has used the villa as a base to write his two crime novels set in Morocco. He knows the area intimately and has kindly offered to give a talk one evening to guests.

Oualidia's lagoon is a remarkable place to learn to surf. Swell filters through the inlet and reforms over shifting sandbanks into soft, rolling waves with almost no rip current. When solid Atlantic swells hammer the coast, the lagoon stays manageable. Instructors can focus on technique rather than safety.

For those ready to step it up, there are breaks just outside the lagoon mouth with proper Atlantic punch. Further afield, a short drive opens up more beaches with peaks of all shapes and sizes. Depending on ability levels in the group, we may split into two groups to make sure everyone is surfing the right wave.

SURF COACH

Abdou

Surf Coach, Oualidia Vibes Surf School

Abdou runs Oualidia Vibes Surf School and knows these waters inside out. A natural coach with years of experience teaching surfers of all levels in the lagoon and beyond.

Yoga runs daily under Abdel-Ali, a local instructor who works specifically with surfers. Sessions are built around recovery: targeted stretching and breathwork that eases the shoulders, lower back and hips after a morning in the water, and settles the mind before the rest of the day continues. Open to complete beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

Fatima-Zahra, our on-call masseuse, is available for massages on request if you find yourself with any muscle tightness.

Meals at La Diouana are communal and unhurried. Breakfasts are laid out together each morning, a traditional Moroccan spread of amlou, pancakes, fresh bread and Moroccan tea, alongside more familiar options such as yoghurt, fruit, honey and granola, along with orange juice, coffee and tea. Dinners are shared at the long table, and are the social highlight of the day.

The cooking is in the hands of Fatima, who has been at La Diouana for fifteen years. She cooks Moroccan and Mediterranean fish tagine, harira, kofta, paella, fresh salads using produce sourced locally and in season. Fish and shellfish are landed daily and oysters are farmed right in the lagoon. Vegetarian and vegan options throughout.

COOKS

Fatima and Abdillah

Fatima has been cooking at La Diouana for fifteen years. She works with whatever is freshest that day: fish tagine, harira, kofta, paella, fresh salads. Her kofta tagine alone is worth the trip. Abdillah, her husband and barbecuer in chief, handles the grill: fresh sea bream, sardines, chicken kebabs, lamb cutlets, all cooked over charcoal. Between them, they make sure guests are very well looked after.

Oualidia is special beyond the surf. The lagoon is a protected nature reserve, home to oyster farms, flamingos, storks, and rare migratory birds. Boat trips across the lagoon, birdwatching at sunrise, and oysters straight from the water are all part of the week. The nearby town of Safi is worth a day trip for its medina, ancient ramparts, and the chance to watch one of Morocco's most famous waves from the cliff.

The week is unstructured by design. Further details of the schedule will be shared closer to the trip. This is a rough sense of what a day looks like.

La Diouana has six bedrooms across the property, sleeping up to twelve. Six are in the villa itself, two in the Penthouse Suite, and two each in the Garden Suite and the Palm Suite, both in a nearby annex.

Wavestate trips are capped at 12 guests. Rooms are allocated by wavestate ahead of arrival, and where you are travelling with a partner or a friend, we will usually look to put you in a double together. Sharing is part of the experience, and most guests find it's no trouble at all, but if it would be a concern, just let us know before booking and we can look at a single room or an extra bed where needed. Couples and friends willing to share a double would normally receive a small discount, though as this trip is already priced at cost for friends of wavestate, everyone pays the same amount. Each bedroom has its own ensuite bathroom, heating and air conditioning.