The competition kicked off at 8:30 AM local time. Today was packed with excitement as the Men Prime Series hit the water after a few days off. There were some high scores and an insane level of surfing throughout this intense day.
Anza Beach in Taghazout Bay woke up to a beautiful sunny day, with solid waves, both rights and lefts, providing ramps for the riders to showcase their full range of tricks.
Throughout the day, Rounds 5, 6, and five heats of Round 7 of the Men Prime Series were held. Here’s a recap of what went down during this penultimate day of competition at the Taghazout Bay Morocco Pro 2025.
ROUND 5 “Repercharge” / MEN PRIME SERIES
Just a reminder that Round 4 wasn’t elimination, so those who didn’t qualify had another shot in this repercharge round, where the top 2 advanced to the next round.
The first heat of the day set the tone with some high scores in very close heats. Local rider Abdelhafeid Gharib hit his target with a solid score of 15 points, showing he’s a strong contender. The second spot went to French surfer Tehei Tahirivairau.
Local hero Brahim Iddouch showcased his experience in a hard-fought heat, riding his best left wave with a reverse and a nice backflip, scoring a total of 14 points. Just 0.20 points behind him was his fellow countryman Boulahia Hassan. Both continue to highlight Morocco’s high level across all categories.
The current junior champion at Taghazout Bay, young French surfer Louka Zaninotto, kept impressing and advanced as the top scorer to the next round. Coming in second was the great Chilean athlete Joaquín Soto, in a heat that was decided by just half a point.
Defending champion Gabriel Braga from Brazil hit the water, making it clear he doesn’t waste second chances, putting in a solid performance and solidifying his spot as a title contender. Just under a point behind Gabriel was Moroccan rider Chokhmy El Mehdi, who also advanced.
ROUND 6 / MEN PRIME SERIES
In this round, heats featured 3 riders, and the top 2 advanced to the top 16 in Taghazout Bay. The waves improved, and the level shot up with some high scores, putting on a show that had the crowd cheering.
The first battle was led by one of the title favorites, South African Tristan Roberts, who took first place. Just 0.20 points behind him was another Moroccan athlete, Abdelhafeid Gharib. His compatriot Iddouch Yassine was eliminated but showed good form throughout the event.
Brazil’s Uri Valadao showed his experience and took first in a very competitive heat. The second spot went to young Portuguese surfer Joel Rodrigues. Moroccan athlete Boulahia Hassan left the competition with great vibes after a solid performance.
The third heat of this round was a hot topic, featuring one of the event’s breakout stars, Moroccan rider Chajri Badr Eddine, who scored the highest total of the day tied with Pierre Louis, racking up an impressive 17.75 points, including an 8.75 wave, a high backflip, and a solid invert. Keep an eye on this guy! The second spot went to his fellow countryman and idol Brahim Iddouch, both making it into the top 16. Clement Lodeho from Reunion Island exited the competition.
The current world champion, Armide Soliveres, is back in action, showing off his top form with a score of 16.25, making it clear he’s gunning for the title. Louka Zaninotto is surprising everyone again, as the junior rider makes it into the top 16 at Taghazout Bay with a score of 14.4. Unfortunately, the local rider Boufouchk Ilias got eliminated after a solid performance.
Another title contender, Frenchman Pierre Louis Costes, put on an almost perfect show, scoring the highest of the day alongside Chajri Badr Eddine, both with a score of 17.75. Pierre nailed a complete wave with a backflip, roll, and an inverted air. Tehei Tahirivairau secured his spot in the next round, closely followed by Spain’s Javier Domínguez, who had a great run but is now out of the competition.
In heat 6, Brazilian athlete Eder Luciano advanced in first place, proving his high level once again. Lionel Medina from the Canary Islands also made it through in second. The Moroccan El Ghazi Achraf took third but didn’t qualify, leaving with good vibes.
Heat 7 was all about Yann Salaun from France, who made it through in a very tight heat. Chilean rider Joaquín Soto is still in the competition after finishing second in this heat. Unfortunately, Moroccan Bahloul Ahmed couldn’t keep up this time and didn’t connect with the waves.
In the last heat of this round, Moroccan rider Yassine Elghzal stood out, scoring 14.5 and bumping the current Taghazout champion, Brazilian Gabriel Braga, down to second. Local athlete Chokhmy El Mehdi couldn’t make it and left to applause from the crowd.
ROUND 7 / MEN PRIME SERIES
The top 16 faced off head-to-head, with great waves and an incredibly high level that promised an awesome show in this final round of the day.
Tristan Roberts is on fire with high scores, enjoying the right-handers at Anzar beach, where his aerial tricks keep coming, and he secured his spot in the quarterfinals. Youngster Joel Rodríguez didn’t advance but gave the champ a run for his money.
The heat between Brazilian Uri Valadao and Moroccan Abdelhafeid Gharib was super tight, with just half a point separating them. Uri took the win with a score of 15.75, pushing Abdelhafeid to second with 15.25.
The third heat featured two of the surprises of the tournament. Chajri Badr Eddine continues to impress and made it to the quarterfinals again. This time, young junior champ Louka Zaninotto from France couldn’t reach his goal, but he’s definitely making a name for himself in the sport.
Once again, the champ is in action. Armide Soliveres is unstoppable, qualifying in first place with a high score of 17 points, including an almost perfect wave scoring 9.5, where he pulled off a roll, a super high backflip, and a smooth ARS. Local legend Brahim Iddouch is out of the competition after not being able to match Armide, but he’s proven once again that he’s one of the best athletes in the world.
The top 2 from the IBC World Tour also hit the water and didn’t hold back. With a score of 16.5, Pierre Louis Costes showed his full potential again, solidifying his status as one of the top favorites for the title. Spain’s Lionel Medina couldn’t beat the champ and is out of the competition.
The organizers decided to call it a day today with three heats left in this round because of the poor visibility from the sun.
Tomorrow is expected to be the last day of competition, so the final heats of Round 7, the Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and Finals of the Men’s Prime Series will hit the water, along with the Semifinals and Finals of the Women’s Prime Series.
It’s shaping up to be the biggest wave day of the whole event, so the best surfers in the world are gearing up to tackle the waves and currents at Anza Beach.
Make sure to tune in to the LIVE stream starting at 8:00 AM local time, because we’ll finally find out who the new champions of the Taghazout Bay Morocco Pro 2025 are.
You can catch the event LIVE and check out all the content on the various social media platforms and the official IBC World Tour website.
Instagram: ibcworld_tour
Main Organisers:
@fedesurfmaroc
@taghazoutbay.officiel
@ibcworld_tour
@imouransurf
Key Sponsors:
@CR.SOUSSMASSA
@taghazoutbay.officiel
@redbullmoroc
@pridebodyboards
@ripcurl_morocco
@Tikida hotels
@radissonblutaghazoutbay
Local Partners:
@Aanzabluewaves
@newgenerationsurfassociation
@TaghazoutBoardRiders
@RDTRSoussMassa
@crtagadirsm
#WorldBodyboard #ibc2025 #TaghazoutBay #AnzaWaves #BodyboardingMorocco #RideTheWaves #AnchorPointAdventure #bodyboard #bodyboarding #ibcworldtour #visitagadir #visitruralmorocco
