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Days before this photo was taken, this guy asked me for a couple dirhams for a coffee. I checked my pocket and helped him out. I see him again on the beach and he asked for a picture...after I snapped the photo he gave me a candy and an orange. He was really stoked and welcoming me to his country.
I was thankful to attend the 2016 Euro Junior Surf Championships in beautiful Morocco this December as Belgium’s photographer. I got to see some of the best under-18 surfers from Europe perform there. But best of all, I was adopted by a team of seven boys and two amazing girls, their coaches and their parents.
It was just 2008 when Belgium made its debut here at the European Championships, with the surfing’s popularity starting to grow in the country. They finished in 9th place in this edition of the contest, facing off against powerhouses like Portugal, Spain, Morocco and the UK.
14-year-old Costa Rican champion Dean Vandewalle, originally born in Ghent, took bronze in the finals for his age group.
In my free time during this trip, I shot some free surfing every evening. These are some of the images that made my trip so memorable.