INTO THE BLUE

I t ’s s t i l l h ot out si d e , ri ght? Cool down with our pick of the best watersports to try in the capital

Go kayaking

If you really want to get the complete Louvre Abu Dhabi experience, you need to pick up your paddle and join one of the museum’s one-hour guided kayaking tours. Row yourself along the narrow passages around the museum for a close-up view of this amazing architectural marvel. Prices cots Dhs126. q louvreabudhabi.ae/en/learn/adults-activities

Combine paddleboarding with some beach yoga

Start the week with gentle flow and a paddle every Friday morning at Reem Central Park at 6am. Participants will experience a 45-minute gentle yoga session followed by 45 minutes of paddleboarding. Prices cost Dhs99. q sea-hawk.ae

Yas Waterworld

Abu Dhabi’s aqua land offers far more than just swimming and waterslides. With a suspended rollercoaster flying over 20 different water-based rides and various other child-friendly activities, Yas Waterworld feels more like a theme park than a waterpark. Our favourite activity here? The flowboarding machine, where you can practise surfing on a man-made wave. q yaswaterworld.com

Get towed along Cove Beach

Donuts: they might not always be the same shape as Homer Simpson’s favourite snack, but in the world of water sports a donut is an inflatable you can ride on as it is pulled through the water at high speeds by a powerboat. Now you can have a go at Cove Beach Abu Dhabi where a 15-minute session costs just Dhs100. Cove Beach also offers other watersports activities, including jet ski rental at Dhs100 for 15 minutes. q @covebeachabudhabi

Flyboarding

Ever wanted to walk on water? How about flying on it? Well, now you can thanks to the flyboard, a device that straps powerful water jets to your feet. Feel like a super hero as you fly over the ocean – and get ready for a splash landing. Give it a go with Iron Waves. It offers flyboarding experiences from Dhs150 for 15 minutes at four locations, including Fairmont Bab al Bahr, Radisson Blu, Al Raha Beach and Venetian Village. q ironwavesuae.ae.

Cable-boarding

Dragon boating

Dragon boating is the ultimate in team water sports, as you need to work together as a group to power the boat through the waves. Mangrove Adventures has just launched dragon boating as a new activity to try every Monday and Wednesday at 6pm, setting off from the Eastern Mangroves Promenade. With regular training a key to success, dragon boating is great for folk who are looking for a fun way to stay fit. q @mws.ae

Jet skiing

In contrast to Abu Dhabi’s many boat-pulled aquatic offerings, the Al Forsan sports resort offers an intriguing alternative: an extensive water park cable system that pulls visitors across their custom lakes on whatever type of board or ski they choose. Visitors can select either beginner or pro cables as you grow in confidence and experience. The park is busier, and more expensive, at weekends so go on a weekday if you can. q alforsan.com

Abu Dhabi Marine offers a range of motorised and non-motorised watersports at three locations in the capital. You can hire jet skis at its Bab Al Qasr location from just Dhs250 for 30 minutes. If you want, you can also brunch at Bab Al Qasr and enjoy 2-for-1 on select watersports. q abudhabimarine.ae

Wakeboarding and Wakesurfing

If you think regular surfing requires too much effort to find the right waves, wakeboarding and wakesurfing are good alternatives – let the powerboat take the strain as you concentrate on staying upright in this thrilling single board alternative to waterskiing. Abu Dhabi-based wakeboarding pros Wave Evolution is located in the Eastern Mangroves, where you’ll find flat water all year round, perfect conditions for wakeboarding. Sessions cost Dhs550 for one hour. q wake-evolution.com

Deep Dive Dubai

Depending on how comfortable you are with swimming, wandering far into the deep end can be either exhilarating or borderline panic-inducing. If you tend to experience the latter when you can no longer touch the bottom, then maybe stay away from Deep Dive Dubai, the now Guinness World Recordholding deepest pool for divers located in Nad Al Sheba. If in fact you see this as the ultimate playground, boy, would you be right. Aside from being a whopping 60m deep, there’s a whole sunken city to explore with empty streets, a garage and an arcade that freedivers and scuba enthusiasts can discover. q deepdivedubai.com.

Abu Dhabi Marine

Crooning crustacean, Sebastian the crab, once famously sang, “darling it’s better, down where it’s wetter” and given the range of submarinal adventure offered by Abu Dhabi Marine, we might actually be on board with that assessment. You can take the plunge on trips fit for all ability levels, from snorkelling escapades (from Dhs150) and beginner scuba diving (Dhs350, for ages 10 and up), to more challenging dives and advanced PADI certificate diving courses (from Dhs1,500). Proof, if any were needed, that watersports are “hotter under the water”. a Abu Dhabi Marina, opposite Marina Mall, Break Water, Tel: (800) 4386, abudhabimarine.ae