OutdoorUAE - June 2016

Dive centre roundup EDA Digital Online 2016 The Red Sea

The wonderful end to Will’s journey

Saving UAE Dolphins

Check Inside SCUBAPRO MANTIS 2 DIVING COMPUTER from SCUBA MARINE Now distributed across the UAE!

Price 10.00 AED 10.00 QAR 1.00 OMR

It Starts Here:

‘DEAD2’ COMES TO LIFE!

Outdoor Education:

LEARNING THROUGH ADVENTURE

Vol. 6, No. 6 June 2016

www.OutdoorUAE.com

Dealers:

Showroom: • Salam Street, Abu Dhabi, UAE • GPS: 24.482060, 54.384863 • P.O. Box: 126690 • Tel.: +971 2 644 6211 • Fax.: +971 2 644 6212 • E-Mail: info@scubamarine.ae

Authorized Dealer:

DIVE ATLANTIS, ATLANTIS THE PALM PO BOX 211222, Crescent Road, The Palm, Dubai, UAE Tel. +971 4 426 3409 Email: dxb-diveatlantisreception@atlantisthepalm.com Website: https://www.atlantisthepalm.com/marine-water-park/ diving-courses/padi-courses X-MARINE PO Box: 95950, Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 221119, Fax: +971 4 2292244 | Email: suresh@xmarine.ae

BARRACUDA DIVING CENTER PO Box: 8854 , FUJAIRAH UAE Tel: +971 9 2225580 / +971 50 1101445 Email: bdcfuj@emirates.net.ae EMIRATES DIVING CENTER Sharjah, UAE | Tel: +971 6 5655990 | Fax: +971 6 5655994 Email: edc2002@eim.ae | Website: www.emiratesdivingcentre.ae MAGELLAN MARINE DIVING CENTER Ajman St., Seaport near Customs Ajman, UAE Mobile No. 050-1684777 AL JAZEERA DIVING & SWIMMING CENTER Al Hamra Fort Hotel, Al Jazeera Al Hamra Ras Al Khaimah, UAE | Tel: +971 7 2445331

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

OutdoorUAE Team

Daniel Birkhofer Founder and General manager daniel@outdooruae.com

Curtain Call For every journey we undertake, be it going camping, plunging into the deep blue sea, or climbing a mountain, we are made aware that it is always a fleeting experience. The view we see at the top, the fog after waking up at 7:00 a.m. inside the tent, or the silence of the sea – they are all temporary, and it’s not a bad thing.

Why not? Some may ask. This is because they then become memories, memories we can be fond of and memories we can choose to remember. Did you know that according to recent research in psychology, we have a ‘delete’ button built inside our brains? This function determines which things we remember and which gets deleted during our sleep. Thus, we have the power to control what we choose to become memories or not. For the majority, we always choose to remember the happy times.

It has been a challenging yet beautiful year at OutdoorUAE. There have been a lot of fun times, and it was a learning experience so to speak. It was great to be a part of the team, seeing places here and there and looking at the UAE from a totally different perspective. I wasn’t really an outdoor person to begin with, but being a part of the team quickly changed that. I’ve ran an obstacle course, rafted on waves, fell off a SUP, climbed a wall, tried out a skateboard, rode a 4x4 and many more experiences that I owe to this wonderful magazine.

That being said, this issue will be my swan song. Take a look inside, take the plunge (pun intended) and see stories about shipwrecks, schools of fish and corals all hiding underneath the deep blue. Other than that, check out our comprehensive guide on diving centres and stores if you’d like to get Keith Pereña started in diving or if you’re looking for your next trip.

Junior Editor & Social Media And with that, exit stage left. keith@outdooruae.com Editor For editorial content and press releases Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 5760322 editor@outdooruae.com Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 8647125 nela@outdooruae.com Mobile: 055 9398915 margo@outdooruae.com Published by Outdoor UAE FZE In cooperation with A2Z EVENTS P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Cover photo by: Neil Andrea

Tel. 04-447 2030 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Distributor Dar Al Hikma LLC P.O. Box 2007, Dubai, UAE Tel. 04-266 5394 Printed at GN Printing P.O. Box 6519, Dubai, UAE © 2016 Outdoor UAE FZE Vol. 6, No. 6, June 2016

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© 2016 Outdoor UAE FZE Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

Nela Macovei Business Development Manager nela@outdooruae.com

Margo Ciruelos Sales and Marketing margo@outdooruae.com

Ireneo ‘Jung’ Francisco Designer and Photographer jung@outdooruae.com

Katherine Cañedo Patangui Administration kathy@outdooruae.com

Ian Sebeldia Circulation

EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS

Kit Belen Our fishing pro

Dan Wright Freelance wilderness guide in the UAE

Jake Lyle Diving and Watersport Expert

www.OutdoorUAE.com Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE

Helle Bachofen Von Echt Elite Women Cyclist

Instagram.com/OutdoorUAE

The information contained is for general use only.

We have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources. The publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided without a full guarantee of completeness, accuracy and chronology. In no event will the publisher and/or any of our affiliates be held responsible for decisions made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission.

Rachael Bruford Travel Editor rachael@outdooruae.com

WHEN YOU’RE DONE READING, PLEASE RECYCLE!

Marina Bruce The Desert Diva and off-road expert

Ivana Chiles Health coach and outdoor enthusiast

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

CONTENTS

8 EDA’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM COMPETITION

18 ACROSS ARABIAN SEAS: THE FINALE

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32 NATURAL HISTORY

EVERY ISSUE

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

06 EVENTS CALENDAR 07 BEST SHOTS 44 PRODUCTS 63 DIRECTORY

18 ACROSS ARABIAN SEAS: THE FINALE 22 DEAD2: THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS 23 CAVE OF THE MASTERS 24 A TRIP TO HEAVEN ON EARTH: THE WINDUP 26 NOMAD’S ROAD 28 BELIZE: TROUT BUMS IN PERMIT PARADISE

EVENT & ACTIVITY REPORTS

LIFESTYLE

08 EDA’S UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM COMPETITION 12 DESTINATION MARATHON: PARIS 14 WILD DOLPHINS 16 TAKING THE PLUNGE

32 NATURAL HISTORY 34 HABITUALLY HEALTHY 36 HEALTH POWERHOUSE 38 DIVE LISTINGS 42 FAMILY CAMPING ADVENTURE IN OMAN

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53 2016 YAMAHA FZR WAVERUNNER

54 JEBEL AKHDAR IN THE SUMMER - MARINA

61 DIVING FITNESS BY FITNESS FIRST

TRIED + TESTED

PEOPLE

45 2XU ACTIVE MATERNITY TIGHTS 47 MXDUBAI POLARIS RZR RACE ATV TOUR 49 SUUNTO ZOOP NOVO 51 ALL NEW FORD EDGE 53 2016 YAMAHA FZR WAVERUNNER

59 TOUFIC ABOUNADER: HIKING 60 OFFROADER’S CORNER: GERAINT’S LAND ROVER DOUBLE CAB

OUR EXPERTS

TIPS + TRICKS

54 JEBEL AKHDAR IN THE SUMMER - MARINA 56 WOMEN ON WHEELS - HELLE 58 WANTED: NEW KAYAK - KIT

61 DIVING FITNESS BY FITNESS FIRST 62 OUTDOOR EDUCATION

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EVENTS CALENDAR

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STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE LATEST EVENTS

JUNE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

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TRAINZSC

Weave up and down through the Zayed Sports City Stadium every last Thursday of the month.

When: June 30th Where: Zayed Sports City Contact: www.trainzsc.com

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J U N E

DUBAI SPORTS WORLD

STAIR CLIMB TRAINING

When: June 5th-August 27th Where: Dubai World Trade Centre Contact: www.dubaisportsworld.ae

When: June 10th Where: Almas Towers Contact: www.gulf4good.org

The famous summer indoor training venue is back.

Who says adventure stops in summer?

JUNE

06

RUNMADAN CHALLENGE SEASON 4 30 days of running from one mosque to another and back to the start after.

Free training hosted by Gulf for Good during the hot month of June.

JUNE

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When: June 6th Where: Anywhere in Dubai Contact: www.premieronline.com JUNE

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NAD AL SHEBA SPORTS TOURNAMENT 2016

The annual NASS is back with its range of competitions in order to promote active living in the UAE. When: June 8th-27th Where: NAS Sports Complex Contact: www.nasst.ae

#THEADMOVEMENT AT GOYAS

Take your training to the next level with more activities focused on fitness, nutrition and well-being.

When: June 15th Where: Yas Marina Circuit Contact: www.yasmarinacircuit.com

JUNE

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SSCB CENTURY RIDES POWERED

180km, 161km or 100km. Which one is your kind of cycling ride?

When: June 24th Where: Al Qudra Cycle Course Contact: www.race-me-events.com

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JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

BEST SHOTS Here are the best shots sent in by you for our monthly photography competition! Thank you for all your entries, they were all great and it was hard selecting the best photos this month. Congratulations to the top three winners, who will each receive Buff headwear, five free copies of the magazine and the Advance Off-road Guidebook: Shammas Mattil Kadampuzha, John Henzell and Jithesh Sundar. Well done!

Shammas Mattil Kadampuzha Taken from Delma Island

John Henzell

Camping in a Dark Part of the Desert South of Al Khatim

Jithesh Sundar

Al Ain - Tilapia Lake

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DIGITAL ONLINE 2016

Words by: Emirates Diving Association

awareness towards environmental concerns for the UAE waters.

Now in its eighth year, Digital Online 2016 has seen the growth of underwater photography participation, the enthusiasm, and the passion step up to another level.

The event has attained equal success with non-divers, who came to support the participants at the Awards and Exhibition, held at the American University in Dubai from 26th-31st May.

The Prizes

Digital Online was established in 2009 by Marcelo Mariozi, a professional underwater photographer who had previously been involved in the organisation and set up of underwater photography competitions in his native country of Brazil. As there were no other underwater photography competitions existing in the UAE at the time, Digital Online was introduced by EDA for resident photographers to introduce those unfamiliar with the underwater world to this unique environment. The film category was introduced as an extension to the competition in 2012, with the aim of sharing our underwater world through motion pictures.

For the 2016 event, several new participants claimed recognition while past participants also presented their work. The huge number of contestants and photographs shown at the gallery proves that the underwater photography community is steadily growing in the region, thus raising

EDA handed it over to their online audience to pick their favourite photos and videos from Digital Online’s 2016 collection, via their Facebook page. The photos with the most likes received first, second and third places respectively, and the winning video received an overall winner nomination as well as a medal and a UV Protection Top from iQ-UV. First place photo won an additional dive trip with Al Boom Diving on the east coast and the first place video won a dive trip with The Dive Centre, with a choice to dive either the west coast or east coast.

Digital Online’s 19 prize sponsors gave this year’s lucky winners 26 prizes to choose from. Congratulations to all of this year’s participants for taking part and sharing their underwater photos and videos. Participants were only able to win one prize or prize package each. Entrants with multiple winning entries were given priority in the points awarded and the participant with the highest score took the prize. The winners were then able to choose their own prizes from the options available.

The People’s Choice Awards

The Sponsors

Sponsors of prizes for 2016 included: BFC Travel Management, Tourism Malaysia, Philippines Department of Tourism, Azure Dive & Yoga Resort, Marco Vincent Dive Resort, Al Marsa Musandam, Canon, Grand Stores, Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Sahel

Villa Resort and Al Mahara Diving Center, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort Fujairah, Millennium Resort Mussanah Oman and Oman Sail, Nomad Ocean Adventures, Atoll Scuba, The Dive Centre, MTM Marine LLC, and Al Boom Diving.

The Judges

Digital Online’s guest judgeswere Imran Ahmad, Jonathan Ali Khan and Christophe Chellapermal.

EDA Digital Online would like to thank their printing sponsor, Print Works, who provide all the prints for the Digital Online exhibitions each year.

THE WINNING RESULTS Simone Caprodossi – 1652 Overall Digital Online DSLR/MILC winner John Hager – 1212 Overall Digital Online Compact Winner Pablo Jiménez Novoa – 443 Overal Digital Online Video Winner Yousef Alshekaili – 1257 Uae National Photography Award Pablo Jiménez Novoa – 443 Video 1st Place Winner, Blue Ocean BFC Travel Management Destination Package – 5 Days/4 nights in Bali, Indonesia

DSLR/MILC 1st Place Winners Levente Rozsahegyi – 444 Wide Angle Philippines Department of Tourism | Azure Dive & Yoga Resort | Destination Package – 5 days/4 nights superior deluxe accommodation for one person in Dumaguete, Philippines

David Robinson – 425 Macro Tourism Malaysia | Destination Package – 5 days / 4 nights to Sipadan, Malaysia

Yousi Falali – 410 Black & White Philippines Department Of Tourism | Marco Vincent Dive Resort | Destination Package – 6 days / 5 nights with breakfast and 12 Guided Dives for one person in Puerto Galera, Mindoro, Philippines

Khalid Obaid – 406 Black & White BFC Travel Management | Destination Package – 4 days / 3 nights in Terengganu, Malaysia

Compact 1st Place Winners 8

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Rima Jabado – 420 Compact Canon | EOS 700D + 18-55 DC

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Kelly Tymburski – 410 Black & White Anantara Sir Bani Yas Island Al Sahel Villa Resort & Al Mahara Diving Center | 2 nights stay at Anantara Sir Baniyas Island Al Sahel Villa Resort in one bedroom villa for 2 with sumptuous breakfast in the Savannah Grill Restaurant & 2 dives (tank & weights included)

Andy Jones – 396 Best of the UAE

Compact 2nd Place Winners John Hager – 413 Compact Nomad Ocean Adventures | Tdiccr Air Diluent Diver Course in Musandam, Oman

Simon Croshaw – 376 Black & White Grand Stores | Rollei Action Cam 7S Wifi

Atoll Scuba | a package of 10 dives with Atoll Scuba on the Island of Dhiffushi in the Maldives for one diver

Jurgens Swarts – 367 Best of the UAE

Alaa Khalil – 401 Video 2nd Place Winner

Nomad Ocean Adventures | Tdi Advanced Nitrox Course in Fujairah

Blue Ocean Al Marsamusandam | 2 nights liveaboard trip in the Musandam

DSLR/MILC 2nd Place Winners Simone Caprodossi – 426 Wide Angle BFC Travel Management | Destination Package – 4 days / 3 nights in Aqaba, Jordan

Abdulla Almehairai – 414 Macro MTM Marine LLC | Mares Abyss 22 Nitrox Din Regulator

Stewart Clarke – 400 Best of the UAE Millennium Resort Mussanah and Oman Sail Dive Centre, Oman | 2 nights stay for two adults in superior room, room only basis, valid from 30th April until 30th December 2016 with 2 tank dive package

Mohamed Abdulla – 398 Black & White Canon | Powershotg7 X

Khaled Sultani – 382 Video 3rd Place Winner Blue Ocean, Canon | Powershot D30 (Underwater Camera)

DSLR/MILC 3rd Place Winners Iyad Suleyman – 409 Wide Angle Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort and Spa | Summer Promotion – 2 nights stay during summer months in a superior room with breakfast buffet for 2 at views restaurant

Sijmon De Waal – 395 Best of the UAE

Compact 3rd Place Winners Jayme Rush – 374 Black & White Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort and Spa | weekend night stay in a superior room inclusive of breakfast buffet for two at views restaurant

Nuraan Al Hashmi – 371 Compact MTM Marine LLC | Mares Cruise Captain Bag

Pablo Jiménez Novoa – 347 Best of the UAE Nomad Ocean Adventures | Underwater Photography Book by Tobias Friedrich

The People’s Choice Awards Abdulla Ahmed Almehairi 1st Place Photo IQ-UV | UV protection you wear | www.iq-uv.com Al Boom Diving | Voucher for 2 dives on East Coast with full equipment for one diver

Leventeroz Sahegyi 2nd Place Photo IQ-UV | UV protection you wear | www.iq-uv.com

Aamer Sulaiman 3rd Place Photo

MTM Marine LLC | Mares Dragon at BCD

IQ-UV | UV protection you wear | www.iq-uv.com

Rylan Lee – 392 Macro

Ahmed Alnaqbi Video People’s Choice Award

Grand Stores | [Qudos] Action Light by Knog

Steven Board – 381 Black & White

IQ-UV | UV protection you wear | www.iq-uv.com The Dive Centre | Voucher for 2 complimentary dives for one person from either the Dubai or Fujairah Dive Centre

Nomad Ocean Adventures | 2 days / 2 nights, Chalet Package (4 dives) for 2 in Musandam, Oman

Rima Jabado, 1st Place - Compact

Andy Jones, 1st Place - Best of the UAE

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Khalid Obaid, 2nd Place - Best of UAE

David Robinson, 1st Place - Macro

Levente Rozsahegyi, 2nd Place - Wide Angle

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Simone Caprodossi, 2nd Place - Wide Angle

Jurgens Swarts, 2nd Place - Best of the UAE

John Hager, 2nd Place - Compact

Mohamed Abdulla, 2nd Place - Black & White

Stewart Clarke, 2nd Place - Best of the UAE

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Pablo Jiménez Novoa, 3rd Place - Best of UAE

Rylan Louis Lee, 2nd Place - Macro

Steven Board, 3rd Place - Black & White

Nuraan Al Hashmi, 3rd Place - Compact

Sijmon de Waal, 3rd Place - Best of the UAE

EVENT REPORT

Destination Marathon:

Par is Words by: Nada El Sawy

There are many reasons to run a destination marathon: a new goal, a change of scenery, or an opportunity to combine it with a vacation. Some aim to run the six marathon majors, while others look for marathons in interesting cities.

It is certainly what attracts many to the Paris marathon, described on its website as ‘42.195km in the most beautiful city in the world.’

The Paris marathon was my fourth. I had run the Los Angeles marathon twice in college, and the Dubai marathon in 2010. I wanted to run a destination marathon, but the majors have their challenges, including qualification times, oversubscribed lotteries, and complicated logistics. What is great about Paris is that you get a scenic, well-organised, big marathon, and all you have to do is sign up. As an added bonus, the marathon coincided with our three kids’ Spring Break, so we made it a family vacation.

Preparation

For many months prior to the Paris marathon I had been training with the Desert Road Runners clubin Dubai and had run several races, including half marathons, 10Ks, and

goal visualisation would subconsciously get me to my target time (mind over body, right?).

The remaining time before the marathon I focused on not tiring myself out too much.

On Saturday there was the option of participating in the 5K Breakfast Run, but I said, “no way!” to that. Instead, the kids participated in their own race, 1.2 km for the 5-7 year olds and 2.2 km for the 8-10 year olds, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

The night before the big day, there was nothing else to do except eat pasta, hydrate, and lay out my gear. I was still debating whether to wear a T-shirt or a singlet, but settled on a T-shirt, figuring there was no way I would be “too hot.”

The final stretch before the finish line in a flurry of emotion

5Ks. I set a 3:30 time for my marathon training plan, although I knew that was ambitious. My personal best was 3:49:09 in LA 15 years ago. However, I did have a more reachable goal: to qualify for Boston. The qualifying time for my age group is 3:40, but I would have to beat that by a few minutes.

Last yearthere were so many applicants that only those under 3:37:30 were accepted.

Marathon day

On marathon day, I wore an Emirates Airlines pyjama shirt over my clothes as my “throw-away shirt” and also put a trash bag over it, which actually was completely unnecessary and looked rather silly (leave it to a cold-weather novice to make that mistake).

I downed a cup of green tea and a sports drink, ate my banana and peanut butter power bar, and then hopped on the metro,

The days before the race

Post-race family pic on the streets of Paris

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The weather in Paris was cold (around 1015C high) and rainy in the days before the race, and I was obsessively checking the forecast for marathon day. On the Thursday before the marathon I went for a run in the pouring rain, wearing two layers and a rain jacket, and came back with frozen hands.

On Friday I went to the expo to pick up my race bib. I also picked up my ASICS pace band, a wrist bracelet with one’s projected 5km split times. I chose 5.05 as my average pace, which would leave me with a finish time of 3:34:29. I then sought to calm my nerves in the Lululemon meditation bubble.

We were told to write down our goal time and then listen to a five-minute monologue in French. I mainly grasped “your mind is stronger than your body” and “you have already arrived.” I was just hoping that the

Lululemon meditation bubble

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Start line with Arc de Triomphe

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

marathon, you then run in between a pretend brick wall “Mur de 30.” I did not appreciate the reminder, but felt grateful that I had not hit the wall – yet.

At 31 km I knew there would be the only isostar energy drinks station on the entire course, so I made sure to grab a cup. At 32 km I saw my family again, this time with my sunglasses. I yelled “Love you guys!” with a smile on my face just before entering the Bois de Boulogne, the forest at the back end of the course.

Then at 33 km my legs suddenly cramped up. This was the longest distance I had run before the marathon and it was as if my legs were telling me “no more.”

I felt I had no choice but to stop to the side and stretch.

When I looked at my 34 km split time, it was 6:18. I could feel that this was the moment when my goal of 3:37 went down the drain.

I told myself that I could still have a strong finish andI got back on track with 5-minute splits. I saw my family two more times, at 35 km and 40 km. By this time there were no more smiles, just a feeling of overwhelming emotion that it would all be over soon. When the finish line came into view, with tears in my eyes, I gritted my teeth and gave it all I had. Finish time: 3:39:18.

I was disappointed that I had not reached my target, but happy that I still took 10 minutes off my PB. I would definitely recommend the Paris Marathon for first-timers and veterans alike. Although crowded, it is a beautiful course. There was no shortage of spectators, many yelling “allez, allez!” (go, go!) and some even calling me by name.

My favourite spectator sign of the race aptly sums up the marathon experience: “PAIN is just the French word for bread.”

and sugar cubes, as well as gels at a few. At the 10km mark, I had my gel and a banana piece. I checked my time (50:34), which was within seconds of my pace band time.

By this timeI had entered the Bois de Vincennes, one of the two forests on the course. I had heard that spectators would be limited in those areas, but there were plenty of people supporting, as well as loud drumming bands. It was here that many male runners took the opportunity to dash off into the trees to answer the call of nature.

As far as I was concerned, that was not an option for me!

Post-race Arc de Triomphe When I found portable toilets shortly after the 15 km mark, I On the course decided this was my chance. It was when I As I started running, facing directly into the started running again that I began to get a sun, I immediately regretted not bringing my side cramp. “Oh no,” I thought, “it’s much sunglasses and also wearing a black T-shirt. too early for problems.”A man next to me It’s ok, I told myself, my husband and kids told me in French to breathe deeply. “J’ai had said they would meet me around 2.5km. mal ici (I have pain here),” I told him in my I would just ask for my sunglasses then. basic French, pointing to my side. “Respirez We passed a few notable sights early on, par le nez (breathe through the nose),” he including the Place de la Concorde and the told me. “Le nez!” he repeated again, as Tuileries gardens. When we reached the he ran off. I breathed through the pain, but Louvre, I anxiously looked for my family, but clocked in 5:30 splits for 16 and 17km. could not find them anywhere. Over the At 20km, I saw my husband and kids. I next few kilometres, I kept my eyes out for told them, “Finally!” and then yelled, “I them, but it was hopeless. I tried to keep foneed my sunglasses!” as I ran by. My huscused on my race, happy that I was on track band fumbled around, but I knew I would with five-minute splits. have to wait until the next meeting point I planned to have water at the stations Next year’s Paris Marathon takes place on to get them. I reached the halfway mark at every 5km and food at the stations every 9th April. The first phase of registrations has 1:48:39. Only a minute off from my pace 10km. I had brought my own GUgel, two already closed, but the second phase band, I thought, still ok. isostarpâte de fruits, and “energy jelly begins on 5th September, 2016. To enter, Running back into the city along the beans” in my waist pack. The food stations visit asochallenges.com.

Seine river were the most scenic parts of the had piles of dried fruits, bananas, oranges, route, including Notre Dame and the Musée All smiles towards the beginning of the race d’Orsay. But this is also where the series of dreaded tunnels began. I had heard about the long tunnel de Tuileries that lasts for 1.5 km, which was filled with techno music and bright lights last year. This year, however, the organisers chose a zen-like atmosphere with spa music and pictures of the Maldives (not exactly the energising kick you need in a marathon).

Thankfully, when you emerge, you are rewarded with a view of the Eiffel Tower at Running past the Place de La 29 km. But, lest you forget you are running a Concorde & Tuileries gardens filled with fellow runners.

We surfaced at the majestic Arc de Triomphe, where the race starts and ends. I knew that the lack of toilets would be a problem, so I allowed around 20 minutes to stand in line and it did take that long. I then jogged to my pen on the world’s most famous avenue, the Champs-Elysées, feeling the excitement build.

There were 43,317 runners at the start – a new record.The weather was sunny and beautiful, around 16C. The staggered start times worked very efficiently and I set off with the massive crowds.

ACTIVITY REPORT

Words + Photos by: Dr. Ada Natoli

When I first moved to Dubai, I was looking forward to exploring the desert and its exotic creatures.

But when I realised that there was a lack of information about dolphins and whales in the Gulf, I thought that if I was able to contribute to something in the UAE, it should be about what I know best: wild dolphins.

It stillastonishes me how little we, both scientists and people in general, know about the ocean and its life. Despite advances in research and awareness,our knowledge just scrapes the surface of the blue world.

Indeed, water is not our natural media and unless we really put effort into it, life in the ocean can really pass by unnoticed. I still clearly remember, during one of the research boat surveys I was participating in, this 18 meters long whale surfacing just beside a leisure sailing boat and its passengers sunbathing on the deck, totally unaware: they simply didn’t see it!

Dolphins in the UAE follow a similar fate.

People do not even consider the remote possibility to see dolphins in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, except indolphinariums. Instead, wild dolphins live on our doorsteps, many times visible from busy coastlines such as Palm Jumeirah in Dubai or Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi. What we know about them, including how many there are out there, which species, if they are in decline or not, is close to nothing.

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Origins

Whales and dolphins are simply amazing creatures, an example of ultimate adaptation to a totally unsuitable environment. Just think how hard it is for us to stay totally in water for more than few hours! Like humans, theyin fact descend fromterrestrial mammals that about 50 million years ago decided to colonise the water environment. They breathe air, they are warm-blooded creatures like us and to be able to spend their whole life in water, they had to undertake massive adaptation. The posterior limbs withdrew, leaving space for a powerful tail that functions as a propeller. A thick layer of fat developed under their skin, creating a natural insulator to keep the body temperature constant (and this is what the whalers for centuries were after, bringing some populations to the brink of extinction). Hairs and external appendixes disappeared,creating a sleek and smooth skin to minimize friction;the nose became a blowhole migrating to the nape and allowing swimming and breathing at the same time,and ears became only internal.

They optimised their underwater sight and mastered the utilisation of sound to communicate across oceans and to echolocate their preys even in the abyss. They perfected free diving techniques - some species of whales can spend over two hours underwater reaching depths of 2,000 metres.

Today have counted about 90 different species of whales and dolphins, four of those inhabiting fresh waters, but fossil remains proved the existence of about 593 different species that roamed our oceans in the past.

Whales and dolphins are extremely social animals that rely on the group to feed, defend themselves, migrate and reproduce.

Long-term bonds among individuals are common; aside from mother and calf pairs, “best friends” are frequently seen together and deaths are mourned.

Thanks to latest research, today we know that a whale’s sound can be heard from one side of the ocean to the other, and that is how whales can find each other again after their periodical migration from the cold feeding grounds at the poles to the breeding grounds at the equator. We know that different populations have different dialects, and long-term studies on resident dolphin populations revealed that individual dolphins call each other specific names as we do.

Still, in many areas and for many species of dolphins and whales information is limited and new species are continuously discovered. Unfortunately some also

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disappear; the bajii was a type of dolphin inhabiting the Yangtze River and it is the first mammal species declared extinct in modern times (2006). Today there are some species of dolphins and populations of whales, like the Vaquita in Baja California, Mexico, and the Arabian Humpback Whale in the Northern Indian Ocean, Oman, that are on the brink of extinction with less than 100 individuals left.

Our work

To protect a species there are few crucial steps that need to be taken. We need to know which species it is,people need to know about its existence, its importance in the environment and what they can do to help its survival. The authorities also have to be informed with sound scientific data in order to be able to implement effective conservation actions.

When I started looking at information about dolphins in the UAE, the only data available was from two aerial surveys conducted in 1986 and 1999 in the Abu Dhabi region. Comparing the numbers of the surveys, researchers estimate a 71% decline in dolphin sightings. Other information regarding the species’ presence came from a mass stranding that happened in Iran in 2007 and a survey across the Gulf in 1994. Not very much at all! However, from a questionnaire run in 2012, the majority of the sea users interviewed in Dubai said that they “encounter dolphins occasionally”, but interestingly most of the sightings were within 5 miles from shore and occurred recently; an indication that dolphins were still present in these waters.

The UAE dolphin project initiative was born to investigate the status of the dolphin population inhabiting along the UAE coastline with the target of providing the national and international bodies with useful information to assist the formulation of conservation plans to protect them and to raise public awareness about the existence of these species.

It may sound easy to say but this implies a monumental effort, especially when people do not know that these creatures exist!So, after a year-long campaign trying to convince the authority and potential sponsors to support the quest of studying these elusive dolphins, in 2014 we ran the first year long survey dedicated to coastal dolphins ever conducted in the Gulf.

Dubai dolphins

Dubai has its own wild dolphins and if you want to see them, you simply need to keep your eyes open when at sea or at the beach and it will happen. There are actually two species of dolphins and one species of porpoise frequenting Dubai waters: the

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphin, the Indo Pacific Humpback dolphin and the shy, finless porpoise.

One of the powerful techniques utilised by researchers is photo-identification. Individual dolphins can be univocally identified by their dorsal fin, which with time usually accumulates indelible notches and marks. Taking pictures of all the individuals at each encounter, researchers can estimate the population size, whether the population is resident and thesocial structure: who hangs out with who, mother and calf pairs and the survival rate.

After spending over 300 hours at sea, covering about 2,000 miles following transects between Port Rashid and Jebel Ali, the analysis of over 7,300 pictures gave its results.

Throughout the 20 encounters of dolphins, we observed 212 dolphins, but looking at the pictures they are actually much less, as many of them are the same individuals coming back again in the same areas. We now recognise 92 bottlenose dolphins and 23 humpback dolphins that frequent Dubai waters. Humpback dolphins are more resident with a resighting rate of about 40%, with bottlenose dolphins at about 20%. Calves were observed in both species, suggesting that both species breed in the area. We can now follow a number of mother-calfcouples, and in both species we unfortunately witnessed the disappearance of a calf.

Your work

As much as researchers can be skilled, they are at best one boat and a few eyes screening the immense sea. Since the start of the project one of our main targets was to let everyone know that there were dolphins in the UAE and that everyone could actively help the research.We launched a “Report a Sighting” system where everyone who sees dolphins can report their sighting. This data is crucial information as itgives us an idea of hotspot areas for dolphins and potential targets for future investigation.

Thanks to numerous supporters, we reached out to diving centers, marinas, schools, universities and the general public. We know we are still a long way from being able to say that we have reached

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everyone, but to date we are proud to count over 350 sightings reported by the public in our database. Among these are sightings of rare species like killer whales, false killer whales, Bryde’s whales and strandings.

Based on these data, we identified some areas of high frequency for dolphins like the waters outside Emirates Palace and Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi and Kite Beach and The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Furthermore, since December 2015 and thanks to the support of TDIC and local venues, we have started a land based survey on Saadiyat Island to better investigate the presence of dolphins along that coastline.

Special thanks goes out to everyone who supports us: Dubai Municipality, who provided us with the scientific permit, Duretti Boat Manufacturing, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Salini-Impregilo, ITP Publishing, SuzukiAutosport, Superprogetti, all the volunteers that participate in the field work, students from Dubai and Abu Dhabi schools, and everyone that reported sightings and supports our awareness campaign.

What can you do to help protect dolphins in theUAE

Whenever you are at sea on a boat or on land, keep an eye on the water, and if you see dolphins REPORT YOUR SIGHTING! Your information is invaluable to researchers and will help them to further understand the occurrence and distribution of these creatures.

Simply take note of the date, time and approximate location. If you can, identify the species and take a picture. You may help us to track one of the dolphins we have already met. If you can, take note of the approximate number and check for the presence of calves.

You can report your sightings through the project website www.uaedolphinproject.org, or through the projects Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts.

Ada Natoli has been conducting research on whales and dolphins for the past 20 years in different areas of the world. She is part of the IUCN Cetaceans Specialist list and is involved in the International Whaling Commission as well as collaborating with a number of International Universities.She has extensive experience in field-work and specialised in population genetics applied to conservation.

She gained a PhD in Molecular Ecology of two species of dolphins, bottlenose and common dolphins, investigating their population structure world-wide and in specific areas like the Mediterranean Sea, South Africa and New Zealand. Her results have contributed to support the formulation of conservation measures of these species in different countries.

ACTIVITY REPORT

Taking the plunge How braving the underwater world can open up a whole world of adventure, both above and below sea level Words by: Rachael Bruford Photos by: Stewart Clarke and Anna Wren

Although I’ve been diving since 2007, back in the days when I could still class myself as being ‘mid twenties’, I’m not one of those people who have racked up hundreds of dives and spent a fortune on equipment.

However, diving has had a huge impact on my life in so many ways aside from numbers and gear. From the friends I’ve made to the places I’ve travelled, life could have been very different if I’d not visited that swimming pool in the UK nearly ten years ago. It was that first lesson on a September evening which then lead to a diving holiday in Egypt, which ultimately resulted in me moving to Cairo less than a year later and beginning a life of travel and other outdoor pursuits that

I previously didn’t even dream of. I’ve met people along the way who have remained good friends, and I’ve been lucky enough to dive in some of the most sought after locations around the globe.

But perhaps more interestingly, diving has given me so much more in terms of character building,and I am without a doubt a very different person now to that nervous girl fiddling with her dry suit before tentatively stepping into that freezing quarry in Lancashire, UK, on a cold February morning.

It’s given me strength. Not only the physical strength needed to propel oneself through the water and scramble back on to the boat, drenched and exhausted, but also the mental strength to face my fears and step out of my comfort zone, into an environment where I do not have total control.

It has taught me to trust those around me, from my dive buddy and my equipment, to myself. When I first started diving, I was

not particularly well travelled, but this soon changed as I began to ask questions such as, if the underwater world was so incredible, what else was I missing out on? Travel soon became a regular part of my life, and I frequently looked for new and exotic locations in which to dive whilst I was planning trips. The fact that I mainly travelled solo, plus the nature of diving itself, forced me to become much more self reliant, braving stressful situations with a calmness that would have been impossible before, taking as many steps as possible to minimise risk, but never using my own fear as an excuse to miss out on a spectacular experience.

Below, we hear from others abouthow diving has changed their lives, and find out what they love about this other worldly pursuit. Travel and meeting like minded people are themes that resonate throughout, demonstrating that whilst the underwater habitat may not be our natural environment, it’s certainly one we’re drawn to time and time again.

Angelia Keever

I got into diving as a hobby to share with my ‘would be husband.’ I loved diving in Roatan, Honduras. It has had a very positive impact on my life and has encouraged me to keep going. From the first day of class, crying about the uncomfortable feeling, to now wanting to learn more and be stronger, it has given me a strength in an area that I felt weak before.

Anna Wren

I decided to do my open water course about 12 years ago because I wanted to swim with fish. I completed that course in Dubai and did my advanced course a few years later in Egypt. As the years have passed and more dive sites have been visited, my addiction to this sport has grown and I’ve become harder to please. I’ve just spent 5 days in LayangLayang diving with Hammerhead sharks, and it was definitely the best diving I’ve ever done (so far!). It’s a remote man-made island 300km off the coast of Malaysia which is perched upon a huge atoll, surrounded by 16

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pristine reefs and inhabited by the majestic scalloped hammerhead shark. We were even lucky enough to have a school of around 100 swimming with us yesterday.

The Maldives and Sipadan are also in my top five dive sites because there is just so much to see on each dive. Diving definitely shapes my holidays now and being single it’s a great way to travel on my own and meet like minded people without having to do tours. It costs me a fortune, especially when I go to the remote destinations, but I’m happy to spend money on such an incredible sport that allows me a glimpse into an alien world full of life and beauty whilst travelling and experiencing new cultures at the same time.

dive. It was just me and my buddy, a fantastic wreck and with phosphorescent plankton creating sparkles with our movements, it was magical! I’ve always loved travelling and the diving community are like one big family. I know I can travel on my own and meet fun people with a common interest. Divers all want each other to have the best dive each time and share stories well into the evening.

I find diving very calming and a great way to relieve stress. To be able to see the beautiful corals, underwater landscapes and meet some fish is fantastic.

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the club. 200+ dives later, diving has taken me to some amazing locations around the world and given me a heap of friends and experiences I would otherwise never have met. It’s an awesome experience to share with people and allows me to combine a love of the ocean with an interest in underwater photography.

Locally, I love Musandam, where I’ve been lucky enough to see whale sharks; and Dibba Rock where you can usually count on seeing a turtle or three. Of the places I’ve been fortunate enough to visit in the rest of the world, my favourites have been Sipadan in Malaysia for the sheer variety of underwater life, and the Maldives for the ultimate luxury diving holiday experience.

Stewart Clarke

Claire Barker Rosanna Dale

I got into diving because I booked a two week holiday to the Maldives and thought I might get bored! My favourite three places to dive are Hin Deng in Thailand for the amazing Manta Rays, the Blue Hole in Belize, and my favourite wreck called the Liberty in Bali, which we did as a dawn shore

After a disastrous ‘try dive’ one holiday in Greece, where I was thrown into open water with little to no introduction to the equipment, I was determined to overcome the bad experience and signed up to my university dive club. Despite doing my open water training in Plymouth in murky waters and freezing February conditions, I loved the challenge, the (extremely patient!) instructors and all the other people I met through

The underwater world has always fascinated me, so back in 2000 I decided to complete the PADI Open Water course whilst on holiday in Egypt. However, it was only really after spending time working in Saudi Arabia and then the UAE that I got into diving properly and bought my own gear. Then I became passionate about Underwater Photography and the rest is history.

As a keen Underwater Photographer with a particular fondness for Nudibranch (Sea Slugs), my favourite place to dive is Anilao in the Philippines. The Verde Island passage is recognised as the most biologically diverse marine habitat on the planet and is a great place for photographers.

Within the UAE, the east coast offers the best diving. Recently, a few of us have been shore diving and finding some very interesting creatures and habitats. I can’t really disclose the exact location, but we are making some very surprising discoveries.

This however could be due to ballast water dispersal from the oil tankers bringing in invasive species.

Diving has certainly opened my horizons with regards to travel. I certainly wouldn’t have considered travelling to some of the remote locations like Lembeh in North Sulawesi, Indonesia if it hadn’t been for diving. Also a few years ago I took a sabbatical and spent two months living on a beach in the Seychelles carrying out coral surveys and diving three times a day. I’ve also become a full blown Nudibranch nerd; to date I have records for over 260 species found in the waters of the UAE - many of which are undescribed in science.

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

The Finale: Exploring the wonders of the Red Sea, on land and water Words + Photos by: Will Pardoe

The Red Sea holds incredible treasures above and below the surface. Sunken ships have become magical underwater gardens, and Jacques Cousteau’s futuristic submarine habitats remain for modern ‘aquanauts’. On land, the epic temples and pyramids of Egypt sit God-like in their timelessness, while in Sudan the scenes from ancient times live on in everyday life.

In the dunes and desert towns of Sudan, we had travelled back a thousand years. In my mind, this is one of the greatest wonders of all; a living history. We sailed out of Suakin past the wooden fishing dhows and row boats, bound for a different treasure; the SS Umbria.

Time bomb

In the summer of 1940, the Italian cargo ship SS Umbria

Zac & the Propeller Bombs in the darkness

Umbria had been steaming for Eritrea, laden with 360,000 bombs for its colonial troops.

With the Second World War already underway, it was forced to anchor by the British off Port Sudan. Next morning, hearing over the radio that Italy had entered the war, the captain secretly ordered his ship to be scuttled, preventing its deadly cargo from falling into the hands of the Allies. More than eight thousand tonnes of explosives and war materials sank to the bottom... Fancy a dive?

The massive hulk of the Umbria looms as we descend into the clear blue waters. We slip through the superstructure of the stern and glide through alleyways towards the open cargo holds. The wooden deck has rotted away, revealing the neatly stacked bombs; stacks and stacks of bombs! The ship settled on the reef at 60°, so this temperamental cargo is alarmingly angled.

Bombs and detonator fuses lie strewn across the cargo hold. Serene columns of light fall through the portholes onto the equivalent of half a Hiroshima bomb; it’s eerie, and beautiful.

We continue along the encrusted cor-

ridors; a vivid mix of greens and blues, with nonchalant fish floating around, like extras on a set. It feels peculiar to be floating where men once walked and talked, generations ago. The corridor leads to the bridge, and as we linger in this wide room it almost feels like the Titanic, with its quiet history.

There are so many dark rooms and corridors inviting exploration, down and down into the heart of this behemoth. It is an otherworldly playground, and I must return here!

Lighthouse for coffee

On our way north we stop at Sanganeb

Inside Jacques Cousteau’s submarine hanger

The Urchin

Reef, famous for its hammerhead sharks.

We do a colourful wall dive, but the hammerheads remain illusive. The lighthouse makes up for it though, and after we climb down from the top (where a clear horizon reveals the curvature of the Earth), the friendly keepers welcome us for coffee. They are port officials who stay out here for two weeks and return to Port Sudan for six. The lighthouse is very relaxed; it is like their holiday home out on the sea. They spend their time chatting and smoking cigarettes, and welcoming the occasional visitors; mostly dive boats. Our coffee break is concluded by an enchanting call to prayer that resonates throughout the lighthouse.

The Life Aquatic

I was very excited to dive on Jacques Cousteau’s underwater research station at Sha’ab Rumi. In 1963, five of his Calypso crew lived for a month in the ‘Conshelf II’ submarine habitat. Part-funded by the oil industry, their role was to study the practicality of using undersea bases for the exploitation of the sea. As divers, of course, their interest was in the sea life and the potential for humans to live in such habitats in the future; Cousteau eventually cut his ties with oil and concentrated on conservation. The 1964 documentary of this experiment, ‘World Without Sun’, won an academy award; it is an amazing combination of an old Bond film and The Abyss, in real life.

The living quarters, nicknamed ‘the Starfish’, was removed, but the UFO-like submarine hangar, named ‘the Urchin’ for its shape, still sits there today on the edge of a drop-off.

Above water, Sha’ab Rumi tells nothing of the legend beneath. We anchor our dinghy near the narrow channel that Cousteau

Under construction

Egyptian at the Rameseum

blasted through the coral. Swimming in the direction the habitat should be, I round a coral outcrop and the Urchin appears before me. Even with the regulator in mouth, I let out a “Woooow!”. It seems almost holy...

Slowly, we descend beneath the alien structure and rise up into its dome. There is a dim light cast by the portholes, but it is empty except for a small metal table, where a plump fish sits watching us. “Hello gentlemen...” he seems to say, “I’ve been expecting you”. He seems to fit into this whole fantasy.

The Urchin is still air-tight above the portholes, and we break through the silvery ceiling into a pocket of air; the old respiration of past divers. Ten meters down, we take off our regulators and laugh and whoop! What a place! But what a stench; I have to put my regulator back in to breathe some imported air.

The dives we did in Sudan were just spectacular, and totally unique; I never expected to dive on a space-station under the sea, nor on a mountain of dynamite.

And being in Sudan, these sites are still undisturbed by mass tourism, though they are accessible by live-aboard from southern Egypt.

Into Egypt

We put away the tanks, raised the dinghy, unfurled the sail and settled into the cockpit - our next port of call was 650km north. For more than a week we followed the coastal mountains and plains, waiting out the windiest days anchored in desolate bays. Wind alone is fine, but it builds up the waves and that is what becomes uncomfortable and dangerous. Finally, after sunset one night, we pulled into a marina in Marsa Alam, Egypt. What a luxury it is to simply step off the boat onto solid ground.

The real luxury of Marsa Alam was that there were other boats. It had just been me and the captain for 3 months, on many long passages and through obscure places without much of a common language.

Being a social person I was craving simple friendship. I was amazed to see a UAE flag flying from the boat next to us! A couple of friendly Italians were delivering it from Muscat to Turkey. There was also an American family, who had three Royal Marine security personnel aboard for the Gulf of Aden.

These guys were quite jealous to hear of our encounter with pirates; they wanted to see action. Instead they had to relax on a yacht

The Ramesseum

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for three weeks. The family had not touched land since leaving the Maldives, 18 days before. It seemed a shame they had rushed through such a unique part of the world, taking the risks but missing the rewards.

We enjoyed the simple pleasures of being back in civilisation; coffee shops, internet, new faces, and of course - amber nectar! A Spaniard docked next to us on a small boat, so we had him and the Italians aboard for a pasta evening, digging through the drinks cupboard for Zac’s mysterious liquids from around the world. They cooked the pasta and we supplied the merriment. Spontaneous boat parties are something I love most about the sailing life.

Our friends set off and we took the opportunity to go and see Luxor. We drove through the rocky landscape until we met the Nile Valley, where a solid line of green ended the desert abruptly. Lush fields and palm trees explained Egypt’s ancient wealth, cultivating the world’s biggest oasis. I was thrilled to see the culture still alive. We had passed donkey caravans riding through the desert, and in the Nile oasis, beautifully robed Egyptians were driving donkey carts piled with sugar cane and grasses.

Egyptian Wedding

On the first night I ended up at an Egyptian wedding, invited by a cousin we’d met at lunch. Wandering through the narrow streets, a colourful marquee appeared,

with all the neighbourhood in attendance.

I sat with the men, smoking herbal shisha, with cheeky children crowding around. A sword fight was played out in traditional dance, and as it always seems to happen, I was called to join them. Surrounded by the children, I cut loose with my headdress; then I was given the sword, and the children were cleared from the arena. It was enchanting to watch, and though I didn’t do it any justice myself, it was great fun to swing a sword in combative dance!

To give the whole picture though, I was pestered for money by the children, and even some of the adults. This was quite a theme in Egypt, and though understandable, it definitely detracted from the country.

Money always cheapens an experience, and it was really in contrast to Sudan, where even a beggar would not beg if you did not offer.

Something indisputable is the incredible wealth of ancient monuments. UNESCO World Heritage sites were sitting quietly by the roadsides, without a person in sight. We decided to investigate one, and we found ourselves alone, wandering beneath the immense hieroglyphed columns in a temple complex of Ramesses II. In the silence of the desert, it felt like we could be the first explorers to find these ruins. In fact, amongst the hieroglyphs were ornately chiselled graffiti of names from the 1800’s.

Another highlight was the Step Pyramid.

At 4,600 years old, it is the oldest pyramid in Egypt, built 100 years before the Great Pyramids. It’s showing its age, and in 2011 an extensive restoration began. This is actually what made it so cool; we arrived to find wooden scaffolding all up the side, with jellabiya-clad Egyptians hauling stones up with ropes and pulleys. It was as if the pyramid was still being built!

There was a film crew up in the scaffolding, and I got into conversation with an Egyptian man who was working with them.

“When it is finished, it will look like new” he said. I asked him if that was the right thing to do. “I believe, yes. If we leave it now, it will all turn to ashes and dust.” he said, looking up at the pyramid, “Then what do we have? Ashes, and dust.”

Into the Pyramid

Egyptian wedding

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The Red Pyramid was Egypt’s first successful smooth-sided pyramid, the third attempt

by Pharaoh Sneferu who built the infamous Bent Pyramid. It used to be a polished white, but as with the Great Pyramids, the limestone capstones were carted off in Medieval times for other buildings.

It’s one thing to see a pyramid, and it’s another to go inside. I was amazed to see steps leading up to an opening. No way! We climbed up the steps and found a tight shaft leading down and down into the heart of the tomb. After 200ft of stooped shuffling, the shaft opened up into a vaulted chamber; a cathedral inside a pyramid. ‘Woah’, I heard

Nile Valley

myself say, which echoed around the tiered ceiling. I followed a corridor into a second vaulted chamber, where steps had been built to access a shaft in the roof. This lead into the burial chamber; another 50ft high chasm with a million tonnes (literally) of rock above it. Just incredible.

And we were the only car in the car-park.

Now is the time to go to Egypt.

Suez Canal

We continued up the coast, fighting the north winds and hiding in bays until we reached the port of Suez. There at the dock were the friendly boats of the Spaniard and Italians. It was great to see them again, tying it all together at the very end of the Red Sea. They left with their canal pilots early the next morning, bound for the Mediterranean.

The Suez Canal has no locks, so it isn’t particularly interesting; it’s 193km through dirty desert. There is a fortified wall along the northern shore, with regular garrisons, and periodical floating bridges ready ashore for troop movements. Every boat requires a canal pilot, and it took us three days to go through – mostly spent waiting for the pilots! And they couldn’t speak English, so the Arabic proved useful again. I kept them happy with hummus, dates, foul maddems and sweet tea. Finally, we reached the Mediterranean waters of Port Said. The Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea were all a crazy memory.

The End

From a trip that was set into motion while reading a thread about piracy in the Gulf of Aden, perhaps what transpired was to be expected... All I can really say is Wow. Runins with pirates, Yemeni rebels, helicopter gunships and Poseidon himself; not to mention the Bedouin of Sudan and the monuments of ancient Egypt. The Red Sea was especially amazing, and I’m already cooking up ways to get back.

Activity Report Diving Rachael Bruford

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

The Countdown Begins…

Words + Photos By: Chris and Amanda Fraser

Chris and I first met at YasWaterworld’s Survival of the Fittest team competition in 2013—a fitting beginning for two of the most competitive souls on the planet.

Shortly after meeting, Chris told me about his plans to drive his car back to Durban via the east coast of Africa; a dream that was slowly becoming a reality after purchasing his Toyota Prado and a large world map. I was in! After a spontaneous trip to Nepal, the relationship status changed and my hopes of tagging along were looking up.

Three years later and we found ourselves married! Slowly, the plans started coming together and I was able to add in my two cents about the route. Suddenly, the trip went from East Africa to most of Africa and Southern Europe, and from six months to one year.

And so the DEAD2 (Dubai—Europe —Africa—Durban) journey was born. Thirtysix countries over one year. The route and timeline have changed almost regularly and both are likely to change further. Starting 22 July from Durban, the road trip loops through East Africabefore cutting across Zambia and Angola. We then head north throughout West Africa, detouring to the islands of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde.

We finish our trip crossing Southern Europe, ultimately returning to Dubai via the ferry from Iran.

As mentioned, the purchase of a brand new Toyota Pradogot the ball rolling for the DEAD2 journey. Growing up, Chris was fortunate enough to be exposed to some of the harshest offroad environments in the world. In his experience it was very clear: Toyota was king. Choosing a model would be the only deciding factor. After several offroad trips in the UAE and Oman, it was

decided that this integral part of our trip would need a name. Read more about Magellan and all of the modifications required for our journey in next month’s article.

For a trip of this extent, careful planning was required. We considered such factors as migration patterns, regional weather, safety concerns, and the most popular times for the fish to bite. From this point, a tentative route was mapped out in order to estimate total kilometers and fuel costs. This would help to create one of the most important aspects of the trip: the budget. Included in our budget was the carnet du passage (a very expensive passport for the car), visas, fuel costs, accommodation, national park fees, food, and bucket list activities.

Step two in the planning stage was to research all of the necessary requirements for visas. Being tasked with arranging visas for an American and South African passport holder would require a certain degree of organisation. When I was reminded of the definition of organised: adj. arranged in a systematic way, especially on a large scale— I started to panic. After copious amounts of research and a number of visits / phone calls to embassies, an extensive document was created with all of the requirements necessary for visa obtainment.

And then came the bucket list! As a fishing addict, the main reason Chris had planned this trip was to fish in areas too far or too expensive to reach from Durban. Nembwe, tiger fish, tarpon,Jack Crevalle, marlin, and caberra snapper are included on his fishing wish list. We would also like to take in as many African sunrises and sunsets as possible, hike Mount Kenya and the GR20, scuba dive with Whale Sharks, witness miniature elephants on the beaches of Gabon, and visit the Dogon Country in Mali.

While all of the planning and budgeting had been completed, it wasn’t until an exact departure date had been set that we became serious about saving. Once it became more of a “do or die” attitude, the

account quickly started growing. Some tips we found to be most successful for our savings included: 1. Just Say No!: Whether it be to the birthday brunch once a month or the long weekend getaway, saying no helped us save big time. Yes, it was extremely hard. Yes, our weekends were quiet. Yes, we saved.

2. Pay Day—Put it Away!: The thrills of payday no longer existed…the minute the SMS came in from the bank was the minute the transfer to the savings accounttook place.

We feel beyond fortunate to take part in an adventure like this. Our journey will have us traveling to some of the most untouchedareas in Africa. To show our gratitude, we want to give back, even if on a small scale.

As a teacher, I believe it is important that all children have access to schools and resources to enhance their learning; therefore, we will be stocking up on educational supplies in major cities to deliver to these remote areas along our journey.

Learn more about our small charity, Books for the Bush on our website www.dead2travel.com, www.facebook.com/dead2travel.

TRAVEL + ADVENTURE

Cave of the Masters:

Grotta Giusti Words + Photos By: Massimo Ziino

Everytime I come back home to Italy, and specifically to Tuscany, I get the urge to visit my friends at Grotta Giusti. This extraordinary place, which is totally unique among its kind, is located in Monsummano Terme in the province of Pistoia.

Grotta Giusti is an underground karst cave, which intersects with a thermal aquifer a few tens of metres from the surface, and takes its name from the Giusti family, owners of the limestone quarry which once stood here. The cave itself was discovered by pure chance, in the spring of 1849, when some quarry workers broke through the roof of the cavity; by throwing stones into the void they quickly realised they had stumbled upon an important discovery, an impressively vast underground cavity with the presence of water. I often imagine those first wide-eyed excursions into this hot and humid underground world; lamp-lit explorations which slowly revealed the mysterious 300m cavity in all its natural glory, with lakes, winding corridors, stalactites and stalagmites. The elevated internal air and water temperatures, the humidity level and the impressive size of the cave led the owner, DomenicoGiusti, to consider the possibility of its therapeutic potential, and in fact an initial spa complex was built around the entrance to the cave just a few years later. The waters, at 34°C, were indeed beneficial and Grotta Giusti’s fame quickly spread throughout Italy and abroad.

For many years it was a meeting place for intellectuals, politicians, artists and poets - the national and European élite. In fact

The terme spa

The natural Grotta copia

...it’s the only place in the world where the entrance to a cave dive is so comfortable and luxurious!

Giuseppe Giusti, the son of the owners, became an important poet during the 19th century Italian Risorgimento. Many distinguished guests enjoyed the therapeutic benefits of the waters, including Giuseppe Garibaldi who visited in 1867, while composer Giuseppe Verdi later defined GrottaGiusti as the “eighth wonder of the world”.

Over the years it has been developed into what is now a modern and technologically advanced spa complex, with a hotel, fitness centre, beauty salon, convention centre and an avant-garde open-air thermal swimming pool.

Despite all this business development and activity, the current owners also allow diving in the underground lake, which makes this place totally unique. The group of dive guides, headed by Luciano Tanini, make this experience possible - accompanying divers in the exploration of the flooded fracture. The depth is not excessive, never more than 18 metres, and the equipment needed is similar to that used in cave diving.

The organisation of the dives is impeccable, and the guides are highly experienced; divers are given a substantial and thorough briefing, after which they can proceed into the water. The dive starts in the lake known as “Limbo”, which are reached via a vertical ladder a few metres high, after passing through a cavity lined with impressive rock

formations. The cave is accessed directly from the spa structure, and in my experience it’s the only place in the world where the entrance to a cave dive is so comfortable and luxurious!

Forget your wetsuit; swimwear, T-shirt and sports shoes are the right gear for these warm waters. In some parts the underwater corridors are just wide enough to pass through, and occasionally you ascend to air pockets where you can immediately share the sensations of this incredible dive with your buddies.

Compensation is important; the dive route through the cave includes frequent changes in depth, which may only be a few metres each time, but these small ascents and descents require good compensation abilities. I could stay here for hours, but given the water temperature it’s best not to overdo it; in fact, when you come out, you will immediately feel the physical benefits of the thermal waters, but you may also feel a little ‘cooked’.

The photographic opportunities are stunning and endless, but professional equipment is necessary to get good results; in particular, powerful lighting is critical. The clear and limpid water is perfect for good shots, just be sure to move well and carefully, without kicking up sediment.

I don’t think there’s anywhere like this in the world, and I’ve certainly never found anything that compares. Diving in Grotta Giusti is an experience that I recommend to all divers with a strong exploratory spirit, who are in search of new and unique sensations and experiences.

Happy diving!

The open air thermal pool

For more information on the history of this cave, check out www.grottagiustispa.com or visit them at these geographic coordinates: Latitude 43.86867, Longitude 10.81321

OUTDOORUAE

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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

A Trip to Heaven on Earth Words by: Alaa Ali Photos by: Guido Peeters, Krystal Leong and Laetitia Zimmermann

The Roundup Following on from his article in last month’s Outdoor UAE, Alaa Ali reports on his third, fourth, fifth and sixth days of diving in the Maldives. Read on to find out more about the types of dives enjoyed by Alaa, and the varying locations that he visited as part of his liveaboard experience.

Day 3 Early Morning Hammerhead Dive Felidhoo Atoll - (Blue Ocean Dive)

The FotteyoKandu dive site is not only famous for the day dive but also for a 6:00 a.m. Hammerhead dive. This dive is performed very differently from the day dive as divers spend most of their time in the blue water. During the early morning hours scalloped hammerheads rise to shallower depths and divers get to take a glimpse of them. Unfortunately we were unlucky!

Golden Wall - Felidhoo Atoll (Channel Dive)

Named for the beautiful blanket of yellow soft coral that covers it, the Golden Wall is located adjacent to a channel that acts as a busy expressway for sharks and stingrays, eagle rays, schooling tuna and trevally, and barracuda. With overhangs where turtles and sharks sometimes nap, and where glassfish and colourful schools of anthias and other reef fish can normally be found, the site is also home to moray eels, lobsters, crabs, and others. Beginning at ten metres and featuring a maximum depth of 35 metres, the site is suitable for all divers.

Devana Kandu - Felidhoo Atoll (Channel Dive)

This has been declared a Marine Protected

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Area, and is certainly one of the most exciting drift dives of Felidhoo Atoll. In the outer reef there are caves that fall vertically from 30 metres into the depths below. In the middle of the northern passage is a long, narrow reef which rises slightly up to 15 meters from the sandy floor of about 18 meters. Divers can go along the channel length from the north to discover south passages that are merged, featuring a wide range of healthy corals. A magnificent display of corals stretches for every 500 meters of channel width to a depth of about 15 meters, which is highly unlike any other diving channel.

Alimatha- Felidhoo Atoll (Reef Night Dive)

Alimatha is five-star experience! One of the Maldives’ most famous dive sites, it has

rightfully earned its reputation. Here is the best advice. Jump in the water about 20-30 minutes before sunset, NOT when it’s dark.

Pretty much as soon as you are in the water, you are overwhelmed by the action.

There are plenty of nurse sharks that come whizzing past you, stingrays that rub up to you like cats or unceremoniously nudge you out of the way, and giant trevally that are too busy going about their business to care about mere divers.

My advice would be, to stick with your group, and not to move around too much — pick a spot with no other groups nearby and get comfortable. Obviously you will need a torch, and if you are shooting underwater it gets really tricky. If you are shooting stills you will need a focus light, and you’ll need at least one powerful strobe if you are

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shooting a video. The best thing is that you can just sit down and let the scenes come to you, so just get comfortable, select your settings and shoot away!

Day 4 Kudara Thila - South Ari Atoll (Reef Dive)

This is a really beautiful dive. We started by going through an arch covered in coral.

There were coral and reef fish of all colours on top and lots of snappers, fusilier and anthias. On the top of the thilawas a large turtle, moray eels, angelfish, coral groupers, soldierfish, nudibranchs, triggerfish and various puffers. There are also large overhangs with beautiful coral in the roof. The reef top is at 14 metres with sharp drop-offs to 20 and 25 metres on most sides. There is a small canyon on the north side and a large, long cave at 20 metres on the eastern side.

When the current is not too strong, divers can swim around this 80 metres long thila without too much difficulty. On the deeper, more gentle slopes on the northern side are large sea fans. Swimming around the fan slopes there are a number of grey and white-tip reef sharks.

Kudhi Maa - South Ari Atoll (Wreck Dive)

KudhiMaa Wreck is a medium sized steel wreck lying very close to the Machchafushi house reef. The wreck is a Japanese cargo ship that was purposely sunk in 1998 to provide divers visiting the South Ari Atoll with a wreck. Measuring 52 metres wide, around the shipwreck you can find a school of batfish, some puffer fish, box fish, large lion fish and two basking nurse sharks who are always positioned under the wreck!

One interesting feature of the wreck is the competition for space that has sprung up on the surface itself. Algae, sponges, sea squirts and corals are all fighting for that valuable piece of metal from which to start their growth. Depth is 12m descending to 30m.

Day 5 Five Rocks - South Ari Atoll (Pinnacle Dive)

This site contains five huge pinnacles at 25 metres deep. There was a strong current

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and visibility wasn’t great. It is full of channels, overhangs, and so many fish, including about six sharks, two napoleons, leaf fish, oriental sweet lips and moray eels. What I have noticed here is that the coral reef is healthy and very colourful! This remote site is made up of five underwater rocks forming a pinnacle with a flat top at about 15 metres.

A GPS was used to locate the site, which is washed by currents. The marine life and corals are truly spectacular.

Sun Island Beyru - South Ari Atoll (Reef Dive)

Whale shark searching began at 9:00 a.m.

We spotted the first whale shark near Sun Island Beyru and snorkelled for almost 20 minutes before the whale shark faded into the blue! The second encounter was at the outer reef of Sun Island Beyru while diving, and once again the whale shark swam with us for a few minutes. I noticed for the first time the swinging current effect, which was nice but meant thatyou had to keep an eye on yourself in case you hit or damaged the coral reef whilst swinging.

Dhigga Thila - South Ari Atoll (Reef Dive)

One of the few thilas in the Ari Atoll displayed magnificent coral growth; this was a great site for reef sharks, with large gorgonian fan corals and large overhangs worth exploring. The table corals on top of the thila are also worth checking out. For me this was one of the best dives in the Maldives, after finishing three dives on this day! The crew had prepared a treat for all divers, taking us to an abandoned island to enjoy an amazing BBQ dinner – a real Pirates of the Caribbean experience!

Day 6 Panettone – South Ari Atoll (Reef Dive)

The minute we jumped into the water, there was a 3.5 metre manta ray waiting for us! It was hovering over a rock, allowing cleaning fishes to do their job. The encounter was pretty close. Behind us a white tip reef shark

and eagle ray were swimming. The water current got stronger and it was swinging so we had to hold onto the rocks.

Dhega Thila - South Ari Atoll (Reef Dive)

This is a very interesting formation, with a wall of sea fans on the outside of the main peak, and some pinnacles on the western side. There is a tunnel to swim through cutting the reef where yellow sweepers stay.

At the north side there are another two pinnacles, with a narrow canyon between them. The dive can be very deep and the currents treacherous. This was the worst dive on this trip due to very strong currents which I couldn’t fight and I actually ended the dive after 15 minutes.

Moofushi Kanu - South Ari Atoll (Reef Dive)

A reef around 2km long, with caves and overhangs breathing with life. Here you can admire the sea fans, whip corals, and its marine life, like sting rays, manta rays, napoleon wrasse and sharks.

Conclusion

A liveaboard is by far the best way to cover a large area and see the best dive sites the selected atolls have to offer. All of the sites were good, but some were better than others. Strong water currents were an obstacle for me at some dive sites, but I would certainly go back for more!

TRAVEL & ADVENTURE

Nomad’s Road:

Overlanders for Life Episode 4: Travelling through history in Jordan Words by: Grég Trastour Photos by: Grég, Magali, Natasha and Anastasia Trastour

We arrived in Jordan nearly a month ago, but unfortunately our first week was spent waiting around thanks to some logistical problems. On the positive side, we were welcomed by a local couple who helped us to discover how Jordanians live. After getting back our vehicle and spending two days making final preparations, we were at last able to hit the road again.

We started our trip in the eastern part of the country, discovering the desert and a few monuments, such as Qasr Amra, a desert castle which was built in the 8th century.

After stopping to take in this UNESCO World Heritage Site with its wonderful frescoes, we slowly drove to the Northern part of the country, visiting a few other desert

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castleswhich had been well preseved.

Arriving in northern Jordan, near the Syrian border, the landscape became hilly and we began to climb in altitude and see hills covered with olive groves. We went to archeological site of Umm Qays, north of Irbid, where you can see (when the weather permits) the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights of the Levant; a breathtaking landscape. The site of Decapolis, which has been the center of Greek culture in this region, was also interesting to visit. We made a stop to visit the 12th century well-preserved Ajloun Fort, located at the top of the hill with 360° views of the green region. The most interesting site in North Jordan was the ancient Greco-Roman city of Gerasa in the middle of the current city of Jerash. A lot buildings and monuments are still standing, such as the theaters, hippodrome, the oval forum and all the huge gates and columns, in addition to the well restored Zeus Temple and Artemis Temple.

After a stop in the capital city to visit the Citadel, we drove south to Aqaba, the Jordanian port on the Red Sea. On the way we made several stops to visit all the main historic and natural sites. Some of them were completely deserted by tourists despite their historical and archeological importance.

Others, however, were invaded by the local population, especially during weekends.

It was really interesting to see the difference between the days of the week and the weekend at the same tourist site, as it added another dimension to the place, gifting you with either serenity or the tumult of the crowd.

One of the places we couldn’t miss in this area was the fabulous Dead Sea, which at 400 meters below sea level and with really salty water means that you are able to float without any difficulties and even lay in the water to read a book. It’s really impressive! Then after this experience we drove up to Karak at 1000 meters to see thefort, which was built during the Bronze Age. The weather was not ideal, with strong rains that forced us to stop for a few hours because of land slides.

We then stopped at Madaba, the key place to visit for churches and to see old mosaics, but also to discover the weaving project which provides a resource to large parts of the population in this area. Next, Dana Valley, a biosphere reserve, was a nice place to stay for a few days to have a rest or do some hiking.

Our last visit of historic and archeological sites was Petra and Little Petra. We spent two

full days discovering Petra and its surroundings. We will remember for life the moment when we arrived at the end of this long corridor called As-Siq and discovered the Treasury, known all around the world.In this moment you really do understand why Petra is one of Wonders of the World. But Petra is not only The Treasury. It’s a huge site where there are a lot of buildings, tombs and monuments, such as the Monastery, which can be visited after climbing 800 steps. However, it’s well worth the climb and not to be missed!

The Jordan Pass is highly recommended, as it includes the Entry Visa fee and access to 43 monuments and sites including Petra.

There are three options available, but it really does depend on how many days you want spend in Petra. We recommend a minimum stay of at least three days. The Jordan Pass will really help your budget, particularly if you

are keen to visit as many sites as possible.

We are currently in Wadi Rum, one of the best wadis we have been lucky enough to visit on the Arabian Peninsula. It’s a peaceful place with a dramatic landscape where you can spend a lot of time climbing, trekking or simply visiting by car, camel or horse. Local Bedouin guides know all the main points of

interest in this region.

Our adventure in Jordan is nearly finished.

In a few days we will take the ferry to Nuweiba in Sinai from Aqaba, the unique port of Jordan, before we head over to Egypt and then Sudan.

The Trastours is a family that has been overlanding the planet for as long as they can remember! Made up of Greg and Magali as well as their daughters Natasha and Anastasia, The Trastours is a family filled to the brim with an unstoppable sense of adventure for the ultimate goal – to explore the world.

You can check out their next stop at www.nomadsroad.com or look for Nomads Road on Facebook and Twitter.

Belize:

Trout Bums in Permit Paradise Words By: Rasmus Oversen Photos By: Rasmus Ovesen, Martin Ejler Olsen and Leslie Berkeley

THE HOARSE SCREAMS of my Sage 6010 reel won’t come to an end, and the dangerously arced fly rod is being pulled convulsively towards the surface film. I struggle for footing and lean back on the fish as much as humanly possible, but I have a bad feeling.

I have caught permit on the flats before, but the fish out here on The Elbow – a subaqueous reef in the

southern part of Belize’s Turneffe Island, use radically different tactics to get rid of the flies. They flutter and spiral irresistibly downwards, and even the slightest hint of leniency brings consequences – usually resulting in snapped leaders. The crux of the matter is to prevent the fish from reaching the sheltering embrace of the jagged corals deep down. Once that happens, the fish will break you off and the battle will be lost.

It is like some mean-spirited prankster just tied a cruise ship anchor to my fly line. It disappears into the abysmal blue depths at a dangerously fast pace, and I can’t seem to do anything about it. As the backing starts peeling off, I know I’m done for, and only a few seconds later, I fall backwards as the line goes slack. “That was a BIG fish”, says the guide, without offering much in terms of consolation, and he’s obviously right. He now materialises at the casting deck, where I am crouched in frustration, and grabs my rod. He proceeds to check the drag on the

reel, which I had set to a daunting 9/10 in the morning, and seconds later, he hands me back the rod and drops another Pizza Fly in my hand. As I tie it on and mentally prepare for another round, I glance down at the reel and notice that the drag is now set at 10/10…

LATER THAT DAY – after escalating winds force us to quit the offshore fishing, I have a word with one of the dive masters at the Turneffe Island Resort. He coincidentally happened to be out diving at the Elbow that day, and he saw a 35lb+ permit racing towards the corals with a Pizza Fly in its mouth and a taught fly line dragging behind it.

“35+lbs!”, I repeat in an inquiring manner.

“Yep, but I saw WAY bigger fish out there!” he says with a twinkle in his eyes. I don’t know whether to feel comforted or scared by this surprising info. All I know is that I really blew it today. I had three more shots at big permit, and managed to screw everything up. Now, I can only hope and pray that the winds will calm down, so I can head out to the Elbow again and get my revenge.

Over the next couple of days, me and my fishing buddy Martin’s patience is really put to the test. Usually, the weather here in Belize is very sedate and stable in late April, but the calm serenity of our Caribbean sanctuary has now been blown relentlessly to the sea. Fiery-tempered winds howl and hiss in the compound evergreen leaves of the palm trees, and the ocean is hardly recognisable now with its frothing 15-20 feet waves pounding the sheltering coral rims.

DENNIS YOUNG, our passionate guide is challenged to find some decent fishing for us in the coming days – after all, there isn’t much shelter to be found when you’re stranded on a small and relatively featureless island out to sea. Nonetheless, Dennis manages to put us on some massive schools of tailing bonefish that provide us with some exciting challenges. And whenever we hook up with one of these ghostly speed devils, we even tend to forget about those alluring charcoal and silvery permit out there on the Elbow with their bright yellow brushstrokes, powerful flanks, and soulful gazes.

WHILE FISHING THE MANGROVES, I’m fairly certain Martin forgets about the permit for at least 20-25 minutes. Here, he hooks up with one of the migrating silver kings that are just starting to rally. The self-assured tarpon takes the fly with brute force and after the prescribed strip strikes, it starts popping

out of the water here, there, and everywhere shaking its head epileptically. When it finally tires of the frantic jumping, it employs new tactics to get rid of the hook. It writhes and turns; rolls aggressively in the surface – and all of a sudden it rushes for the entanglement of the mangroves. Martin is tiring out, but he is determined to land the fish, and in the end he succeeds. When he finally sits there with more than 40lbs of silvery armoured tarpon in his lap, he is as euphoric as I’ve ever seen him.

AFTER FOUR DAYS of us continuously asking our guide when the weather is going to calm down, I can tell he is starting to get just a little tired of the repetitions. He is a great guide, but no oracle - and he can only tell us that usually this kind of weather doesn’t occur at this time of year. All we can do is cross our fingers and make the most of the

situation. I do so by catching a ‘small’ permit of around 10lbs at Permit Paradise – an aptly named and fairly famous flat to the north of our resort. It engulfs a Merkin Crab in the middle of a big, muddy foraging frenzy, and delivers a heady fight with numerous long runs and powerful manoeuvres. When I land it, I have a strange feeling that things are going to turn to the better. And that same evening, after a massive thunderstorm passes, the winds suddenly calm down.

WITH TWO DAYS LEFT, Martin and I are eager to get to the Elbow again. And when we wake up the next morning and issue out of our cosy little cabana, we are excited to see that the sea looks calm. When we meet with our guide, he isn’t quite as optimistic. He fears that massive swells from the past few days might cause severe

difficulties – and he is right of course. The unprotected Elbow reefs to the South are still being pounded by massive waves, and even though we agree to attempt some fishing from one of the resort’s big dive boats, things look gloomy. We see massive schools of permit, but we can’t really get to them. Our flies are being pushed towards the surface and out of reach, and after two hours of desperately clinging on to a rope in the front of the boat doing haphazard casts and being smashed by gruelling waves – plus almost getting tossed overboard a few times, we agree that this irresponsible folly has to end. We’re gutted. But we still have tomorrow!

WE CAN HARDLY BELIEVE the change from yesterday, as we rush out towards the open waters of the Elbow again. With just this one day left, we are excited beyond words that the ocean is one big stoic expanse of calm azure blue water. The fish are here too, and it doesn’t take us long to find the first school of fish – and what a school.

The ghostly shimmering of fifty or more permit emit from the distorting mirror of the surface film. Soon after, the heavy epoxy fly whistles ominously through the air and takes the water with a big splash right in front of the nervous mass of fish below. I let it sink for a few seconds and start the ultra-fast double-retrieve.

SUDDENLY, I feel a nerve-wracking tug propagate through the line, and as I lift the rod to set the hook, the line starts disappearing through the guides at an unrelenting pace. This time, however, I’m prepared.

Every single leader knot has been doublechecked for strength, the drag is set to maximum, and I use whatever muscle power my 11-weight can muster to prevent the fish from breaking me off on the corals deep below. After what seems like an eternity, the snarl of my tormented fly reel comes to an end, and I manage to turn the fish and bring it towards the surface for a bit. Hereon after, I am my usual confident self, and even an additional couple of maniacal runs can’t prevent me from bringing a pristine 25lb permit to the boat. Moments later, I sit in the boat with the incredibly beautiful lead-coloured

fish in my arms and a big smirking smile on my face. We snap a few pictures, and as I put the sturdy fish with its twinkly eyes and leathery skin back into the lukewarm water, I draw a sigh of relief.

As the day progresses, we hook up with several more fish – and land some additional 20lb+ permit that make us forget completely about all the impatient waiting, the thunderstorms, the ones that got away, and not least the arduous upcoming journey back to little old Denmark. I guess that is the essential magic of sublime fishing; it dissolves whatever time-constrained psychological ballast you’ve been carrying around and provides you with an enticing window of opportunity. It feels divine!

The really big ones evade us this last day on the Elbow, but hey – it is always nice to have a reason to come back!

FACTS ABOUT TURNEFFE ISLAND RESORT: Turneffe Island Resort is a Belizian luxury lodge situated on its own little idyllic island in the Southern part of the greater complex of coral and mangrove islands called Turneffe Islands. The island houses around 30 guests in beachside apartments and cabanas. The lodge also consists of a main building with a cosy dining hall, an outdoor pool area with its own wooden deck and bar, as well as a marina.

Typically, you’ll be fishing from eight o’clock in the morning until five o’clock in the afternoon, both wading and from the cool and practical boats. This means that you have about nine hours of flats and open water fishing every day, and this is more than enough to try out different spots and different fish. One week’s worth of guided fishing - including housing at the resort, costs 2,990 USD in the high season, and it includes delicious lunch packages and cool drinks, so that all you need to worry about is catching that highly prized trophy fish.

At a supplement, you can book some night fishing, which is a great idea, if you want to target tarpon.

The season stretches across the whole year, but March, April and May are particularly great for permit fishing. If you want to go full-hearted for a grand slam, or if you

are a sucker for tarpon, the period from mid-May until the end of September is the optimal time to visit the lodge. The average size of the permit is truly impressive with 20lb fish being common and 40-50lb fish being a real possibility – if you’re able to land them that is!

For more info, check out www.turnefferesort.com. Here, you can find up-to-date prices for housing and guiding and book your own trip.

WHAT GEAR TO BRING: When fishing for offshore permit at the Elbow, your gear needs to be completely top tuned. Any weak links will be met with severe punishment – i.e. broken leader tippets and snapped leader/fly line

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and sinking), since the depths at which the permit are found varies. Sometimes, they’ll be popping their heads out of the water and feeding in the surface film, while at other times, they’ll be further down, and the only way to get them is to use a relatively fast sinking line.

The leaders should be designed for pure abuse. Double-check all leader knots, and finish off with a 3ft section of 20-25lb test

Photos: Q.Dein, Rider: Shawn Richman

connections. Generally, the gear has to be top tuned – and being an overly optimistic UL fanatic doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. There are permit up to 50lb+ at the Elbow, and even smaller fish (those weighing in at around15-20lbs!) will tear your gear apart if it isn’t up to the task.

10-weight rods will do for the most part, but if you’re hoping to hook up with one of the real giants, a 12-weight rod might be more suitable. You’ll be fighting the fish directly below the boat, so you’ll need a fairly short rod with loads of backbone. And forget about those double-handed saltwater rods. You’ll need to bend the rod right down into the handle, to put maximum pressure on the fish. By using a fighting handle further up on the blank, you simply shift the power centre in the rod to a more lenient place. And in the process, you risk breaking the rod. (This has happened numerous times on the Elbow) In terms of reels, you’ll want one of many excellent large arbour reels out there – one of those with a drag system that can stop a team of horses. Don’t worry too much about the backing. If more than 30 yards of backing peel off your reel, you’re doomed anyway, and the fish will break you off on the corals below. It’s all about hooking and holding!

With regards to the fly lines, clear lines are certainly to be preferred. Permit have great vision, and, especially in open water, fly lines are quite conspicuous. You’ll need a couple of different ones (floating, intermediate

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

fluorocarbon. Only the very best and meticulously tied knots will hold up, so don’t be sloppy.

The guides at Turneffe Island Resort swear to a fly they call the Pizza Fly. It is a pink and extremely heavy epoxy fly that is as dangerous to cast as it is effective. With lightning quick retrieves, it moves erratically and unpredictably through the water like a shrimp, and it really gets the permit agitated.

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Natural History LIFESTYLE

Teaching S.T.E.M through Field Studies

Words + Photos By: Dan Wright

Nowadays, the main buzz phrase you will hear in education all over the world (and the UAE which since September 2015 has joined this trend) is:

What this basically means is that the focus of schools and lessons is leaning heavily towards these main subject areas, and teachers are constantly looking for innovative ways to deliver them in fun, hands on ways that stimulate the students into new ways of learning.

“A study from the National Training Laboratories in 2000 found that only about 5 percent of the information delivered through lecture was retained. Compare that with retention rates at 50 percent for discussion group and 70 percent for practice by doing. Even higher, at 80 percent, was retention by students teaching others.” (www.hermanmiller.com) Here, the national agenda is focused on training the future generations of technical leaders for Industry and Business and with major projects like the Nuclear Industry

(aiming for over 40 GWe by 2020) and the Space Race (aiming to send an Orbiter to Mars by 2021), the need for a generation of talented, technically advanced students to lead these projects is ever greater.

When I go into schools in the UAE to meet teachers and to write bespoke training programs for their students at the ADAPT Adventure Center in RAK where I work, the most common requests I am getting are for more “Evidence based activities” so they will have something to show the inspecting authorities from the Ministry of Education (MOE). In Abu Dhabi this comes in the form of an annual inspection by ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) and in Dubai it is delivered by KHDA (Knowledge and Human Development Authority).

These inspecting authorities have sets of KPI’s that are looking for specific outcomes from the schools. In particular they want to see evidence that students are learning about the culture and heritage of the country they are living in. It is vital for students spending any length of time in a country that is not their own to have opportunities to better understand the people and the traditions around them. This will help them later in life to develop a more worldly view and a better empathy for other nationalities.

As John Lennon said, we are after all “A Brotherhood of Man.” So where does Field Studies come into this? Well, if we accept that people learn better by “doing” then we can agree that the concept of “Experiential learning” is going to be a great way for young people to get real life, hands on experience of the subjects they learn about in the classroom.

For example:

Is it better to learn about Water Conservation from a book or go out into the field to study it in a real life environment?

Geodesic dome

If you are studying Geometrical shapes in Maths in school then the majority of this will likely be on paper (drawing) and in books (reading). But if you take the class outdoors and give them a pile of old newspapers, some plastic pipes, a tape measure, scissors and roll of sticky tape and ask them to build a mathematically correct Geodesic dome – will they be able to? We hope so and especially with a bit of a briefing and a printed set of instructions. Once built, the students will then be able to actually test the properties of the dome and see for themselves that it really is a “self-supporting structure” that can actually hold a variety of weights off the ground. This of course can be tested by actually placing weights on top of it!

This type of practical activity is cross mapped straight out of a teaching textbook and into a real time exercise and the students will remember it for years afterwards!

Another example of Field Studies is the use by teachers of “Case Studies.” If a student is learning about Environmental Science in the classroom then it is very likely that they will be introduced to “Case Studies” related to their subject area. If you come from the UK and your text books are “Key Stage” books then the majority of your case studies will be based on British

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locations, for example, you might, in Key Stage 4 (GCSE), be learning about “Natural Habitats”, and the case study for this is “Dawlish Warren” on the Devon coast (I know because I went there for my High School Geography field trip!).

If you live in the UAE and your only case study and point of reference for Natural Habitats is Dawlish Warren in the UK, and the chance of actually going there is very low, then your retention of information about that subject is going to be low.

So I go into schools to talk to Science or Geography teachers, who give me a list of subject areas to work with. I then write them new case studies that relate specifically to the landscape the students live in and then we take them on field studies trips to those landscapes to engage them in active, handson learning.

Teachers also want their students to be able to “think outside the box”, “problem solve”, “work to deadlines under pressure” and of course, very importantly “communicate and work as a team”. Field Studies programs provide suitable environments for all these outcome requirements. Activities specifically designed to elicit these responses in young people and to test their leadership skills are both fun and educational. A great example of one activity we run is “TOXIC WASTE” in which students are briefed that: A Chemical factory has had a major spill and it is your teams’ job to contain this by collecting the various hazardous items from inside the danger zone and depositing them in neutralisation bins. Of course you cannot enter the danger zone and you cannot physically touch the hazardous items. We will provide you with several items which may or may not be useful (a few “red herrings” – useless items to confuse them!) and you will be required to complete the task inside a time limit to ensure the hazardous items do not heat up and explode (usually we make the time limit hard to meet to give them added pressure!).

The group then gets a few minutes to discuss the task and share solutions before we ask them to proceed.

In the debrief, when the task is finished, we spend time getting the students to think about how they completed the task and if they could improve on it next time. Often the whole activity is linked to a Learning Model and in this example we often use “Kolb’s Learning Cycle”. It is useful to the

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Toxic waste - teamwork!

students to learn about processes and models that they can then apply to their everyday lives when they have to solve their own problems:

David Kolb - “Experiential Learning Theory”

It also gives them a sense of community and teamwork or espirit de corps, which is very important for their personal development.

Organisations like World Challenge in the UAE, who are one of the main providers of “Adventure Education and Field Studies” through camps like ADAPT are leading the way in the UAE for the next generation of young people to take their STEM lessons out of the classroom and into the outdoors where there is almost unlimited potential for exciting and breakthrough teaching techniques and learning experiences.

So, whenever you see a new school advertising a “STEM Curriculum” or when your school gives a presentation on STEM and its place in modern education, be sure to raise your hand and ask the important question; “What practical field studies training are you providing in these subject areas and how will it really benefit our children?”

“Field studies” usually means that the students will be going away from home for one or more nights. This in turn has hugely beneficial outcomes for the students. It teaches them about: • Self-sufficiency • Socialisation • Self-confidence • Taking responsibility for your own actions and decisions • Respect for diversity in others Camel culture

Dan Wright is a Wilderness Expedition Guide and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS). He has a degree in Environmental Science and works as the Project Manager of the ADAPT Adventure & Field Studies Center, based in RAK. Dan writes for a range of publications in Arabia and Asia on Environmental Issues and Personal Development. His wife Nirjala is the former Nepal National Mountain Bike Champion and their son Percy is an adventurer in the making! They spend all their spare time exploring the UAE.

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Habitually healthy It’s More than What You Put In Words by: Richard Thomas

The Paleo Revolution is, in the eyes of many, the only lifestyle that we should follow in our modern society. It provides you with the perfect amount of nutrients to stay lean, strong and energetic.

Generally speaking, supermarkets offer a wide variety of products which are full of sugar and transfats, or foods which have become so over processed that they are unrecognisable. These food types are making our bodies degenerative and contributing to many issues such as diabetes, obesity and cancer to name a few.

I believe that people should be looking at the bigger picture when it comes to the Paleo Revolution, and an integral part of changing it from a diet to a lifestyle is exercise. Exercise is any form of movement that requires physical exertion in order to improve one’s health. This is why exercise and what you eat are so closely knit.

The Paleo diet will help provide the right balance of protein for the building of muscle, fibre to maintain your ideal weight and healthy fats to concentrate.

Exercise should be supplemented alongside your diet to ensure that you have the correct balance of hormones.This in turn will not only help your body in the short term but it will increase your quality of life

Recipe The most basic way to look at a paleo recipe is: • 4-8 oz of lean protein such as chicken, lean beef, turkey or seafood.

• Then add several servings of multicolored vegetables either raw, steamed or lightly cooked.

• Finally, round out the meal with good fats from avocado, olive oil or a handful of unsalted nuts such as almonds, pecans, macadamias or walnuts.

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over the long term.

Leading a healthy lifestyle is about having the right diet, following a flexible fitness schedule and not doing anything in excess. But the most important aspect of this lifestyle is to enjoy it, and the only way that it will work for you is if you enjoy the challenge and understand that it’s only going to make a better you.

“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”

- John F. Kennedy

The Cycle Bistro GPS location: Latitude: N 25° 02.792 Longitude: E 055° 14.384 Phone: 04 425 6555

LIFESTYLE

Health

Powerhouse

Let’s talk fish

How to stay healthy throughout the summer with some great fish choices on your plate Words + Photos by: Ivana Chiles

The idea of sharing my knowledge about fish with you came recently, as I was enjoying my early morning walk on our impressive Jumeirah path. I came across Umm Suqeim Fish Market, with its massive variety of freshly caught fish, and decided to explore it a bit more.

I was pleased to see that all the fish was reasonably priced and, more importantly for me, there was a vast selection of small (and healthier) fish on offer. Are you wondering why I mentioned ‘the small fish’? Well, I’m hoping that after reading this article you will become more knowledgeable about your fish choices. You will learn that not all fish is equal and discover why you should be concerned about the amount of mercury from that delicious looking tuna steak.

Why do we eat fish and why is it recommended for athletes?

If you’re eating fish, besides its taste, you are probably doing so to take advantage of their beneficial omega-3 fats. But what exactly are they?

Omega–3 fatty acids are considered essential fatty acids because humans cannot make them; therefore, they must be obtained through diet or supplementation. They offer numerous health benefits for everyone, as well as a variety of performance-enhancing effects, such as increasing muscle growth and improving strength and physical performance. They can also reduce The best sources of omega-3 fats come from your diet

Be cautious when selecting tuna steak!

exercise-induced muscle damage and delayed-onset muscle soreness, combat the negative immune effects of intensive training, strengthen bones, improve heart and lung function, and enhance cognitive functioning.Omega-3 fatty acids are important for brain development of the in-utero and growing child. Higher IQs in children have been linked to higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids consumed during their mother’s pregnancy.

There are three types of omega-3 fats.

Marine animals such as fish and krill provide eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are mostly promoted for their protective effects on your heart. Flaxseed, chia, walnuts, virgin olive oil, avocados and a few other foods, on the other hand, offer alpha-linoleic acid (ALA).

Most of the health benefits linked to omega-3 fats are linked to the animal-based EPA and DHA, not the plant-based ALA. Furthermore, ALA is converted into EPA and DHA in your body at a very low ratio.

What this means is that even if you consume large amounts of ALA, your body can convert only a relatively small amount into EPA and DHA, and only when there are sufficient enzymes.

Ideally, you want to include both an animal and a plant-based form in your diet.

When it comes to choosing between the animal-based omega-3 options, the primary options are fish oil, cod liver oil or krill oil.

Why is mercury a major threat when eating fish?

If you’re not careful, the toxic effects from the pollutants in the fish will outweigh the benefits of the omega-3 fats.

Before scientists became aware of the toxic effects of mercury (it poisons the kidneys and nervous system), this seemingly

Alaskan salmon is one one the heathier salmon options you should look for

magical metal was widely used in medicine, cosmetics, and different industries. Even small amounts of mercury can interfere with brain development, making exposure particularly risky for children younger than six and women in their childbearing years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 75,000 babies are born each year with a greater risk of learning disabilities because of their mothers’ mercury exposure.

Eating contaminated fish is the number one cause of mercury exposure in America.

Mercury is spewed into the air from coalburning power plants and factories. That pollution can travel halfway around the world and then settle into lakes, rivers, and oceans, where it is absorbed or ingested by small organisms before working its way up the food chain. Big predatory fish, like sharks or tuna, can have especially high concentrations in their bodies. The larger a fish is, the longer it has lived and the more time it has had to bioaccumulate toxins like mercury from the ocean.You can’t see, smell, or taste mercury contamination in fish. Cooking has no effect on it, and you can’t avoid it by cutting off the skin or other parts of the fish.

Fish to avoid

Tuna is the most common source of mercury exposure. If you or your kids regularly eat canned tuna, stick to light or skipjack tuna, and limit it to less than two servings a week.

The rules change when it comes to albacore tuna. Children should avoid that fish altogether, and women of childbearing age should stick to no more than four ounces per week.

The contamination may be even worse in restaurants. The reason for this is because restaurants tend to favour certain species of tuna, such as bluefinakami and bigeye tuna, which have significantly higher levels of mercury than bluefin and yellowfin tuna.

Unfortunately, mercury tends to accumulate to a greater degree in muscle than in fat, rendering these highly prized, leaner species of tuna more susceptible to high contamination. As for canned tuna, albacore has been found to contain about three times more mercury than light chunk tuna.

Bluefin tun can easily reach around 150kgs in weight!

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Unregulated fish farms harm marine ecosytems

Other few key species to avoid: King mackerel, merlin, shark, swordfish, tilefish.

Industrial farming

Industrial fish farming, or aquaculture, is the fastest growing form of food production in the world. About half of the world’s seafood comes from fish farms, including in the US, and this is expected to increase. At first glance, farmed fish may seem like a good idea to help protect wild seafood populations from overfishing.In reality, however, the industry is plagued with many of the same problems surrounding land-based concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), including pollution, disease, and inferior nutritional quality.Many farmed fish are fed genetically modified (GM) corn and soy, which is a completely unnatural diet for marine life. Others are fed fishmeal, which is known to accumulate industrial chemicals like PCBs and dioxins.

Fish waste and uneaten feed litter the sea floor beneath these farms, generating bacteria that consume oxygen vital to shellfish and other bottom-dwelling sea creatures.

Farmed fish waste promotes algae growth that harms the water’s oxygen content, posing risks to coral reefs and other aquatic life.

Farmed Fish May Contain Fewer Healthy Fats

Fish in the wild, especially oily fish such as salmon, are a rich source of omega-3 fats.

But levels of critical omega-3 fats may be reduced by about 50 percent in farmed salmon, compared to wild salmon, due to increasing amounts of grain feed.That being said, farmed salmon are much fattier overall than wild salmon with much higher omega-6 fats (unfavourable pro-inflammatory fats, if the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio exceeds 1:1).

Farmed tilapia and farmed catfish also have much lower concentrations of omega3s and very high ratios of omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats.

years.Additionally, the bioaccumulation of toxins is also reduced by the fact that it doesn’t feed on other, already contaminated species.

A general guideline is that the closer to the bottom of the food chain the fish is, the less contamination it will have accumulated, so other safer choices include smaller fish like sardines, anchovies, and herring. Sardines, in particular, are one of the most concentrated sources of omega-3 fats, with one serving containing more than 50 percent of your recommended daily value.They also contain a wealth of other nutrients, from vitamin B12 and selenium to protein, calcium, and choline, making them one of the best dietary sources of animal-based omega-3s.

Krill oil and why my family loves it

There is a smarter and superior choice when it comes to Omega-3 supplements.Most fish oil supplements are highly perishable due to the lack of antioxidants. When fish oil turns rancid inside your body, it leads to free radical formation.However, there is a much smarter choice available!

Krill oil comes from krill, a tiny shrimp-like creature that lives in the pristine waters of Antarctica. Krill feed on plankton floating on the ocean’s surface.Krill oil contains high amounts of beneficial omega-3 fats EPA and DHA. But what sets it apart from fish oil is that its omega-3 fats are in a much more absorbable form that’s ready to be used by your body.

Here’s another reason to choose krill oil: it’s rich in antioxidants, meaning it will not become rancid inside your body and will not lead to free radical formation. One of the most powerful antioxidants in krill oil is astaxanthin, a unique marine-source flavonoid that bonds with EPA and DHA, making them more bioavailable. Also, because krill is at the bottom of the food chain, it does not

What Are the Best Fish to Eat?

Among the safest in terms of contamination, and the highest in healthy omega-3 fat, is wild-caught Alaskan and sockeye salmon.

Neither is allowed to be farmed, and are therefore always wild-caught. The risk of sockeye accumulating high amounts of mercury and other toxins is reduced because of its short life cycle, which is only about three

accumulate mercury, unlike large fish species. There is also no danger of over harvesting krill, since Krill is actually the largest biomass on Earth, so there is a very large stock of renewable krill for both natural predators and humans.

My family loves Krill oil from Dr. Mercola, because they allow you to track where the krill oil came from in the Antarctic Ocean, as each batch of krill is carefully monitored all the way through, from catch to sale.

Krill is a tiny crustacean living in pristine waters of Antarctica

My favourite Krill oil enriched with evening primrose oil for women from Dr. Mercola

Tips

• Avoid any large or farmed fish altogether • Consume fish with a handful of chlorella tablets. The chlorella is a potent mercury binder and if taken with the fish it will help bind the mercury before you are able to absorb it, so it can be safely excreted in your stool.

• Obtain the perfect balance by including fresh fish several times a week, include sea vegetables like kelp, use flaxseed or walnut oil as salad dressings and opt for grass-fed animal products over grain-fed products.

Ivana has been living in the UAE for 16 years. She is a qualified Health Coach and member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.

Her passions are nutrition, organic gardening, healthy cooking and homemade organic skin care. She runs weekly workshops on the above topics.

For more information, visit her Facebook page, Health Powerhouse.

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Teaching you to dive amongst 65,000 marine animals Dive in the world famous Ambassador Lagoon

Always wanted to experience Scuba diving? Atlantis Dive Discovery is designed specifically for non-certified divers. Learn basic diving skills and then meet our sharks, napoleon wrasse, colourful angel fish and butterflies amidst the ruins of Atlantis.

For certified divers, delight in the rare experience of diving alongside incredible sea creatures and marvel at the artefacts the ancient Atlanteans left behind in the Atlantis Dive Explorer single tank dive.

The Atlantis Predator Dive promises the experience of a lifetime. Descend into the world famous Ambassador Lagoon for the unique opportunity to hand-feed up to 14 different species of sharks and rays amongst 65,000 marine animals.

Get PADI Certified at Atlantis

Atlantis offers PADI courses for all ages.

Younger divers can partake in the PADI Bubble Maker or PADI seal team courses.

If you want your PADI certification, you can do the two day Scuba Diver course, which is a stepping stone into the Open Water program. If you are already Scuba certified, you can opt for the four day PADI Open Water course.

Shark Night Dive

Do you have what it takes to explore the 38

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depths of the Aquaventure Shark Lagoon in complete darkness? This is when sharks are in their most active state, making this a truly thrilling experience. You will be armed with nothing but a torch and glow stick as you explore the depths of the shark lagoon alongside our expert Atlantis divers, and dozens of Sharks and Rays. +971 4 4261040 www.aquaventurewaterpark.com

Dive Listings 2016 For the June issue of OutdoorUAE, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of diving centres and shops based in the UAE and beyond for you to look at.

Dive into adventure with Al Boom Diving, the U.A.E.’s number 1 diving and watersports specialist.

Come and experience the stunning coral reefs in Fujairah, which are teeming with exotic reef fish. You may even be lucky enough to spot a majestic whale shark cruise by. It will take your breath away. Diving is a great family activity and it’s surprisingly good value. Two full equipment dives in Fujairah cost just AED 400. Children as young as 10 can learn to scuba dive, with PADI Junior Open Water Courses from AED 2,350.

Visit our Reef Balls Conservation Project in Al Aqah, a unique ecosystem which acts as a catalyst, attracting a myriad of marine life. You can see lion fish, our resident family of turtles, and even dainty seahorses. It has been scientifically proven that artificial reefs attract 20 times the fish stocks of natural reefs, and our

Reef Balls Project is no exception. You will be amazed at the abundance of life in this microcosm of the Indian Ocean.

Celebrate Discovery Channel’s Shark Week in the spectacular Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo in the first week of July. We can guarantee that you will get up close and personal with the world’s ultimate predators. Dive into the depths of the 10-million litre tank and experience the thrill of a lifetime with the largest collection of Sand Tiger sharks in the world. Shark Dives for certified divers cost just AED 750.

Non-certified divers can Discover Scuba for AED 1,150. You don’t have to be a diver

Scuba Marine is the authorised dealer of Scubapro in the entire UAE. As the frontline dealers of several other renowned international brands, we initially focus on identifying the requirements of the current diving market and then confidently move on to launching reliable marketing products and services which would 100% satisfy the present market requirements. We also provide after sale product support, spare parts and many other various forms of services to our customers.

THE dive centre & THE dive centre, Sandy Beach, are PADI 5 * Instructor Development Centre, PADI Tec Centre and PADI Free Diving Centres. Located in Dubai, Dubai International Marine Club, and also in Fujairah, Sandy Beach Hotel and Resort. A family orientated business, where we pride ourselves on the quality of the training and service that we provide. Teaching the full range of PADI Courses from Discover Scuba Diving to becoming a PADI Instructor, and for many going onto to become PADI Tec divers.

+971 2 6446211 scubamarine.ae

THE dive centre, Dubai +971 55 9985806 The dive centre, Sandy Beach Fujairah +971 9 2445050 or 52 5821215 www.thedivecentre.ae

to experience the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo. You can snorkel in the safety of our cage for AED 350, and do a Shark Walker for AED 590.

Good news for Students aged 10-18 years! During the Holy Month of Ramadan, we are offering a two for one deal on all aquatic experiences in the Dubai Aquarium.

At Al Boom Diving, we have everything you need to explore the magical waters of the U.A.E. +971 4 3422993 www.alboomdiving.com

BARRACUDA DIVING CENTER was established on January 10, 2010.

Recognized by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructor), Barracuda Diving Center offers a full range of Padi Courses and it’s currently located in Fujairah International Marine Club, UAE. A perfect ambiance to learn and experience scuba diving or any water recreational activities and adventures.

Charters Offered: • Diving trips • Equipment rental • Equipment sell • Boat trip • Dhow Cruise • Fishing trips (trawling and bottom fishing) • Diving Courses • Snorkeling trip

+971 5 03266224 or 092225580 bdcfuj@emirates.net.ae

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Dive Listings 2016 For the June issue of OutdoorUAE, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of diving centres and shops based in the UAE and beyond for you to look at.

Enjoy summer trips with Al Marsa Travel!

Escape the heat to find the perfect summer excursion with Al Marsa Travel, taking you to Musandam on their exquisite dhows. Musandam-based diving and cruises specialist Al Marsa Travel offers a host of services to help guide visitors through some of Oman’s most spectacular reefs and rock formations, to find a huge selection of marine life spread over more than twodozen unique dive sites. For summer 2016, Al Marsais offering discounted prices on their chartered trips.

DIVE ZONE has been delighting Certified divers with personal and knowledgeable fun dives around the UAE. Diving is a great life experience, and there is no better place to learn to dive than with DIVE ZONE. We offer good deals on courses, from simple ‘try dives’ to certification level. +971 9 3981233 www.divezone.co dzdivezone@hotmail.com

UAE: +971 50 4824490 Oman: +968 2 6836550 www.almarsamusandam.com reservations@almarsamusandam.com

Gulf Marine Sports is one of the oldest diving related shops in the UAE, having been established in 1998 in Abu Dhabi. We offer an extensive range of diving and spearfishing equipment, and are considered a one stop shop for all under water gear.

In addition, GMS is a PADI & EFR center, PADI Swim School Instructor Center, and Life Guard Training Center.

We provide tanks testing, equipment service, tank rental, tank filling, PADI materials, as well as scuba equipment and spearfishing gear. +971 2 6710017 www.gulfmarinesports.com info@gulfmarinesports.com

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Dive into the waters of Dubai, Oman and beyond to discover a whole other world of sunken shipwrecks and exotic sea creatures.From scuba diving for beginners, right the way through to courses forprofessional dive instructors, The PavilionDive Centre at Jumeirah Beach Hotel has the expertise to make sure your experience is everything you hoped.The Pavilion Dive Centre is the PADI(Professional Association of DivingInstructors) 5 Star Career Development Centre in the United Arab Emirates. +971 4 4068828 divecentre@jumeirah.com

Poseidon Dive Center is a PADI 5 star IDC Dive Center, which offers a full range of PADI courses, whether you want to TRY scuba diving for the first time, LEARN to become a certified diver or UPGRADE your diving level.

Certified divers are welcomed to enjoy our local supervised guided fun dives.

Visit us and you will recognise why we are ranked excellent on Trip Advisor.

Your journey to the underwater world starts here. +974 66 084040 www.pdcqatar.com info@pdcqatar.com Doha, Qatar

Scuba Shade Diving is a full-service diving center and scuba equipment retailer, providing complete services to all divers in the UAE. We are operating in Dubai, Fujairah and Musandam.

Over many years of doing what we love, we’ve built a uniquely equipped and trustworthy high level of service from our instructors and professional team. We are running special offers for a limited time – until the end of July - with discounts of up to 40% on our PADI courses. +971 4 3713369 +971 56 2000427 www.scubashade.com info@scubashade.com

Dive Listings 2016 For the June issue of OutdoorUAE, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of diving centres and shops based in the UAE and beyond for you to look at.

Scubatec Diving Center L.L.C is a 5 Star IDC Center Licensed by PADI. Based in Dubai and established in 1993, it is the number one training center for scuba diving with the largest collection of diving equipment and products, making it the complete solution for diving related services in the UAE. We are well known as one of the friendliest and busiest dive centers.

Our team of dedicated and professional instructors will ensure that you gain all the knowledge and experience required to be safe scuba diver. +971 55 1546477 scubatec@emirates.net.ae

Al Mahara Diving Center is a bespoke PADI5 star Instructor Development Dive Centerand Watersports Center based in Abu Dhabi. We’re passionate about what we do andready to take you to see the world in adifferent light. We offer a wide range of marine activities inthe safest manner including scuba diving, kayaking, swimming, traditional pearldiving and marine heritage courses. What are you waiting for? Book now! +971 50 1118125 www.divemahara.com info@divemahara.com

Seahawk Water Sports is a PADI certified center, associated with professional instructors teaching PADI courses from beginner to professional levels. We offer the ultimate diving adventure exploring unique sites and learning more about the diverse local aquatic life. We organize exciting dive trips on the East and West coast of the region. Get a lifetime diving certification and join us in exploring the wonders of Abu Dhabi and nearby destinations.

Tel: (+971) 2 6736688 www.sea-hawk.ae Facebook: shwsports Instagram: seahawk_ad

Emirates Divers Centre is a leading Marine Leisure & Diving Services Centre in Abu Dhabi. The centre is registered with PADI and certified as compliant with the ISO. We offer a complete range of PADI training courses, from the Bubble Maker Course up to qualified instructor courses. With additional courses such as Wreck Diving, Night Diving and Underwater Photography, we are able to train in all aspects related to scuba diving. We organise diving and snorkelling trips in Abu Dhabi, as well as overnight Musandam trips in Oman every month. +971 2 6974347 www.edc-ad.ae info@edc-ad.ae | edcdivers@gmail.com

7 Seas Divers is the UAE’s oldest dive center, having been established since 1994. It is located in the heart of Khorfakkan City, on the East Coast of the United Arab Emirates. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff provide excellent service to all customers and are dedicated to making sure that you enjoy the whole experience with us.

We are a registered PADI Dive Resort and are committed to preserving and protecting the marine environment and promoting marine conservation by ensuring that all divers follow safe and standard diving practices. +971 9 2387400 | 56 8924403 +971 50 8359757 | 55 6901690 www.7seasdivers.com info@7seasdivers.com

To all happy bubble makers, Adventure Divers operates diving and a range of other water sports activities in Dubai, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah and, of course, Fujairah. Diving in the UAE? Well Fujairah is definitely the best place, with its warm water, rich aquatic life and good visibility. At Adventure Divers we offer the full range of PADI dive courses, whether you want to further your dive education or try a dive for the first time by joining the Discover Scuba Diving course. +971 50 1264284 www.adventuredivers.ae diving@adventuresports.ae

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LOCATIONS

Family Camping

Adventure in Oman Words + Photos By: Lisa Whyte

Did you ever go camping as a child with your family? If so, you’re sure to recall the adventure of cooking your evening meal over a fire or gas stove, sleeping outside, listening to the night sounds through the thin walls of your temporary house and being close to nature.

Being British, I remember a lot of my camping days being full of the meditative sounds of rain on my tent. Mud and wellingtons featured a lot too, as I trudged my way to the outside toilets and showers hoping there would be hot water when I got there.

My South African husband remembers a different version. Warm, musky evenings, cooking over a braai (what’s new?) and then trying to decipher the night sounds with your imagination going wild, convincing you it’s the local lion.

Our daughter however, who is now eight years old, will remember her desert camping adventures in the Middle East; taking her bath in a kitchen washing up bowl, digging a hole to go to the toilet, climbing sand dunes, basking in the hot sun and listening to the ocean waves, or just the sound of silence.

Wadi Shab

Oman is one of my favourite camping locations, so here are some ideas to inspire you to try this trip with your family.

rocks, which opens up into a huge cave and waterfall. It’s quite a spectacular ending to what is an already breathtaking walk, and it’s definitely worth the swim if you have the energy.

Tip: Wear waterproof, stable shoes with a grip and take a waterproof rucksack with snacks and water.

Day 1

With the car packed and loaded to the brim, we took the five hour journey to Muscat via the Khatmat Malahah, Kalba border crossing. We had plans to camp the night at the Oman Dive Centre, which looked idyllic when we got there (a small, pretty bay with shower and toilet access for a small fee), but unfortunately this was closed for refurbishment, so we drove another 5km and camped on Yiti beach. The barren, rough, Hajar Mountains were the backdrop of a long vanilla beach, overlooking the blue, Indian Ocean — it made a great camping spot. We found a secluded area back from the ocean, as it can get quite busy, and camped in the bushes at the base of one of the mountains. We packed our first night’s dinner in a cool box from Dubai: chicken drum sticks over an open fire, with roasted garlic and olive oil vegetables, also cooked on foil over the fire.

Finns camping spot

We retraced our journey back 10km and camped on the small but amazing cliffs of Finns. Desolate and peaceful, this is a great place to cast your fishing rod for a couple of hours.

Tip: Always keep a head torch each, for use at night

Tip: Don’t forget the mosquito repellent.

Day 2

We planned to do the Wadi Shab hike, so after a 1.5hr drive down the coast and a stop at Lulu in Muscat beforehand to pick up ice and that evening’s dinner of sausages and hotdog rolls, we arrived at around 11:00 a.m. It took four hours to complete the round trip hike; our daughter is eight years old, so families with older children could potentially do it faster. On a scale of one to ten, the hike is about a five, and involves climbing boulders, crossing gentle waterfalls and streams and walking on uneven paths.

The scenery is breathtaking. When you have seen enough of huge, daunting mountains either side of you, there are frequent idyllic aqua green pools to jump in and cool off. At the end of Wadi Shab, there is a 15-minute swim to a small opening inbetween two

Bimmah Sink Hole

Day 3

The next morning, before we drove 1.5hrs to Ras Al Jinz, making the short journey to the Bimmah sinkhole. We spent some time swimming in this geological hole that is said to have formed as the limestone wore away into a vacuum in the earth. Some people say a large star falling from the sky hit the earth and formed the hole; I like to believe the latter!

In Ras Al Jinz we decided to camp at Al Naseem campsite. Although they have

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Historical Town of Sur

Day 4 Local fisherman in Ras Al Hadd

small, basic huts with air-conditioning for 500AED a night, they also allow you to pitch your tent and camp on their land. They include dinner, breakfast, a turtle guide, toilets and showers for 300AED. We decided to go out with a local fisherman in the afternoon to see if we could add to dinner with a catch of fresh fish. We arranged to meet him through the Manager of Al-Naseem camp and met him at the fishing port of Ras Al Hadd. We saw so many turtles swimming in the ocean, popping their old heads up for air, just like they are saying “hello” for a moment. It’s so quick that it’s hard to get a photo, but it’s a beautiful experience nevertheless. Our fisherman really knew the waters and we caught lots of small “Sheri” fish for dinner. Along with our catch, Al-Naseem camp serve up a dinner of chicken, salad, bread and dal. We had an early night, as the next morning warranted a 4:00 a.m. start to see if we could find any turtles.

We met the guide at the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve and started a long hard hike across the beach by moonlight. The guide ensured that expectations were set and that you Baby turtle in Ras Al Jinz “may not see any turtles". However, luck was with us and as the sun peeped up over the Indian Ocean, we watched a Mama (or it could have been a Papa) turtle, covering their eggs after laying up to 180 of them, which was a mesmerising and relaxing experience. The guide then spotted 4 baby turtles that had hatched a little further down the beach, and we watched them struggle their way to the sea, for the start of their own adventure.

Al Naseem camp sent us on our way with a hearty breakfast of eggs, bread and dal from the night before, as we backtracked to Sur to discover this historical city. We spent some time preparing for our camp that night and bought some fresh fish, ice to keep it chilled and vegetables for dinner. We then did a spot of fishing from the beach shore, with a wonderful view of the lighthouse,

decorative mosques and the old buildings of Sur along the waterfront. We found a lovely Arabic restaurant that served us freshly baked, warm Arabic bread with rice and a delicious chicken dish for lunch, which we savoured along with some cool mint lemonade, which was appreciated even more with the prospect of the hot desert ahead of us.

In the early afternoon, we set off on the 2hr journey inland from Sur to Wahiba Sands. After an hour of driving, into view came the mountains on our right and the dunes on our left. Reaching over 100ft high, the soft flour like, cool, orange sands of Wahiba are welcoming but mysterious, vast yet intimate. We nestled our tent at the base of a dune and settled in for our last night of cooking over a fire and star watching.

Tip: Wake up early and pack up your tent before the hot sun gets to you.

Day 5

The two hour journey back to Muscat is pretty straightforward, yet it makes a long day to add another five hours back to Dubai, so we added a two-night, much appreciated stay at a hotel onto the end of our trip.We also played Michael Jackson’s “Greatest Hits” during the road trip, but, of course, these two additions are totally optional.

Turtle covering eggs Ras Al Jinz

Wahiba Sands camping spot

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PRODUCTS A ROUND-UP OF QUALITY PRODUCTS AVAILABLE RIGHT HERE IN THE UAE

2XU ICE X Compression Tights

Aqualyte Solution (25g Sachet)

Available at Go Sport and Adventure HQ stores

Available at Adventure HQ, The Cycle House, Trek Al Qudra and Beyond Fitness in Me’aisem City Centre

495 AED

This summer, stay cool with 2XU’s ICE X Compression Tights featuring PWX fabric combined with a cooling Jade embedded yarn, helping combat the heat that can negatively affect your performance.

Naturally cooling to the touch, ICE X Compression will aid to reduce surface skin temperature, while powerful compression provides support to entire leg muscles to help prevent muscle soreness, fatigue and long-term overuse injuries.

Boost your performance with Aqualyte - a rapid hydration, ultra fast absorption solution and electrolyte supplement that is used by top international rugby, cricket and hockey teams worldwide.

This great tasting, highly effective solution is designed to prevent dehydration, heat illness and fatigue as well as improve productivity. Available in a convenient 25g sachet that makes 600ml of hydration solution, it is a must-have training essential, especially during these hot summer months, for all aspiring athletes and fitness junkies.

Garment features include: • PWX ICE fabric for cooling effect • Compression support for greater protection to abductor, glute, quad, hamstring and calf muscles • Graduated compression for improved blood circulation • 3.5cm wide flat waistband with drawstring • Flatlock comfort seams to reduce chafe • Moisture wicking fabric to keep you dry • Anti-bacterial to manage odour • UPF 50+ sun protection

Get your hands on this high performance hydration that comes in two tasty flavours, orange and lemon, keeping you cool and hydrated pre, during and post training.

Nathan Hydration Solutions

Polar Balance - Connected Smart Scale

From 65 AED

Available at Adventure HQ and Go Sport stores as well as Beyond Fitness in Me’aisem City Centre Did you know that dehydration can cause injuries, hurt your performance and affect your mood?

Hydration plays a vital role in your training programme and affects race day performance. In order to fuel, perform and recover efficiently, you need a hydration plan that includes pre, during, and post-run solutions. That’s why Nathan makes a full range of hydration products to cover any lifestyle, activity or distance. Their hydration gear is designed to perform in all conditions, every sip of the way. Whether you like to carry or wear your hydration solution, be sure to check out the full line of hydration packs, race vests, handhelds, belts, waist paks, and bottles Nathan has to offer.

Don’t let dehydration spoil your run. Fuel Smarter. Perform Better. Recover Faster. HYDRATE! #RunStronger #RunLonger

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5 AED

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Special introductory offer: 650 AED, includes a free Polar Loop 1 activity tracker (in black and while stocks last) Available at Virgin and Jumbo Electronics - The Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates and Beyond Fitness in Me’aisem City Centre Polar Balance is more than a smart scale. Hook it up with a Polar activity tracker and the free Polar Flow health and fitness app and make it simple to manage what you eat and how you exercise. It is a whole service to help make your weight management journey a happy and successful one.

Features include:

• ADVANCED ACTIVITY GOAL: Provides a personalised daily activity goal to help you reach your goal weight, automatically updated and displayed on the wrist unit.

• DESIGNED BEAUTIFULLY: Designed with everyday use in mind, the large display ensures that the digits are easily readable. With its beautiful splash-proof glass design, it will look good in your home, and help keep you motivated for a long time to come.

• MULTIPLE USERS: Weighs the whole family. The scale can be used by up to 10 different people.

• WEIGHT TREND: Follow your weight trends via the Polar Flow web service and app. Learn how your weight changes over time, and how your everyday actions and habits affect it.

• BODY MASS INDEX: Follow your body mass index (BMI) in the Polar Flow app. See your progress and get the motivation you need to effectively manage your weight.

• WIRELESS SYNC: Polar Balance scale connects wirelessly to your Polar device or mobile app with Bluetooth Smart.

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2XU Active Maternity Tights Words by: Samantha Cadwallader Photos by: Claire Harris, REP

Combining the best of its world-leading compression technology, 2XU have launched a new Active Maternity range designed to provide support, flexibility and protection to help women remain active, strong and comfortable during and post pregnancy. We enlisted the help of three expecting mums, as well as midwife and personal trainer Zoe Cresswell, to put them to the test.

Specially designed to provide extra support to areas subject to strain, including the lower back and pelvic floor muscles, 2XU’s range of shorts, full length and three quarter length compression tights will help women stay active, to best prepare their body for labour, birth and recovery. They also assist in reducing swelling during pregnancy, helping to boost energy and reduce overall discomfort.

Digital Project Manager Hannah Gilburt, 32, who enjoys CrossFit and Pilates, found the tights surprisingly comfortable and perfect for a 60-minute workout. ‘My legs

and hips actually felt supported. It’s quite difficult to find proper pregnancy fitness gear and it’s nice not to have to constantly pull up my trousers. They keep everything in place,’ she said.

Maureen Bismack, 30, an Assistant Psychologist who does boxing, Muay Thai, kettlebells and weight training, highly recommends keeping fit when pregnant as despite the numerous health benefits associated with exercising, it also helps her control her stress levels. Plus, she found it an excellent opportunity to create a support network, while promoting a healthy lifestyle for her children.

During the activity session it was the 2XU fabric that really stood out for her. ‘These tights were very comfortable and allowed me to move successfully without any difficulty. They look amazing and do wonders with your shape. As a result, you feel better about yourself and have more confidence. Although they are pricey, the tights are worth it!’ Maureen concluded.

Unlike Hannah and Maureen, Yoga Instructor and Event Manager MJ, 33, had never heard of 2XU. After having loved the initial 2XU tights experience, referring to them as a ‘second skin’, she wore them for a hot yoga session. ‘I did not feel restricted at all in any movements. They felt light even with all the sweat, and I did not feel like I was overheating even though I had the long tights on,’ she said.

While all our ladies raved about the 2XU active maternity tights and would definitely recommend them to other expecting mums, two of them found the waistband a little high and just rolled it down for a more comfortable fit. Everyone agreed that they looked and felt great and offered support, with ‘everything held in place’ when exercising. Now MJ can’t wait to get her hands on the post-natal range!

Do’s and Don’ts from Midwife and Personal Trainer Zoe Cresswell

Do: Ensure your fitness instructor knows you are pregnant and is trained to coach you during your pregnancy. Also, discuss your exercise regime with your doctor.

Do: Listen to your body and don’t exercise to exhaustion.

Do: Drink plenty of water.

Do: Stop all contact sports.

Do: Ensure that you are still able to hold a conversation while exercising. This ensures that you are not pushing yourself too hard.

Do: Stop typical abdominal exercises and seek advice from a pregnancy fitness specialist or physiotherapist about how to maintain a strong core.

Do: Wear two sports bras if you find your breasts are becoming uncomfortable while you are working out.

Do: Ensure you are eating a well-balanced diet and are consuming a sufficient amount of calories.

Do: Avoid activities that involve quick changes of direction, jumping or jarring movements that may strain your joints and cause injury.

Do: Keep your fitness instructor informed of any changes that occur during your pregnancy.

Do: Enjoy yourself! Starting good habits now is a great time to build towards a healthier future.

Don’t: Stop exercising when you find out you are pregnant.

Don’t: Lay on your back after 14 weeks or earlier if it makes you feel lightheaded.

Don’t: Exercise if you are experiencing any of the following: uterine contractions, reduced fetal movement, dizziness or feeling faint, bleeding, chest pain, muscle weakness, calf pain or swelling, headache, increased shortness of breath.

The 2XU Active Maternity range is available from Go Sport stores and Beyond Fitness at City Centre Me’aisem, near Sports City. Starting from 575 AED, the range includes pre- and post-natal active wear.

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PRODUCTS Yamaha Molecule Tube (3 person) Part# SBT-43873-72-14 3,195 AED | Was: 4,195 AED Available only at Al Yousuf Motors across the UAE Specification: The Yamaha Molecule incorporates HO Sphere Technology, which reduces the drag typical of larger towables. The spheres are arrayed at the corners and suspend the main deck, resulting in less surface area contacting the water, which means that the large Molecule is more lively.

Features: • Neoprene padding increases comfort.

• Boston valve for easy inflation/deflation.

• Quick-tow attachment.

• Inflated measurement: 113” x 97” • Accommodates up to 3 riders.

Jobe Sports – Ruthless Waverunner/Jetski Helmet Part# 370015001 | Sizes: MD-XL 395 AED | Was: 550 AED Let’s Ride PWC… Available only at Al Yousuf Motors across the UAE Specification: The updated Ruthless full-face helmet offers professional protection for Jet Ski and Personal Water Craft (PWC) riders Features: • Made of high-quality polycarbonate for maximum protection against high impacts • E-certification (This helmet is not officially certified as a water sports helmet) • Comfortable soft inner lining • Fit pads • Adjustable chin strap with double D-ring lock system • Adjustable sun visor • Includes soft protection bag for storage

* Offer is valid till 30th June 2016

MK25 EVO / A700 Carbon Black Tech 4,150 AED Available at all Scuba Marine Dealers The premium high-performance MK25 EVO/CARBON BLACK TECH is not only the best-breathing reg in SCUBAPRO’s line, it’s also the leader in advanced design and materials and the toughest in terms of high-tech durability.

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Suunto D6i Novo Stone 3,300 AED

Available at all Suunto authorised dealers in the UAE & GCC A robust dive computer with a 3D compass, wireless air integration and a steel casing Features: • Steel case and sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating • Full continuous decompression algorithm - Suunto RGBM • Gas-switching between up to three gases • Five modes: air, nitrox, gauge, free and off • Innovative apnea timer, and a timer in air/nitrox modes • Integrated tilt-compensated 3D digital compass • Updateable firmware • Optional wireless air integration – current cylinder pressure, remaining air time • Built-in dive planner • Detailed graphical logs and dive data on your PC/Mac using Suunto DM5 software

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Polaris RZR Racer ATV tour with mxDubai Words + Photos by: Daniel Birkhofer

If you’ve been living in the UAE for a few years, you’ll certainly get to a stage when you feel bored, having seemingly done all there is on offer.

If you are new or are here for a visit, you may be on the hunt for the best experiences you can get. So for all of you I have something new that involves adrenaline and a ‘big smile on your face’ guarantee.

I have been off-roading and dune bashing a lot. However, after 10 years in Dubai, I rarely get excited about heading for the dunes. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy it and it’s great fun, but enjoying something and getting excited about something are two different things. So when I knew I’d be trying out the Polaris RZR racer tours from mxDubai, I was keen to have some fun in the desert, but my excitement was limited. I have previously driven some rented ATVs, from those places at the side of the road. I thought, ‘ATV - the box is checked already.’ How wrong I was.

Polaris builds top models which of course are also the most expensive ones. Most other rental places just get low end or entry level ATVs, so this is the first big difference to mxDubai. An important detail is also the safety gear. Some outlets don’t even provide helmets, but most of them give you a very cheap helmet. I want to stress the importance of safety since all desert activities come with a risk that you cannot exclude but can however minimise. If you get no or poor equipment, it might be wise not to choose that company. mxDubai has only high quality and professional equipment. Also the other places are just rental outlets and not tour operators, whereas mxDubai offers guided tours, which is a completely different story. There is no one with a stop watch checking your time by the minute. mxDubai offers an experience, not a vehicle rental.

So these are all good facts. But the big question: is it fun? As mentioned before, I was not excited. I went to the briefing and instructions — Safety is important for MX Dubai and every ride starts with a briefing of safety rules

and detailed instructions how to drive and what to avoid. The ATVs are equipped with 6-point racing seat belts for the highest safety standards and the team makes sure, you are strapped in properly since most clients are not familiar with professional racing seat belts which have a different locking mechanism.

The feeling was like being in a race car, and slowly I could feel something in my stomach. There was a small tickle. We started the engines and went through the gate of the farm, and I pushed the accelerator. Now I could feel it. It was not the roaring engine, it was my body vibrating, and I got goose bumps. I was excited and adrenaline started rushing through my veins within seconds. No one could see it because of my helmet, but I had a big smile on my face. This was new and different. The Polaris is made for this; incredible acceleration on the sand and an amazing suspension.

We took the same track I took to reach the farm off-road through the dunes. Since it was a desert track, it was super bumpy in the car and I was driving maybe 30-40kmh.

With the Polaris, I could reach 60-70kmh on the sand.

Driving in 4WD, the ATV was stable and very manoeuvrable. I have driven a lot in the sand with cars and also ATVs and quad bikes, so I have a feeling for the sand.

I recommend that anyone going for the first time takes it easy and slowly. Anyhow, your instructor will adjust to your level whether you’re a beginner or a pro, and will set the pace. I have to admit, the Polaris are so fast on the sand that you have to be very careful, as you can quickly enter into a tunnel vision and not recognise what is happening around you. Since the engines are roaring, you will not hear a thing. Keeping an overview can be quite hard,as the racing seat belts strap you so tight in the seat that you can hardly look back over your shoulder.

One more very important aspect is that you can do these tours in summer. When we

arrived at 4:00 p.m. it was 40°C, but getting ready was the hottest part of the tour because as soon as you move, you have the wind cooling you and there was no point during the extended tour of 4 hours when I felt too hot.

All ATVs have LED lights, so you can drive in the dark, which is an amazing experience in itself.

After four hours I still had not had enough, even though I ate a lot of dust. Finally, I had found something which excited me again.

When I got home, I messaged photos to my two brothers in my home country and told them what’s waiting for them on their next visits. Entertaining family and friends can be a challenge if you have visitors coming regularly, so now you know what you can offer them next time.

Of course one thing everyone wants to know is how much it costs. Since there are different tours, I cannot give a price, but the price value is much better than if you opt for the rental places on the road. If you calculate the price per hour, mxDubai is much cheaper and you get a real experience for a few hundred dirhams. Since the ATVs are two seaters, you can even take someone with you and share the ride. mxDubai provides off-road motorbike rental, buggy rental, quad bikes rental and Jet Skis for rent in Dubai.

For more info you can visit mxDubai.com or contact them at +971 55 209 0832 or info@mxDubai.com

Arabic Edition The prestigious Lum-Tec M53 comes with a wide range of features, which as well as a bespoke style certainly rounds up a very exotic look. Not only this, but the M53 can also be used outdoors with its luminous dials.

For a limited time only, get the Lum-Tec M53 with an Arabic dial, perfect for exploring the great deserts of the UAE.

Specifications: • 44mm width excluding crown • 24mm lug width • 14.5mm thick • Weight on leather strap 150g/5.3 oz.

• Solid CuSn8 bronze case and crown • Brushed finish • Sapphire crystal with double side clear anti-reflective coating • Screw lock crown with double diamond sealing system • Threaded stainless steel caseback with sapphire window • 300 meters/990 ft. water resistance • 2 straps included: Brown leather strap. 24/22 size Custom molded anti-static rubber strap.

24/22 size • Extra springbars included for fitting other straps • Precision tuned all Japan made Sii NH35J automatic movement with hacking feature.

• One year limited warranty • Limited numbered series of 300 • Free lifetime timing adjustments

Available at Instagram: @almekshah Facebook: www.facebook.com/ almekshah Mobile: +971 55 8008829

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Suunto Zoop Novo

An easy-to-use, nitrox-capable dive computer for recreational divers Words By: Jake Lyle

Long before space travel, the ocean was the first hostile environment that we humans ventured into. As far back as the late 17th century, we strapped on helmets and headed under the ocean.

This unprecedented exploration however would not have been possible without the equipment that allowed us to breathe underwater and keep us safe. It’s equipment like the Suunto Zoop Novo that makes diving the fun, exciting and safe sport that it is.

The Suunto Zoop Novo dive computer is a perfect example of a dive watch that will enhance your time underwater and make your whole diving experience safer, and more enjoyable. The Zoop Novo has a simple and user-friendly interface with well laid out indicators and measurements. The large screen displays bold figures, allowing the details to be read easily at a quick glance, which is perfect for if you want to pay close attention to the underwater world around you, rather than having to focus closely on the details of your computer. The navigation of the watch is simple and easy, again allowing for efficiency, letting you concentrate on your dive, rather than the screen on your wrist. The simple interface and easy navigation makes the computer perfect for an entry level diver, and the more advanced features allow you to progress as a diver without needing to upgrade computers.

The watch has four different modes, as well as an ‘off’ mode. The first is air mode. This is the default setting for a normal dive with normal air. Within this mode, as well as the rest, there is a range of settings included that you can adjust to enhance your dive: personal/

altitude adjustment, depth alarm, dive time alarm, sample rate and deep stop rate. These are optional features that can be turned on or off depending on your preference.

The second mode is nitrox mode. This allows the computer to incorporate its algorithm into the enriched air mixture that you’re breathing. Here, you can enter in the oxygen percentage in the settings anywhere from 21% to 50%, and partial pressures from 17.4 psi 23.2 psi will be displayed. Once the settings from your enriched air have been entered, the computer will calculate your maximum operating depth.

In gauge mode, the third mode, the watch will display only depth and time, whereas the fourth mode is free mode, which is a unique feature that many dive watches do not possess. This mode is perfect for both snorkelling and freediving, as it will display information on your dive without penalising you for ascending too quickly and it will not record decompression information.

Another unique feature of the watch is the ability to make adjustments to your personal situation. This feature makes your dives safer by reducing the likelihood of being susceptible to Decompression sickness. If you were either in a location that would increase this likelihood, for example a high altitude location, this could be recorded into the computer and the calculations would be adjusted accordingly and it would tell you the safest length and depth of your dive. Similarly, if you were in a certain physical state that also could increase the likelihood of decompression sickness, for example: fatigue, dehydration, over exertion or a lack of physical fitness – this too could be recorded in the computer and the calculations would be altered. This is a fantastic and unique feature that brings a whole new dimension to diving safety.

The Zoop will automatically record your dive history, including every last detail. The capacity of the watch is roughly 140 hours, so it will certainly take a while to fill up the memory. If storage on the watch isn’t quite enough for more frequent divers, the Zoop is PC compatible, and you can upload your dive

history onto a PC or Mac with the USB kit.

With the help of the Suunto Zoop Novo, safety stops and deep stops have become easy. For any dive below 10 meters, the watch will immediately display safety stop information, which will either include an optional stop or a mandatory stop. The recommended safety stop should be for 3 minutes at a depth anywhere between 3-6 meters. But instead of having to hold onto the anchor line to make sure you’re at the right depth, having the Zoop tell you will make it much easier.

If activated, a deep stop will be displayed on the screen for any dive below 20 meters, which makes for good diving practice.

Although one of the draws of this dive watch is its simplicity, it is however lacking a few advanced features that would allow it to be perfect for dive instructors as well as beginners. The watch does not have the option for air integration. This means that it does not have a feature that allows you to measure the amount of air you have left in your tank.

Instead, this will need to be done through an additional external pressure gauge, in order to monitor your supply. This feature is more prominent in higher range dive computers, which increases the ease and efficiency of dives.

Overall, the Suunto Zoop Novo dive watch is a fantastic watch that can serve the purposes of a range of different levels of divers from beginner to advanced. It has a number of unique and useful features that aren’t present in many other dive computers out there – including its free diving mode and the option to make personal and altitudinal adjustments. It’s a modern and innovative dive computer, but at the same time it is easy to learn how to use and it won’t take long to get your head around it. Although the simplicity of the watch sacrifices a few advanced features, it is nonetheless still a viable option for a diverse range of divers, so if you’re in the market for your first dive computer or you’re simply looking around for an update, I highly recommend it.

The Suunto Zoop Novo is available in all Suunto authorised dealers in the UAE & GCC for only 1,100 AED. For more info you can visit www.suunto.com

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PRODUCTS SIC Recon 9.9 TW

SIC Adjustable Glide Paddle

Available exclusively at GO Sport

Available exclusively at GO Sport

Features: • This fun-shaped, surf-style board, receives amazing reviews every time someone takes it into the line-up.

• Whether paddling through the shore break, standing outside waiting for your wave or dropping in, the Recon 9.9 does it with style and ease.

• It performs well down the line on smaller waves due to its full nose and turns well on mid to large size waves as a result of its squash tail.

• This is a perfect all-round surfboard for light-to-mid-weight surfers.

• Perfect all round SUP. • At home in the surf or on the lake.

• Extremely strong and responsive.

The adjustable glide is the perfect entry-level paddle for everyone from a small child to a tall adult.

It has a strong but light fiberglass shaft for a good look and feel and a fibreglass blade and handle for maximum durability and low cost. This is the perfect paddle for your friends to try SUP.

SIC Air-Glide X-12.6

YAK Kallista Life Jacket

Available exclusively at GO Sport

Available exclusively at GO Sport

Features: • Inflatable • This touring / fitness / race board is perfect for family fun, fitness and for competing in the 12’6” inflatable race class. The X-12.6 Air-Glide is the stiffest board in its class at 20 PSI. • While this board is a great recreational fun board, it is also the fastest race board in its class.

• The low drag fin makes this board fast.

• The board is kitted with all the standard accessories offered in the SIC Air-Glide series perhaps most importantly is the dual action, high pressure pump.

• SUP designed for racing • Quick set-up and breakdown

The front zipped Kallista provides everything the keen recreational paddler needs.

4,365 AED/QAR

4,725 AED

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835 AED/QAR

Features: • Perfect entry level paddle • Adjustable length • Strong fiberglass construction

295 AED/QAR

Features: • Slim line • High mobility cut • Wealth of pockets and attachment points • Reflective detailing Suitable for Kayaking and Stand-Up Paddle boarding and any other watersports.

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This May we had the chance to follow the path of Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab army, marching to Aqaba through the picturesque Wadi Rum and passing the famous seven pillars of wisdom.

Wadi Rum, 1916

Emir Faisal and T.E. Lawrence in a Model T

One hundred years ago in today’s Jordan, T.E. Lawrence led a grueling, two-month march through a desert many believed to be impassable to capture the Red Sea city of Aqaba. Even then, Ford vehicles navigated the desert terrain. Archive footage shows Lawrence driving a Ford Model T throughout the region.

Fast forward one century, and we are retracing the steps of the march of Aqaba with the all new Ford Edge, to establish whether Ford’s slogan - “Build Tough” - applies also in today’s age and to a cross-over SUV. The original crossover utility vehicle from Ford is loaded with more technology, higher levels of craftsmanship and greatly improved vehicle dynamics. The 2016 Ford Edge is a better vehicle by every measure.

Central to the improved driving dynamics is an entirely new body structure and redesigned suspension – front and rear – developed specifically to better isolate road imperfections and to absorb noise

without compromising handling.On the long stretch of highway with many bumps and humps, we had a smooth ride with no rattling noises. Even off-road, the suspension proved to be capable of handling rocks and soft dunes.

Edge represents the first Ford vehicle to feature standard EcoBoost power, meaning you get more horse power and torque out of a smaller engine, which saves fuel and is in turn better for the environment, as well as saving you money at the petrol station.

We were driving the 2.7-liter EcoBoost with approximately 340 PS and 542 Nm of torque, which provided enough power to tackle even big dunes. We were impressed as at first glance the Edge does not look as though it is capable of driving in the dunes.

Not many people will push the car that far, but it shows that you don’t have to be afraid to go off the road to the beach or desert BBQs. The 2016 Edge will be a technology leader for Ford, with a suite of standard and available technologies designed to improve the driving experience and the level of

occupant comfort. Key technology features include: adaptive cruise control and collision warning, Blind Spot Information System, Cameras, cross-traffic alert, enhanced active park assist, forward and reverse sensing systems, hands-free liftgate, heated and cooled seats, table, lane-keeping system, side parking sensors, SYNC® with MyFord Touch, auto-park brake and much more.

Overall, we were impressed with the all new Ford Edge, not only for the comfortable and very quiet ride on the road, but also for the fun it can provide off-road. What took T.E Lawrence months, we did in style and comfort in one day. Jordan is an incredibly picturesque, safe and historic country to visit and to explore by car, especially if you also have the chance to leave the paved roads and go on an adventure.

For more details on the new range of SUV and 4x4 models by Ford, visit your local dealer or www.me.ford.com

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> Reliable power measurement: for accurate training > ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart compatibility > Used by pros and researchers > An upgradeable system > A LOOK pedal, the brand's knowledge and experience > Quick installation and only 150g added > Lightest power pedal on the market

FORCE / POWER / CADENCE Force: the instantaneous thrust applied by the leg to the pedal expressed in Newtons (N)

KEO PEDAL TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS USE

COMPETITION

BODY

INJECTION-MOULDED CARBON

MEASUREMENT

CADENCE, POWER, FORCE

SPINDLE

STAINLESS STEEL,17-4PH

THREAD

9/16X20

BEARINGS

2 BALL BEARINGS, 1 NEEDLE BEARING

PLATFORM HEIGHT

17.5 MM

Q-FACTOR

55 +0.6 MM

MULTITENSOR

10 10 18

CLEATS

GREY KEO GRIP CLEATS

ANGULAR MOVEMENT

Oo, 4.5o OR 9o DEPENDING ON CLEAT TYPE (BLACK, GREY OR RED)

PEDAL WEIGHT

170 G

COLOUR

BLACK

WATERPROOFING

1PX7*

ACCESSORIES

ONE PAIR OF GREY KEO GRIP CLEATS HARDWARE

WARRANTY

2 YEARS

DUAL MODE RADIO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS WAIGHT

29 G

BATTERY TYPE

USB RECHARGEABLE

BATTERY LIFE

200H

WATERPROOFING

1PX7*

Total weight: 398 g per pair of pedals with radios 52

OUTDOORUAE

Power: force x cadence The power developed by the cyclist is expressed in Watts (W)

Cadence: the athlete's pedalling rate, expressed in revolutions per minute (RPM)

For more info, please call or email: +971 4 3697441 | Info@rcdxb.com Address: Revolution Cycles Dubai, Shop 5, Apex Atrium, Motor City, Dubai, UAE

T R&I E D

TESTED ODUC THIS PR

OV T IS APPR

TDOO ED BY OU

RUAE

A WaveRunner

for World Champions

A review of the 2016 Yamaha FZR from Al Yousuf Motors Words By: Daniel Birkhofer Photos By: Nela Macovei

It was a hot May morning at Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach, where I was waiting to get a WaveRunner introduction by a professional. It did not take long before I could see a small dot on the horizon which was approaching at speed.

Water was splashing and the big white wake behind the WaveRunner was clearly visible as it headed straight for us. Shortly before reaching the dedicated water sports area on the beach, the driver showed his skills and did some sharp high speed turns in front of us, followed by jumps over the waves. It was obvious that these tricks were executed by a pro, who turned out to be no other than Ali Mohammed Yousuf Al Lanjawi.

If you are looking for speed and an adrenaline rush on the water, the 2016 Yamaha FZR should be your first choice. Yamaha claims the FZR is race ready and this promise is delivered. With its lightweight hull and as the biggest in its class, the FZR has incredible acceleration and speed on the water.

The heart of the FZR is the intercooled and supercharged 4-cylinder 1812cc, 4-stroke, Super Vortex High Output Yamaha Marine Engine, which delivers its power to the water through a 160mm pump with a large 85mm exit diameter.

Ali gave me a quick run through of the FZR as well as some driving tips, highlighting the importance of using the kill-switch and wearing a lifejacket and a helmet before

getting on the water. He also pointed out that if you get a new WaveRunner, it has to be registered and licensed with the RTA before you can enjoy the Arabian Gulf. The FZR is certainly the right choice for a beginner, but should be handled with care until you gain safe driving skills. One thing is for certain: with an FZR you shouldn’t need to look for any upgrade.

Drivers should be aware of the immense power that they are unleashing when they push the throttle. In ideal water conditions, the FZR can take as little as 1.5 seconds to get from 0-to-50 km/h, and has top speeds of up to 120km/h. The hull handles this speed and power precisely and accurately, cutting through the water like a sharp Samurai sword despite its weight of approximately 400kg.

To have full control of this powerful watercraft or to cruise in comfort, the telescopic handle bar can be adjusted in height to perfectly fit the pilot. Pro racers actually stand most of the time to be able to handle the WaveRunner at high speeds and to navigate sharp turns.

With the aim of performance, the FZR does not have all the options offered by other Yamaha WaveRunners, such as RiDE - Yamaha’s dual-throttle control system that enhances reversing. But there are some useful features, like the flip-down re-boarding step at the back and storage compartments for soft drinks as well as a water tight storage box under the seat for a towel or valuables.

It has manual reverse and a quick shift trim.

The FZR seats two people, so you can share the adrenaline rush and joy of a ride with friends or family. With 250 HP, the FZR is also strong enough to tow inflatables for even more water fun. It's easy to see why professionals like Ali Al Lanjawi trust the FZR WaveRunner to represent the UAE at international competitions. I had a lot of fun on the water and there was certainly adrenaline rushing through my veins, even though my driving was far below the speed and skills of Ali. A big thank you to Ali for sharing his experience and knowledge with us and we wish him the best for his competitions in Europe, where he is representing the UAE and Al Yousuf Motors.

For more details visit Al Yousuf Showrooms across the UAE or visit www.aym.ae.

OUR EXPERTS

Awesome to see water and greenery in the summertime

The famous jebel akhdar terraces

Jebel Akhdar in the Summer Words + Photos by: Marina Bruce

Summer weather is well and truly with us in the Gulf and camping, whether it be beach or desert, can get a little too hot. So what’s an adventurer to do? Our answer for the past two summers was to“head for the hills”, or should I say, the Omani mountain, Jebel Akhdar.

It is less than a five hour drive from Dubai/Abu Dhabi, making it a great destination for a weekend escape if you can free yourself from the shackles of work mid-afternoon on a Thursday. To get there, firstly make your way to the Mezyad/Hafeet Border crossing in Al Ain, and once clear of that it should take you around 3 hours to reach Nizwa, onetime capital of Oman and today the location of a huge Lulu Supermarket, which is your last chance to stock up on food and camping accessories before heading up the green mountain.

The road from Nizwa to the top of Jebel Akhdar is tarred and crash barriers line the drops all the way, but only 4 wheel drive vehicles are allowed to drive on it. Drivers encounter a police checkpoint (where they must register) early on the route, and it is at this point that 2WD vehicles are turned back. As you would expect, the road itself climbs and winds its way through some jaw dropping terrain, and there are parking Road has safety features built in

The whole area is a nature reserve

areas at the most spectacular viewpoints.

It is important to make sure that your car’s cooling system is in tip top condition, as the constant climbs require consistently high revs and it’s not unusual to see one or two broken down cars near the top.

On our very first visit to Jebel Akhdar we came across a “scenic park” and we have returned to camp here each year. Situated at an altitude of 2300 metres, it is a massive area which gives room for a few Many easy rocky tracks

groups to camp yet still retain privacy; head to the back of the site and do a little rock crawling along some very faint tracks to get away from everyone else. High up and away from large towns, on a clear night you can see thousands of stars appear in an inky black sky – and if you time your visit to coincide with the Perseid meteor shower in August then you are in for a treat!

So, apart from late night sky watching, what’s to do when you get there? First

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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Frog in a falaj

Massive amounts of fruit are grown here

thing, park somewhere scenic, step out of your car, and appreciate how cool it is!

While we are sweltering in 45-50C temperatures in the UAE, the mercury barely rises above 30C on the green mountain, and with temperatures of around 12-15C overnight you’ll want a campfire and will probably need to wear a jacket while you are sitting there enjoying it! You will unfortunately find lots of mosquitos in the area so don’t forget to pack a good insect repellent, ideally containing DEET. If you are a cyclist, then take your bike as there are many roads and tracks to explore.

If like me you are a casual walker, then there are several villages and oases to wander round and explore; there are also some treks over mountains and through wadis for those who are seeking more challenging walks.

My favourite walk is around the village of Al Ayn which is perched atop a cliff overlooking the famous Jebel Akhdar terraces. Cut into the hill many moons ago,

Walking along a falaj wall

Villagers grow their crops where they can

the villagers grow a diverse range of crops; Omani rosewater is famous throughout the region and it is in these terraces that the roses grow in early spring, ready for a May/ June harvest. Fruit and vegetables can also be found both on the terraces and in small oases such as the one beyond the village of Saiq; this is my second favourite walk in the area and you can see pomegranates, sweetcorn and apricots as well as a host of other produce competing for space in the small fruit farms. Add a few sleepy cats, a variety of birds and the odd amphibian and you have the perfect setting for some nature photography.

The offroad driver is well catered for too, with many mountain roads and tracks to explore. These can be found on the free map that is available at the border. Some tracks are very challenging to drive and most are not for the vertiginous, however if you make the effort to get far off the beaten track you will be rewarded with the sight of old houses built into hillsides, ancient

villages in seemingly inhospitable territory and some amazing views.

If camping is not your thing, then you could consider hotel accommodation; there are a few hotels of different grades to choose from and you can find them all listed on booking.com. Spread your budget a little further by choosing to camp but eating out at a hotel – the terraces at both the Sahab and the Alalia enjoy stunning views.

Now, what about Ramadan, I hear you ask? Neil and I visited there mid-Ramadan in July 2014 and we have to report that it was almost deserted! It is unlikely that hotels will be serving food during the day, but if you self-cater there are many secluded places to sit and eat your snacks, well away from those who are fasting.

If you would like my route file you will find it, as well as the co-ordinates of services and other interesting places by logging onto this blogpost - http://thedesertdiva. com/2014/07/13/jebel-akhdar-in-thesummer/

View of Al Ayn Village

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OUR EXPERTS

Women

n Wheels

Lessons from Pro Cycling Words by: Helle Bachofen von Echt Photos by: Annette McCusker

Don’t you just love kicking back on the couch and watching Tour de France or other road cycling events? It is just so easy, always a pleasure and quite often also exhilarating to watch those pro riders conquer mountains and pushing their max power in the final sprint! But in reality, most people don’t know, and they will never know, what it really takes to be a pro cyclist.

Last November, I was given an incredible opportunity to race with a Canadian pro team in California as their guest rider.

My training with the team coach between November and April consisted of structured intervals to improve my anaerobic capacity.

Then, last month I jumped on one of the world’s longest flights from Dubai to Los Angeles to join Canadian Pro team SAS-Macogep-Mazda-Acquisiofor eight stage races in California. I left the UAE with a mixed bag

of butterflies, self-doubt, excitement and nerves. I knew that for me personally it was going to be the toughest race experience in my short 2.5 years of competitive cycling; but apart from that I didn’t really know what to expect, and I arrived in California with an open mind and a desire to learn as much as possible.

The events I had been invited to participate in were the San Dimas three day stage race, and the famous and longest continuous running stage race in American professional racing, the Redlands Bicycle Classics.

This is a five day stage race, attracting top US pro teams and riders such as 2x Olympic gold medallist, 43 year old Kristin Armstrong, and one of the world’s best female climbers, Mara Abbott, who is currently contracted to world team Wiggle High5.The races included rider categories of Pro, Cat 1 and Cat 2, and most riders were racing as part of a team.

Lesson #1 – Physical Strength

These women are incredibly strong; and by that I am talking about actual power output measured in watts. To give you just a small idea of the strength difference between myself, a UAE Elite female rider, and the women at these races; during an uphill indi-

vidual time trial, I set a new personal record for 20 minutes max power output, and at 64kg I placed 78th of 81 riders in total. This was an individual effort directly measured in power to weight ratio and it gave me an incredible introduction to the strength levels that were going to be required in this form of racing.

Lesson #2 – Skills

Strength is important, because without strength it is not possible to race in a bunch with these athletes. However, I quickly learnt that being skilled at bike racing is equally as important to being physically strong.

• Positioning skills In a field of 80+ strong female riders all fighting to position themselves towards the front of the peloton, it takes quite some skill and confidence to manoeuvre oneself around the tight field. Moreover, itcan be a matter of make-or-break.Riders who can position themselves well by sitting on a strong wheel, sheltering from the wind and placingthemselves near the front, can save a lot of energy. They will be at less risk of suddenly finding themselves in a position behind a rider gap that they need to close,and ultimately they will save their energy for later situations whenthey need to use their strength.

• Bike handling skills Equally, sitting in a tight and fast peloton on often technical routes with narrow roads, uneven road surfaces, cones, bends and sharp corners, requires vital bike handling and control skills. Riders have to be alert at all times and ready to act quickly if another rider gets too close or if an obstaclesuddenly appears. Choosing the correct line, speed and distance to other riders through corners is another required skill. Finally, handling and controlling the bike and body position while moving around a fast moving peloton is a skill that needs to be developed through practice. Braking, balancing and powering up again close to other riders are skills that every rider will use numerous times during a race.

• Anticipation and making micro-decisions In California we raced on much more technical, undulating and hilly terrains than our average races in the Middle East. In such

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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terrains it is important to look forward and anticipate how the group is likely to move. If a move comes as a surprise and one’s reaction is too slow, it can cost a lot of energy to fight back into the group. These little anticipated decisions along the way can save a rider valuable energy.

• Touching other riders This is something that cannot be avoided in a tight and fast peloton with riders constantly surging towards the front. It is very important to be strong and confident on the bike and be able to take a touch, hit or push without losing control of the bike. Core control and good balance is needed to hold the position when being touched and it is important to find this control immediately as any sudden moves can result in hitting other riders and potentially cause a crash.

Lesson #3 – Mental Toughness

Bike racing at this level is tough for all riders – suffering is part of the sport. It all comes down to who has the best ability to master their pain and fatigue. For many riders there comes a time or a situation during a race where muscle fatigue or breathing difficulty becomes unbearable. The riders who succeed are the ones who have the mental and physical ability to push through this fatigue over and over. And often enough it is only a matter of seconds rather than minutes where the deeper levels are required to secure animproved position in the field.

Lesson #4 – Team Spirit

In any sport, a teamworks towards the same goal. However in cycling this goal might change from day to day. Sometimes riders have to sacrifice themselves for the success of other team riders or the success of the team. Every day new tactics are made according to the race profile, the ability of individual riders, the overall rankings and the anticipation of how other teams willapproach the race.Most importantly, all riders and team staff are excited to be part of the team, excited to be competing andwholeheartedly embraceeach challenge however tough it may be. Everyone is on the same page with training, recovery and nutrition and everyone has their own story as to how they reached pro level. Some have more

experience than others, but ultimately everyone has exceptional drive, bags of determination and a real desire to succeed for themselves and for the team. It was truly inspiring, but also very easy to spend 24/7 with these people as everybody was supportive of each other’s differentabilities within the unity of working towards the same goal.

and to represent female cyclists from this region. It will take time, effort and support and it will be a developing process, but it is possible.

If you are interested in women’s professional cycling, the most important stage race in the Women’s World Tour, the 27th edition of the Giro Rosa runs from 1st till 10th July 2016.

How can we improve our female cyclists and lift the competitive level in the Middle East?

Based on this US pro cycling experience, which was only a snapshot into the world of Pro female cycling, these are some of the points I believe are necessary to develop competitive female cyclists in our region: Time - We need time. Cycling is still relatively new in the Middle East and although cycling is booming and more people are taking up cycling, we still need time to allow for initiatives to be implemented and formore people, includingyouths and females, to be attracted into the sport.

Youth Development Programmes - It takes years of practise and experience to become a top performing athlete and it is necessary to create a structured, safe and supportive environment for youths, with the right tools and practices in place to help young people to progress and advance in the sport.

Increase the number of competitions Practising provides experience. We need to practise to gain confidence, tostrengthen the teams and riders and allow for different tactics to be tried and tested. For every competition there is something new to learn for all. Competitions including individual time trials, criterions and circuit races can be organised at low cost.

Build our first female continental team - It will take time to develop the riders and the success of the team, but we have to start somewhere. It will require financial support and sponsors to enable the team to travel outside the Middle East to gain experience

Helle Bachofen von Echt is a Dubai-based sponsored Elite Road Cyclist competing in both local and international events. When she is not training, she is helping others achieve their health and fitness goals by running her own personal training services as well as giving indoor cycling classes.

Helle loves travelling with her bike and you can follow her adventures and racing on Instagram @thegirlwhocyclesinthedesert.

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

OUR EXPERTS

One of the kayaks I am looking at, the RTM Tempo. It's a modified version of the legendary Ocean Kayaks Scupper Pro

Wanted: Words + Photos by: Kit Belen

Living in a place as dynamic as Dubai, where access to fishing technology is also growing at a fast pace, we tend to acquire things that we don’t really need or use.

Speaking as a self confessed tackle hoarder, I can tell you that from my experience over the years, my gear collection has grown to rival the stuff I have back home in the Philippines. The biggest problem is storage; I have access to more storage back home than I do here in Dubai. This is always an issue especially when you deal with something as big as a kayak.

After playing around with a few kayaks, including the best kayak Hobie has to offer, I was convinced that the next watercraft I would buy would be a boat with the portability of the kayak, but one with a motor.

This led me to the Portabote.

Redbird is great, it's just that there are too many parts to deal with

58

OUTDOORUAE

It worked exactly how I wanted it to, however, it was still too cumbersome. There are lots of parts to assemble, and it’s very heavy, making a one man launch a mission on its own. Add to that the addition of a motor that gives you range and gets you there faster, but is another heavy object to carry back to the trailer and load - something you don’t look forward to when you are tired.

This year, I have opted to make things simple and go back to a paddle kayak.

Most of the spots I want to fish are not that far, but you do need a boat to get there. A paddle kayak gets you there and gets you fishing fast. I have yet to choose one and will write about my choice down the line explaining why I chose it. I can say, however, that after trying out a few kayaks I know exactly what I am looking for and I’m basing my decision on which brand and model to go with. The search is halfway done with a couple of models from different manufacturers filling up the list.

Fishing doesn’t have to be complicated, and I remember with the paddle kayaks, I just used to unload the kayak from the roof rack (no trailers!), strap on the seat, put my rods in the rod holders, put in the crate with the extra fishing tackle and away I went – the whole operation took less than 10 minutes! With Redbird (Hobie Mirage Adventure Island) it takes me an average of 25 minutes to get things going.My fishing buddies would be halfway to the fishing spot by the time I was done. Granted, with Redbird I got to the spot first, especially with a good wind blowing, but it still meant that I would have to spend a bit more time disassembling when the trip was done.

Having all the gear doesn’t mean you catch bigger fish, it just means you have a lot of gear. This also means that you are limiting yourself by having too many attachments

Days gone by - fishing was simple with just plain paddle kayaks

to get into places that you would otherwise feel comfortable getting inside of with a simple kayak rig.

So hopefully in the next article, I will be able to show you what I went with and why – it will be a very interesting year ahead.

Tight lines,

Kit

I had a few choices before, but am looking forward to starting afresh

Our fishing pro who shares his experiences and expertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column. thefishingkit@gmail.com

PEOPLE

Age: 30 Nationality: Lebanese Occupation: Freelancer, Experiential Marketing & Events Interview by: Bandana Jain

What kind of outdoor activities are you into?

Hiking, trekking, mountaineering, rock climbing, caving, canyoneering and diving.

How many years you have been trekking, and what inspired you to start?

I have trekked my entire life. It was a lifestyle I grew up with, having lived in the mountains.

The curiosity to explore my surroundings came naturally to me, and it was here I found my true calling.

Which treks have you undertaken in the UAE and Oman?

I do not usually follow known tracks, as I like to explore the unbeaten path. Most of the hiking that I have done is in areas that are unknown to many. However, I have done the famous Stairway to Heaven in the UAE, Jabal Shams and Jabal Akhdar, amongst others.

How is trekking different in this part of the world compared to your treks elsewhere?

Well, the terrain in this region is generallyrougher and harder, due to the nature of the rock type and formation, and of course the weather plays a major element to distinguish this region from other places around the world.

I stress the weather because it is often taken lightly by many outdoor goers. People should be prepared by taking enough water and also by avoiding trekking in the rain.

Once you have lived in this region for a certain amount of time, it becomes a no brainer to stay hydrated, but that is not the only risk we face. The risk of rain, which causes flash floods and also rock-falls, can put any hiker, regardless of their experience level, into a serious situation.

What level of difficulties have you encountered when trekking?

Labeling treks is subjective to each trekker’s experience and approach. I have done treks that required climbing skills, whilst others are very exposed and someare rather steep.

Each one of these treks requires a different type of preparation; some require technical preparation, while others require a high level of fitness and some demand the right mentality. Some treks, of course, are simply a walk in the mountains…

What has been your favourite/most memorable trek to date?

Stairway to Heaven is my favorite route in the UAE and JabalKawr is my favorite route in Oman.

Canyoning is another outdoor sport that you practice. Where have you been canyoning in the UAE and Oman?

There are a few non-technical canyons in UAE that I have been to, such asHatta Pools and WadiShawka. I have also ventured into a few dozen canyons in Oman, such as the famous Snake Gorge (known as Snake Canyon), WadiShaab, the Long WadiTiwi Canyon and many others.

What kind of physical training do you do in preparation for your treks?

Running helps a lot, and so does stair climbing in the high rises of Dubai. In order to train harder, I often wear a weighted vest during my runs or stair climbs. Ialso do some crossfit.

Do you think that there are any specific skills required for trekking?

If yes, what are these?

• Navigation: This is one of the most important skills, which I believe everyone should know.

• Basic first aid skills: These come in handy especially when you are far from any medical help.

• Knowing what to pack and what to carry: The weight of your bag is very important. So one must know which essentials to pack.

• Choosing the right clothes and shoes to wear: This is a factor that plays an important role. Choosing the wrong shoes might result in damage to your feet.

• Understanding the terrain and the weather changes.

• Efficiency in maximising each step to exhaust less energy for endurance purposes.

• Basic survival skills: These will involve how to make a shelter in case of rain or in case you are forced to camp overnight.

• Risk assessment and analysis of an unexpected situation that has gone wrong: And of course, knowing how to get out of it with minimum damage. This is why people should never underestimate the outdoors and always be with experienced trekkers.

Any tips for fellow trekkers?

Know your limits and don’t challenge Mother Nature. Be safe out there and respect your surroundings. Enjoy the great outdoors and make sure to keep them clean.

Are you preparing for any treks in the near future?

I am training for my next challenge, where I will be part of a global expedition exploring the deepest cave of the world. The cave, named Krubera, is located in Abkhazia on a mountain called Arabika Massif in Georgia. It is the deepest explored cave in the world, to date. The lowest point of Krubera is located 2,196m deep into the earth’s surface and it stretches over 16km. These 16km are a mix of descents, ascents, narrow passages, tiny holes and sumps of water.

Any memorable incidents from your treks or hikes?

A lot! I will share the one relevant to this region, so that others can benefit from my experience. I got heat-stroke on one of the mountains in Oman during my second day of hiking. I had water with me, but my body kept rejecting the fluids. I remember the struggle getting back to safety was one of my biggest challenges, in which I almost gave up multiple times. However, I kept pushing one leg in front of the other until I reached safety, thanks to my friends who kept pushing me forward.The lesson is that no matter what your level of experience is and no matter how prepared you are, things can quickly escalate due to elements that are beyond your control.

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THE

OFF-ROADERS corner

Geraint's Defender 110 Double Cab Name: Geraint A Jones Nationality: British Occupation: Group Dynamic Positioning Director / Senior Principal Engineer at Aqualis Offshore Marine Consulting LLC, Abu Dhabi Ride: Land Rover Defender 110 Double Cab (2013)

In 2013, Geraint Jones's dream of owning a Land Rover Defender finally came true.

Read on to discover the modifications he has made, and to find out his future plans for the vehicle.

Tell us a little background story about the car...

I have wanted to own a Land Rover Defender for over 30 years, and in 2013 I was finally in a position where I could purchase one, and as such decided it had to be a new one. So in July I took delivery of a Land Rover Defender 110 Double Cab with the 2.2 TDCi engine.

Although it was a bog standard vehicle, it did not remain that way for long, and all of the modifications have been done with a view to the vehicle eventually ending up back in the UK and used for green laning, camping and touring the UK, Europe and North Africa. It is still a work in progress…

Could you tell us about the modifications that have been made, performance and cosmetic wise?

So far the modifications are as follows:

• Front Runner roof rack • LED light bars mounted under the roof rack • Full support frame over the pick up bed and back to the chassis to support the clam shell tent, fabricated by Saluki Motorsports, Dubai.

• Pick up bed completely covered in Rhino Liner for protection and fitted with an aluminium lockable lid for security reasons, again fabricated by Saluki Motorsports, Dubai • Front Runner draw system fitted to the pick up bed complete with 4 Cub storage boxes for all camping and recovery gear

• Built in Black Max III air compressor installed in the pick up bed above the driver’s side wheel arch • Built in water pump installed in the pick up bed above the driver’s side wheel arch • Two 20 litre Sceptre jerry cans for carrying water • Two 20 litre Sceptre jerry cans for carrying spare diesel (giving the vehicle a range of about 800km) • Britpart swing away spare wheel carry which allowed the relocation of the spare wheel out of the pick up bed, freeing up storage space • Britpart tubular winch bumper complete with swivel recovery points and Hi Lift jacking points • Britpart raised Air Intake • Warn XE9000 winch complete with plasma winch rope • Bling My Truck awning • Front Runner wing mounted table • LED lights all round (indicators, side lights, brake lights, reverse light and fog light) • Tune My Defender NAS rear bumper complete with Hi Lift jacking points • Front Runner Hi Lift jack mounts on swing away spare wheel carrier • Dual battery system with split charging and Exide yellow top batteries • Garmin Monterra GPS for off road navigation • iPad mini running Motion X HD for on and off road navigation • Huawei mobile WIFI hotspot with external antenna • ICOM dual band (VHF/UHF) radio • Five 12 voltpower outlets permanently supplied from second battery • 4 USB outlets permanently supplied from second battery • 500Watt inverter permanently supplied form second battery

Do you have something that you would consider to be a “special feature” of your car?

The idea has been to keep all of the modifications as subtle as possible, and not to change the original classic Defender looks. I also did not want to make modifications for the sake of it, so everything that has been done has been done for a purpose and with a use in mind.

Nothing on the vehicle is forthe ‘bling’ effect only; it’s a working vehicle after all.

What were your other options before you bought this car?

If I hadn’t bought a Defender then I would still have bought a Land Rover, but probably an LR4. Being a die hard Green Oval fan, no other alternative would have been considered!

How do you spend time with the car?

The vehicle is used for all sorts of activities such as camping, sweep team trailer duties for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, post marshal duties for the Emirates Desert Championship, kayaking, cycling, support vehicle for hiking and camping with the Abu Dhabi Scouts, support platform for photography, beach trips and the school run (although it tends to stand out a bit in the school car park!).

How often do you use your car?

The vehicle is my daily driver as well as all of the above. As my job takes me all over the UAE, based on the present mileage it has been averaging about 2100km a month and returning about 550km to a tank of fuel (about 7km per litre).

Modifications to come in the next twelve months are as follows:

• Replacement of all springs with standard Land Rover Springs and also adding ‘helper springs’ from a Defender 130 to the rear springs to aid with load carrying capabilities • Replacement of the shock absorbers with a twin set up on each corner, to keep the shocks cooler when being subjected to harsh terrain • Upgrade of the intercooler to a bigger Alisport one • Upgrade of the turbocharger to a hybrid one • Remapping of the ECU by Bowler in the UK • Remodelling of the pick up bed / draw layout for camping to allow the fridge to be relocated from the cabin to the pickup bed • Fitting of an Exmoor Trim canvas cover over the pick up bed

What 4x4 do you dream of owning?

I have the 4x4 I have always dreamt of owning. But if I had to choose another one then it would be a Land Rover 101 Forward Control.

The trouble is, the fuel economy on them is appauling!

Want your 4X4 to be the next feature?

It’s all simple! Just send us an email at editor@outdooruae.com with the subject “Off-Roaders Corner” and you and your car might just be the next one on this page!

Burpees 2

Diving Words By: Nicky Holland Photos By: Keith Pereña

Ever wanted to explore parts of the world that many people just don’t get to see? Try diving. When the sun is shining and the water gets warmer, take to the sea to explore the ocean. Diving is a great way to see nature on the sea bed and swim with creatures that you never even knew existed.

For all aspects of diving, you need to be fit, which is a different type of ‘fit’ to running a marathon. The main way to do this is to go swimming and get used to the water.

However, if you can’t swim, then the gym is a good place to start. I have chosen a series of exercises to help your general health and fitness, to enable you to dive. Remember, the better your body canutilise oxygen, the better your body will be at making oxygen last and dealing with muscle fatigue.

Burpees 3

3) Lat Pull down

To strengthen the big muscles in the back, such as the Latissimus Dorsi and Rhomboids, try the Lat Pull down. These muscles work to help you swim and tread water. Select a weight that you can lift for approximately 10 reps. Adjust the pads so that your knees fit under them then take hold of the bar with an over hand grip. Slide your knees under the pads and bring the bar down towards your chest. Always keep the bar infront of you so that you can see the movement and avoid straining your neck. Try to do 10 reps for three sets.

Burpees 1

Plank leg lift

5) Burpees vs Plank single leg lift

4) Core Plantar Flexion 1) Core bag lunge

For swimming and diving you need strong legs as they are used to propel you through the water. This exercise works one leg at a time. The easier option is to perform a body weight lunge, with no resistance. Once you feel this is comfortable, the harder option is to use some weighted resistance. I have used a core bag here but you can also use a barbell. Start standing with both feet together. Step one leg back and make sure your front leg thigh and back leg shin are parallel to the floor. Whilst keeping your balance in the lunge stance, bend your back knee and lower it to the floor. Push through the heel of your front foot and return to the lunge stance position. Repeat this for 10-15 reps on each leg and do this for three sets.

Imagine the swimming movement you need to kick your feet. When you are underwater, the flick of the ankle joint from Dorsi to Plantar flexion is enough to help you glide though the water. For this exercise, lie down on your front. Relax your upper body as it is just the legs that are working. It is really important to keep both legs straight and point your toes. This will contract the Gastronemius, also known as your calf muscle.

Flick your feet up and down in a straight leg kicking motion. This will help you strengthen your legs for when you are in the water and kick against resistance. Go as fast as you can with good form for 30 seconds. Repeat this for three sets.

The last exercise consists of two exercises back to back. The first is a burpee. From a standing position, jump down into a push up position, lower your chest to the floor, then push up, bend the knees and jump back to standing. Once you have done 10 reps of burpees, then you need to go into the second exercise which is a plank. The beginner option is to hold the plank, with your bum down and back straight, with both feet on the floor. The more advanced option is to lift one leg up into plantar flexion. This small adjustment will challenge your balance and work your core muscles harder as you try to hold that flat plank position. Work for 30 seconds and build up. If you are lifting one leg, then start 15 seconds lift for each side. Overall complete three sets.

Divers need a good VO2 Max so that their lung capacity is big enough to retain oxygen with a low amount of breaths. The best way to practice this would be to swim in the water and gradually dive to certain depths. However,these exercises will help you control your heart rate, your breathing and overall body strength, so that you are conditioned for diving, before you even set foot in the water.

2) Medicine ball push up

This is an advanced form of a push up. It will strengthen your chest and arms, mainly the Pectoralis Major and Triceps. Performing this exercise on a medicine ball will add instability and challenge you to maintain your balance throughout the movement. You may find you have one side stronger than the other, but it is important to complete the same amount of reps on each side. Start with one hand on the medicine ball and in the push up position. Lower your chest towards the floor, whilst keeping your hand on the ball. Aim for 10 reps on each side and complete three sets.

Nicky Holland Fitness Manager Fitness First Beach Park Plaza

TIPS & TRICKS

Educat ion Words + Photos by: Haydon Kerr

With Thursday 5th May being a school holiday for Al Isra W'al Miraj, the long weekend saw a group of young adventurers from Deira International School tackle a few more of the cool things to do around the UAE. A three day ‘Adventure Programme’ was put together for students to participate in a range of activities that catered for various abilities and skill levels. Professional instructors from the North Star Adventure Centre were employed to assist with supervision for the duration of the programme. Their staff are highly qualified and have a lot of experience when dealing with school groups. DIS have been using their adventure camps and staff for the past 11 years, and they make things super safe, fun and easy for teachers when taking learning beyond the classroom.

Day 1 of our ‘Adventure Programme’ included a full day of activities at the Umm Al Quwain Marine Club. Our large group was divided into fourteams for the different activities which included kayaking, giant foosball, zip line and banana boat rides, with a yummy lunch in between! Upon arrival at the Marine Club we were greeted with a briefing and escorted to our designated area to keep our bags and gear under their huge beachfront barasti. The weather was

perfect and the students were ready to get going! Kayakers spent time learning the basics of paddling before getting into their kayaks and navigating the beautifully calm waters off the beach. Playing games like tag and water polo really helped the students to become proficient paddlers before they moved on to their next activity; the banana boat ride. Those riding the inflatable banana towed behind the Marine Club boat came back with nothing less than a HUGE smile and plenty of belly laughs!

One of the other star attractions of the Umm Al Quwain Marine Club is the adrenaline fueled zip line where all are encouraged to give it a go. From around 12 meters high, children are placed in a harness and then fly down the line before throwing a ball into one of the goals for team points. Adding just a little bit of competition in to this challenge really helped to get the whole group cheering each other on and created a great atmosphere. Rounding off the activities on Day one was Giant Foosball. Taking the popular table top game and making it ‘life sized’ was a lot of fun.

Day twowas packed with more adventures and the morning session was spent at Jump Boxx in Uptown Mirdif. A special programme was set up to cater for our group and the staff were fantastic at keeping up the challenge and pace to ensure that there

was plenty of non-stop activity. Many adults would have a certain envy of the lack of fear some kids have when flinging themselves up into the air with such casualness. Our afternoon sessions were spent back at DIS where we had a Bubble Soccer tournament and pool party. We are lucky to have such facilities to be able to offer these types of indoor and outdoor activities as well as having a management team that supports and encourages kids to get involved with these sorts of outdoor education programmes.

Day three was a fun filled time at Dreamland Aqua Park. Often with fewer crowds and no long linesfor the rides, our group maximized the time to race, splash and play on all of the attractions the park has to offer.

Along with the rides and pools at Dreamland, there are also a number of animals to visit at the park. On days when teachers and parents aren’t supervising groups of kids, there’s also the added bonus of having a swim up bar available.

The success of any sort of camp or trip undertaken by kids is always measured by the sort of feedback provided by the kids themselves, and their parents. Judging by the positive reactions from this Long Weekend Programme, this won’t be our last and we will continue to find more adventures around the UAE to hopefully inspire others to get out amongst it and have a lot of fun!

Watch this space for more adventures and places to check out…..

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

UAE DIRECTORY General Sports Equipment Megastores

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, +971 43466824; The Beach on JBR, Dubai: +971 44304419; Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 24456995, www.adventurehq.ae Decathlon, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42839392, www.decathlon.com Go Sport, The Dubai Mall: +971 43253595; Abu Dhabi Mall: +971 26454595; Bawabat Al Sharq Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 25868240; Yas Mall: +971 25650812; MOE: +971 4395 8951, www.go-sport.com Peiniger BMT Est., CBD, Khalifa Street, Yateem Optician Bldg., Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26262332, www.peiniger.org Sun and Sand Sports, most shopping centres, +971 43599905; Online store: +971 43149001; Retail store: +971 43504400, http://en-ae.sssports.com

Adventure tours and desert safaris

Alpha Tours, P.O. Box 25718, 27th Floor, Burlington Tower, Business Bay, Dubai, +971 47019111, www.alphatoursdubai.com Dadabhai Travel, SR 1&2, GF, Gulf Towers, Oud Metha Rd. Dubai, +971 43885566, www.dadabhaitravel.ae Desert Rangers, P.O. Box 33501, Dubai UAE, +971 44569944 or 507035111 www.desertrangers.com Desert Road Tourism, Office 503, 5th Flr., Al Khor Plaza, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.desertroadtours.com Dreamdays, First Floor Rm. 107 Ibn Battuta Gate (Offices) Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai +971 44329392 or 44329393, www.dreamdays.ae Dream Explorer LLC, JLT, Dubai, P.O. Box 214576, +971 44563390 www.dreamexplorerdubai.com Dubai Relax Travel, P.O. Box 37459, National Towers: Churchill Tower Suite #614, Business Bay, Dubai, +971 528996307, www.dubairelaxtours.com Explorer Tours, Umm Ramool, Dubai, +971 42861991, www.explorertours.ae Gulf for Good, P.O. Box 506006, 1/F, Building 4, Dubai International Humanitarian City, Dubai, +971 43680222, www.gulf4good.org Gulf Ventures, Dnata Travel Centre, +971 44045880, www.gulfventures.com MMI Travel LLC, Mezzanine Floor, Dnata Travel Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 4 4045999, www.theemiratesgroup.com Net Group, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, +971 26794656, www.netgroupauh.com Oasis Palm Dubai, P.O. Box 181258 Dubai, Office 404, Royal Plaza Building Al Rigga Street, +971 42628889 or 42686826, www.opdubai.com Rahhalah, Shata Tower – 27th Floor, Office No. 2711, Media City, Dubai, +971 44472166, www.rahhalah.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Fishing, Camping, Kayaking, & Adventure Club, +971 5 04920860, mohammed.almahrouky@gmail.com

Air

Balloon Adventures Emirates, Office 123 Oasis Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43884044, www.ballooning.ae Dubai Paragliders, +971 552120155 or 552250193, www.microaviation.org Jazirah Aviation Club, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72446416 or 555531318, www.jac-uae.net Seawings, Dubai,+971 48070708, www.seawings.ae Skydive Dubai, The Palm: Al Seyahi St, Dubai Marina, +971 43778888, www.skydivedubai.ae

Boating & Sailing

Manufacturer Al Fajer Marine, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43235181, www.alfajermarine.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK border Musandam, +971 72682333 or 504873185, www.aljeerport.ae Al Shaali Marine, Ajman, +971 67436443, www.alshaalimarine.com Al Yousuf Industrial, LLC,

+971 4 3474111, www.aym.ae, yamboats@alyousuf.com Elite Pearl Charter, P.O. Box 214173, Saeed Tower 1, office #3102, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43889666, www.elitepearlcharter.com Gulf Craft, P.O. Box 666, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street, Ajman, +971 67406060, www.gulfcraftinc.com Distributors and Dealers Art Marine LLC, Al Quoz Industrial Area, Sheikh Zayed Road, 3rd Interchange +971 43388955, www.artmarine.ae or www.artmarinechandlery.com Azure Marine Dubai, +971 4 3706886, www.azuremarine.net Luxury Sea Boats, Showroom #8, The Curve Building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 4 3284629, www.luxuryseaboats.com Macky Marine LLC, Box 37594, Ground Floor, Marina Yatch Club, Office # 5, Dubai Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 505518317, www.mackymarine.com Nautilus Yachts, Sharjah, +971 553419494 or 503419494, www.nautilusyachts.com The Boat House, P.O. Box 71628, Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae UAEBoats4Sale, Dubai Marina, +971 42932465, 567001801, www.uaeboats4sale.com Western Marine, P.O. Box 52938, Sheikh Zayed Road, Knotika Marine Mall, Dubai, +971 44327870 Equipment Ali Khalifah Moh Al Fuqaei, Ground Floor, Tara Hotel Building, Abdul Nasser Square Street, Dubai, +971 42263220 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 or 553899995, www.bluewatersmarine.com Extreme Marine, Dubai Marina Branch, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Japan Marine / D1 Marine, WS # 110, Dubai Maritime City, +971 4 4426395 or 55 1666035, www.japanmarine.co Rineh Emirates Trading LLC, Al Quoz, Dubai, www.rinehemiratesme.com, +971 43391512 Repairs and Maintenance Extreme Marine, Jebel Ali Branch, Jebel Ali, Industrial Area, P.O. Box 97705, Dubai, +971 48830777, www.extrememarine-me.com Rineh Emirates, Sheikha Sana Warehouse 1, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, SNS Marine, Dubai Creek & Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 501405058, www.snsmarine.ae The Boat House, P.O. Box 71628, Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae Cruise Operators Al Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi,

+971 26665491 Al Marsa Travel & Tourism, P.O. Box 32261, Sharjah, UAE, +971 65441232; Dibba, Musandam, Oman, +968 26836550 Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek opposite the British Embassy, +971 48145553 Bristol Middle East, Marina Heights Tower, Dubai Marina – Marina Walk,Dubai, +971 4368 2480, www.bristol-middleeast.com Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Delma Industrial Supply and Marine Services, Al Bateen Jetty, Abu Dhabi, +971 26668153, www.delmamarine.net Eden Yachting, Dubai Marina, +971 43282930, 50 3716377, www.edenyachting.com Emirates Yatching, P.O. Box 8380, Dubai, +971 42826683 El Mundo, Dubai, +971 505517406, www.elmundodubai.com Four Star Travels and Tourism, Dubai, +971 561012599, www.4startravels.com 4 Yatch Chartering LLC, Toll Free: 800 YACHT (92248), Office #4, Dubai Marina Yatch Club, Dubai, www.4yachtchartering.ae Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Ghantoot Marina & Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 529933153, www.ghantootmarina.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 48706668, www.happydaysdubai.com LY Catamaran, Bur Dubai, +971 566506683, www.lycatamaran.com Marine Concept, P.O. Box 282586, Office 611, Al Barsha Business Centre, Dubai, +971 43958022, 559603030 www.marine-charter-concept.com Nautica1992, Habtoor Grand Beach Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection, Dubai Marina, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company - P.O. Box 73373, C/O Ali & Sons Real Estate LLC, Plot No. 29, Abu Dhabi – Al Ain Rd, Um Al Nar, Abu Dhabi, UAE - +971 25581889 www.noukhada.ae RAK Marine LLC, Ras Al Khaimah City Hilton Marina, +971 72066410, 504912696, 507682345 Sea Hunters Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental, Dubai Marina, +971 42951011 Smoke Dragon of London Yacht, Abu Dhabi International Marine & Sports Club, +971 507011958 or 504546617 Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084 The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com The Yellow Boats LLC, Dubai Marina Walk – opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina, 800892, www.theyellowboats.com Marinas Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Abu Dhabi, Breakwater, +971 26815566, www.adimsc.com Abu Dhabi Marina, Abu Dhabi, Tourist Club Area, +971 26440300 Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 72682333 or 504873185, www.aljeerport.ae Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760 or 42959477, www.cruiseindubai.com Dubai Creek Marina, Deira, Dubai, +971 43801234, www.dubaigolf.com Dubai International Marine Sports Club, Dubai Marina, +971 43995777, www.dimc.ae Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43627900, www.dubaimarinayachtclub.com Dubai Maritime City Harbour Marina, Dubai, +971 43455545 Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Dubai, +971 43941669, www.dosc.ae Emirates Palace Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 26907725 Fujairah International Marine Club, Fujairah, +971 92221166, www.fimc.ae Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Marina, Al Bateen, Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26666888, www.intercontinental.com Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 48145555 www.jebelali-international.com Pavilion Marina, Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, +971 44068800

Umm Al Quwaim Marine Sports Club, Umm Al Quwaim, +971 67666644, www.uaqmarineclub.com Dragon Boat Groups Dubai Dawn Patrol Dragon Boating, Dubai, +971 508795645, www.facebook.com/DubaiDawnPatrol Dubai Diggers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, pier next to 360, Dubai, +971 501547175, www.dubai-diggers.com UAE Dragon Boat Association, +971 507634008, www.dubaidragonboat.com

Camping & Hiking

Equipment Blingmytruck.com, +971 505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Gulf Camping, Dubai, UAE, +971 551222252 or 502550666, www.gulfcamping.com Jack Wolfskin, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Tresspass, 2nd floor above ice rink, The Dubai Mall, +971 43398801 Urban Peak, PO Box 9587, Office 502E, Ibn Battuta Gate Offices, Dubai, +971 44548805, www.urbanpeak.com Tour Operators Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959428, www.arabiatours.com Libra Travel & Tourism LLC, +971 43397700, www.facebook.com/ LibraTravelDubai Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 506595536, www.mountainhighme.com Sheesa Beach, Musandam, Dibba, +971 50336046, www.sheesabeach.com

Caving

Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com

Climbing

Equipment Adventure HQ, Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai Times Square Center, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, Dubai, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Jack Wolfskin, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi +971 24437802, www.jack-wolfskin.com Services Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 28137444, www.alshaheenme.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Dorell Sports Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, +971 43065061, www.climbingdubai.com E-Sports UAE, Dubai, +971 43697817, www.esportsuae.com The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com Information UAE Climbing, +971 506456491, www.uaeclimbing.com

Mountain Biking & Cycling

Equipment/Dealers Bikers JLT, Unit H6, Cluster H, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, UAE, +971 526221888 Cycle Sports, Shop No. 1, Al Waleed Bldg., Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 43415415, Fun Ride Sports, 301, 3rd floor, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi, Rm. 4, Mezzanine floor, C-13 Bldg., Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455838, www.funridesports.com Micah’s Bike Shop, Warehouse No.4 6th St. Al Quoz 3, Dubai, +971 43805228 Probike, Dubai, Al Barsha 1, +971 43255705, www.probike.ae Rage Shop, Al Ghurair Centre: +971 4294 8634; MOE: +971 43413388; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 24437617, Dubai Mall: +971 44341549, www.rage-shop.com

OUTDOORUAE

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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Revolution Cycles, Shop G05, Apex Atrium, Motor City, Dubai, +971 43697441, www.rcdxb.com Ride Bike Shop, Sheikh Zayed Road: +971 43395602; Mirdif City Centre: +971 42840038; Al Seef Village Mall, Abu Dhabi: +971 26337172, www.ridebikeshop.com Sportz Unlimited, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, + 971 43388644 or 43391333 Tamreen Sports LLC, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26222525, www.tamreensports.com The Cycle Hub, Motor City, Dubai, +971 505528872 or 44256555, www.thecyclehub.com Trek Bicycle Store, Seih Al Salam, Al Qudra Road, Dubai, +971 48327377; Shop #5, Reemas Building Al Quoz 1, Exit 46/47, Sheikh Zayed Road Dubai, +971 43211132 www.trekbikes.ae Trikke UPT, P.O. Box 53527, Dubai, + 971 43434499; P.O. Box 33869, Abu Dhabi, +971 26333377, www.trikkeme.net Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43394453, www.wbs.ae Operator Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae, info@adventure.ae Clubs Abu Dhabi Tri Club, www.abudhabitriclub.com Cycle Safe Dubai, Dubai Autodrome www.cyclechallenge.ae Dubai Roadsters, +971 43394453, www.dubairoadsters.com

Diving

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Blue Waters Marine, +971 43808616, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +971 26710017, www.gulfmarinesports.com Premiers for Equipment, Sheikh Zayed 1st. Road, Abu Dhabi, +971 26665226, www.premiers-uae.com Dive Shop.ae, Building #123, Street 26, Area 369, Al Quoz Industrial Area 4, Dubai, +971 43414940, www.diveshop.ae Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Diving Centres Al Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, +971 43422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam, +971 72682333, www.aljeerport.ae Al Mahara Dive Center, near Muroor St. across from main bus terminal,

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OUTDOORUAE

+971 26437377, info@divemahara.com, www.divemahara.com Arabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72226628 or 502428128 www.arabiandiver.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Coastal Technical Divers, glenn@coastaltechnicaldivers.com, www.coastaltechnicaldivers.com Deep Blue Sea Diving, International City, Dubai, +971 44308246, www.diveindubai.com Desert Islands, Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 28015454, www.divemahara.com Divers Down, +971 559888687, Dubai; Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +971 92370299, www.diversdownuae.com Emirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www.edc-ad.ae Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, +971 506130486 contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Freestyle Divers, Al Corniche Street, Dibba, Fujairah, +971 504514259, www.freestyledivers.me Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Neptune Diving, +971 504347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.com Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai, +971 44068828 Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Scuba UAE.com, +971 502053922, www.scubauae.com 7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +971 92387400, www.7seasdivers.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 506683430, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Clubs Atlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +971 44263000 Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.net Emirates Diving Association, Diving Village, Al Shindagha, Dubai, +971 43939390, www.emiratesdiving.com Filipino SCUBA Divers Club (FSDC), Dubai, UAE, +971 566952421, www.facebook.com/FSDCuae Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 507840830, www.bsac406.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390000, www.aym.ae/yamaha Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 or 553899995, www.bluewatersmarine.com Challenging Adventure, Wadi Al Bih Ras Al Khaimah, +971 561060798 or 44538386, contactus@challengingadventure.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Operators Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43926463, www.adventure.ae

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM 800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai +971 43467751, www.800sport.ae Flip Flop Arabia, +971 556881793, 501084010, www.flipfloparabia.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Highbury Trading FZE LLC, P.O. Box 16111, RAK Free Trade Zone Authority, Ras Al Khaima, +971 526799506, www.highburytrade.com Jack Wolfskin, Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Picnico General Trading, near Sharaf DG Metro Station, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43951113 Portable Shade UAE, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE, +971 508897125, www.portable-shade.net Sport in Life Distribution, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001 or 42896002, info@sportinlife.ae, www.sportinlife.ae Tresspass, The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink, +971 43398801

Horse Riding

Al Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujairah, +971 43422993 Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72432274, www.alhamramarina.com Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971 501118125, www.divemahara.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760 or 42959477, www.cruiseindubai.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing (Al Wasl Passenger Yachts and Boats Rental LLC), Airport Road, Al Owais Building, Dubai, +971 42394761, www.cruiseindubai.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +971 503366224 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi, +971 26594144 Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 507050433 or 506947764, www.seaworlddsf.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 48706668, 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26811900 Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica 1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 25581889, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, +971 504592259, www.oceanactive.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Soolyman Sport Fishing, Umm Suquiem, Fishing Port No. 2, Jumeirah Beach, +971 508866227, 508866228 or 503402379, www.soolymansportfishing.com Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084, www.summertimemarine.com Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 44327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Camping, Fishing & Kayaking Club, mohamed.almahrouky@gmail.com Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai, +971 554986280, www.dskc.hu

General Sports Equipment Distributors

Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha

Equipment Al Asifa Horse Equestrian Equipment & Requisites Trading P.O. Box 77282, AL Khawanij 1st , Dubai, +971 554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse LLC, Baniyas West, Near Empost Abu Dhabhi, +971 25866205, www.blackhorseuae.com Bonjour Equestrian Supplies, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Kho, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@bonjourequestrian.com, www.bonjourequestrian.com Cavalos Equine Care and Supplies, 16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +917 22222433, www.cavalosuae.com Emirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd., Dubai, +971 43437475, www.emirtahorse.com Equestrian Clubs/Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Al Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +971 42988408, www.alahliclub.info Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Al Jiyad Stables, Behind Dubai International Endurance City, Dubai, +971 505995866, info@aljiyad.com, www.aljiyad.com Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, equestrian.centre@alsahra.com Desert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971 503099770 or 501978888 Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +971 43238010, www.dubaipoloclub.com Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971 508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.com Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +971 43618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Golden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971 555528182 Hoofbeatz, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, +971 569424551, www.hoofbeatz.com Mushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, +971 42571256, www.mushrifec.com Rahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971 565066741, www.rahalranch.com Riding for the Disabled, Dubai, lessons@rdad.ae, www.rdad.ae, Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +971 65311188, www.serc.ae Racecourses Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Jebel Ali Racecourse, off the main Abu Dhabi - Dubai Highway (Sheikh Zayed road) beside the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, +971 43474914 Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, Al Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 43270000, www.meydan.ae Sharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311155, www.serc.ae

Jet Ski Dealers

Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 44426395, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Liberty Kawasaki, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Direct: +971 45019442, 45019412 or 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com

Book Your Test Drive

Call : 055-2385880

Motocross & ATV’s

Dealers Al Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971 68861161 or 507842020, www.albadayerrental.com Al Shaali Moto, Ras Al Khor, +971 43200009, www.alshaalimoto.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Golden Desert Motorcycles, P.O. Box 47912, E-44 Hatta road, Al Badayer Madam, Sharjah, +971 529484616 or 505 033 800 Just Gas It, Hatta Rd., Al Aweer, Dubai, UAE, +971 559031664, www.JustGasIt.net KTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +971 43468999, www.ktm.com Liberty Kawasaki, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Direct: +971 45019442, 45019412 or 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Motoventure, Hobbies Club, Al Awir, Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 555437392, www.motoventure.net mxDubai, Al Ain Road Dubai, +971 55 2090832, www.mxdubai.com Polaris UAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, Dubai, +971 42896100, M4, Sector 13, 10th Street, Mussafah Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 26441478, www.polarisuae.com Sebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com Equipment Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43395608, Sebsports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +971 44548388, www.2xwheeler.com

Motorcycling

Distributors and Dealers Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Rd., Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Ducati, Al Salam Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 24918593, www.ducati.ae Duseja General Trading Co. LLC, Warehouse No: B3, Alquoz Ind Area #3, Umm Suqeim Road next to Max Garage Diagonally opposite Lulu Hypermarket Al Barsha, +971 43476712, www.dusejamoto.com Harley-Davidson, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25540667, hd.auh@harley-davidson.ae, www.harley-davidson-abu-dhabi.com Liberty Kawasaki, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, Direct: +971 45019442, 45019412 or 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +971 42896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, Al Awir Road, Nr Oman Transport, +971 43330659, www.tristaruae.com Workshops and Services Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, +971 43678700,www.dubaiautodrome.com Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +971 67681166 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +971 44548388, www.alainraceway.com

| |

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, 800 YAS (927) or +971 26599800, www.yasmarinacircuit.com

Off-Road

Dealers Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 or 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com 4x4 Motors LLC, Shk. Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43384866, www.4x4motors.com Liberty Automobiles, Dubai, 800 5423789, www.libertyautos.com Repairs and Services AAA Service Centre, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 2858989, www.aaadubai.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 43469600, www.mebarauto.com Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43392449, www.offroad-zone.com Saluki Motorsport, Dubai, +971 43476939 www.salukimotorsport.com Equipment Advanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43307152, www.aev.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 or 505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Heartland UAE, Al Mafraq Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 569796524 or 506472447, www.heartlanduae.com

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 48321050, Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +971 42898060, www.yellowhat.ae Tour Operators Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43034888, www.arabian-adventures.com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.desertroadtours.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 4 2628832 or 4 2686826, www.opdubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ALMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971 507665522, www.almost4x4.com Dubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders.com JEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, suffian.omar@yahoo.com, www.jk-funclub.com ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

Running

Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.org Abu Dhabi Striders, admin@abudhabistriders.com, www.abudhabistriders.com Al Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971 504188978, alainroadrunners@yahoo.co.uk Mirdif Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.info Dubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Kitesurf Dubai, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqueim and Jumeirah 3 +971 505586190, www.kitesurfdubai.ae Picnico, Al Fairdooni Building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Near Sharaf DG Metro Station and Mall of Emirates, +971 43951113 Surf Dubai, Umm Suqeim, Dubai, +971 505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 564716180, www.surfshoparabia.com Surf School Arabia, +971 556010997, www.surfschoolarabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971 505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributors Kitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai, +971 504559098, www.kitepeople.ae

Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Operators Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Kite Surf School, Umm Suqeim Beach, Dubai, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Duco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971 508703427, www.ducomaritime.com Dukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971 507586992, www.dukite.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971 502547440, www.kitesurf.ae Kitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971 505441494, www.kitepro.ae Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Dubai, +971 507689226, www.shamalkitesurfing.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 43791998, www.surfschooluae.com Watercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +971 48876771, www.watercooleddubai.com Water Cooled, Watercooled Sports Services LLC, Hilton Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26395997, www.watercooleduae.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.com UAE SUP and Surf Association, +971 26665588, www.ridersuae.com

Water Parks

Aquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +971 44260000, www. atlantisthepalm.com Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwain, Emirates Road, +971 67681888, www.dreamlanduae.com Wadi Adventure, Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, +971 37818422, www.wadiadventure.ae Wild Wadi Water Park, Dubai, +971 43484444, www.wildwadi.com

Other leisure activities

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, P.O. Box 51234, Sas Al Nakhl, Abu Dhabi, +971 28853555, www.adgolfclub.com Al Tamimi Stables, Sharjah, +971 67431122 or 44370505, www.tamimistables.com Blokart Sailing, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 556101841, www.blokartme.com

OUTDOORUAE

65

MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

JUNE 2016 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM

Children’s City, Creek Park Gate No.1, Dubai, +971 43340808, www.childrencity.ae Dolphin Bay Atlantis, Dubai, +971 44262000, www.atlantisthepalm.com Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +971 43369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.ae iFly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42316292, www.iflyme.com Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, Abu Dhabi,

Saadiyat Island, +971 25578000, www. sbgolfclub.ae Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +971 65487777, www.golfandshootingshj.com SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, +971 44094000, www.skidxb.com Spacewalk Indoor Skydiving, Abu Dhabi, +971 26577601 adcountryclub.com/spacewalk/aboutspacewalk/

Health, Safety & Training

Original Fitness Co., C6 Tower Al Bateen Bainunah St, Abu Dhabi, +971 2406 9404; P.O. Box 126469, Office 508 The Fairmont Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43116571 www.originalfitnessco.com Orthosports Medical Centre, 5B Street, Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, 800 ORTHO (67846), www.orthosp.com The Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +971 44370570, www.physiocentre.ae

OMAN DIRECTORY

Al Sawadi Beach Resort, P.O. Box 747, Barka - Al Sawadi, Oman, +968 26795545, www.alsawadibeach.info Diving UAE & Oman, www.dive-uae-oman.com Euro Divers CAYC Oman, Marina Bandar Al Rhowda, P.O. Box 940, Muscat, Oman, +968 97899094, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Musandam, PO Box 498, PC 811 Khasab, Musandam, Oman, +968 99877957, www.musandam-diving.com Global Scuba LLC, +968 24692346, www.global-scuba.com Khasab Musandam Travel & Tours, P.O. Box 786, PC No. 811, Khasab, Musandam, Sultanate of Oman, +968 91713449, info@tourkhasab.com Al Mouj Marina, Muscat, Oman, +968 24534554, www.almoujmarina.com Moon Light Dive Center, P.O. Box 65, Madinat Qaboos, Muscat Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Nomad Ocean Adventures, +968 26836069, Dibba, Oman; Fujairah, +971 508918207, www.discovernomad.com Diving Centres Euro-divers Marina Bandar Al Rowdha, P.O. Box 940, Postal Code 100 Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, +968 98194444, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Zighy Bay, Oman, Musandam, +968 26735555, www.extradivers.info Moonlight Dive Center, Near Grand Hyatt

Muscat, Shati Al Qurum, Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Oman Dive Center, Muscat, Oman, +968 24284240, www.omandivecenter.com Oman Dive Center Resort, P.O. Box 199, Medinat Sultan Qaboos, Oman, +968 24824240, www.omandivecenter.info Omanta Scuba Diving Academy, Al Kharjiya Street, Al Shati Area, Muscat, Oman, +968 99777045, www.omantascuba.com Oxygen Diving and Adventures, P.O. Box 1363 PC130 Alazaiba, Muscat, Oman, +968 92537494 or 9723 2661, www.o2diveoman.com Scuba Oman, Oman, +968 99558488, www.scubaoman.com Seaoman, P.O. Box 2394, RUWI PC 112, Oman, +968 24181400, www.seaoman.com

Safari Desert Camp, P.O. Box 117, Postal Code 421, Bediyah, Ghabbi, Oman, +968 99310108, www.safaridesert.com

Camping & Hiking Tour Operators

Manufacturer Saphire Marine, PO Box: 11, Post Code 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 24568887, 24566566, 24561619 or 24568881, www.sapphire-marine.com Marinas Marina Bandar Al Rowdha, Muscat, Oman, +968 24737286 (ext 215), www.marinaoman.net

Clubs

Horse Riding

Fishing & Kayaking

Adventure tours and desert safaris

Bike and Hike Oman, P.O. Box 833, Ruwi, Postal Code 112, Oman, +968 24400873, www.bikeandhikeoman.com Dolphin Qasab Tours, P.O. Box 123, P.C. 811, Khasab City, Musandam, Oman, +968 26730813, www.dolphinkhasabtours.com Go Dive Oman, Marina Bander Al Rowdha Dive Center, +968 9548 3813 or 98194444, www.godiveoman.com Khour Shem Tourism, Oman, +968 91713449, www.khourshemtours.com Nomad Tours, PO Box 583, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Oman, +968 95495240, www.nomadtours.com Oman Trekking Guides, PO Box 917, NIZWA, Oman, +968 95741441, http://omantrekkingguides.tumblr.com Cruise Operators Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +968 26836551, www.sheesabeach.com

Diving

Equipment Al Marsa Musandam, PO Box 44, Dibba, Sultanate of Oman, +968 26836550; UAE: +971 502124100, www.almarsamusandam.com

QATAR DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris

Al Mulla Travels, P.O. Box 4147, Doha, Qatar, +974 44413488, almullatrvls@qatar.net.qa Alpha Tours, P.O. Box 13530, Doha, Qatar, +974 4344499, info@alphatoursqatar.com Al QAYED Travel & Tours, PO Box: 158, Doha, Qatar, +974 44072244, www.alqayedtravel.com Arabian Adventures, PO Box 4476, Doha, Qatar, +974 44361461, www.arabianadventureqatar.net Black Pearls Tourism Services, P.O. Box: 45677, Doha, Qatar, +974 44357333 E2E Qatar Travel and Tours, PO Box 23563, Doha, Qatar, +974 44516688 or 444515995, www.e2eqatar.com Falcon Travels, PO Box 22031, Doha, Qatar, +974 44354777, www.falcontravelqatar.com Gulf Adventures Tourism LLC, P.O. Box 18180, 29 Aspire Zone Street, Aspire Zone Al Ryyan City, State of Qatar Switchboard: +974 44221888, www.gulf-adventures.com Net Tours Qatar, P.O. Box 23080, Doha, Qatar, +974 4310902, www.nettours.com.qa Regency Travel & Tours, +974 44344444, www.regencyholidays.com Qatar Adventure, P.O. Box 13915, Doha, Qatar, +974 55694561, www.qataradventure.com Qatar Inbound Tours, P.O. Box 21153, +974 77451196, www.inboundtoursqatar.com Qatar International Tours, P.O. Box 55733 Doha, Qatar, +974 44551141, www.qittour.com Qatar Ventures, Barwa Village Bulding #12 Shop #33, Doha, Qatar, +974 55776679, www.qatar-ventures.com

Cycling, Running & Triathlon Qatar Chain Reaction, www.qatarchainreaction.weebly.com Qatar Sandstromers, +974 77775207 or 77776634, www.facebook.com/ QatarSandstormers Velostar Doha, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/587539064642288/ Doha Bay Running Club, www.dohabayrunningclub.com TriClub Doha, www.triclubdoha.com

General Sports Equipment Megastores

Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44822194; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44569143; Ezdan Mall, Qatar: +974 44922827, The Pearl(Parcel 9) +974 40027513, Souq Jabor +974 44430322.

Office: +974 44417935, www.galaxysportqatar.com GO Sport Qatar, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, +974 44631644; Villaggio Mall, +974 44157463, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Sun & Sand Sports Qatar, City Centre Mall, +974 44837007; Dar Al Salam Mall, +974 44510179; Mustafawi Exhibition, +974 44935183, en-ae.sssports.com

Boating & Sailing

Equipment Regatta Sailing Academy, Katara Beach +974 55503484 www.regattasailingacademy.com Distributors and Dealers Speed Marine, Speed Marine, Museum Road, P.O. Box 9145 Doha, Qatar, +974 44410109, www.speedmarinegroup.com Marinas Four Seasons Marina, Doha, Qatar, +974 44948899, www.mourjanmarinas.com Lusail Marina, Lusail City, Qatar, +974 55843282, www.mourjan-lusailmarina.com The Pearl–Qatar Marinas, Doha, Qatar, +974 44953894, www.ronauticame.com

Add your free listing to the 66

OUTDOORUAE

Safety Lessons Marine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Sport and Health Centres Bespoke Wellness, Dubai, +971 553724670, www.bespoke-wellness.com

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Kiteboarding Oman, Sawadi Beach, P.O. Box: 133, PC 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 96323524, www.kiteboarding-oman.com Oman’s Kite Center, +968 94006007, www.kitesurfing-lessons.com

Equestrian Clubs/Centres Al Shaqab, P.O. Box 90055, Doha, Qatar, +974 44546320, www.alshaqab.com Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, Racing and Equestrian Club, P.O. Box 7559, Doha, Qatar, +974 44197704, www.qrec.gov.qa

Diving

Equipment/Centres Al Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar, +974 44435626 Doha Sub Aqua Club, Doha Sub-Aqua Club, PO Box: 5048, Doha, Qatar, +974 50483794, www.dohasubaquaclub.com Extreme Adventure, P.O. Box 33002, Shop 3, 4 Ahmed Bin Ali Street (Bin Omran), Doha, Qatar, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa GoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Pearl Divers, P.O. Box 2489, Doha, Qatar, +974 44449553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, P.O. Box: 11538, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, Doha, Qatar +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Scuba Center, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277, www.qatarscubacenter.com Q-Dive Marine Centre, Souq Al Najada cnr of Grand Hamad and Ali bin Abdulla Street; +974 55319507 or 4375065, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, PO Box 6944, Doha, Qatar, +974 44360989, www.worldmarinecenter.webs.com Qatar Divers, Marriott Hotel Marina Near Old Airport, Ras Abu Aboud Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 55246651, 40405156, www.qatardivers.com Qatar Marine, Go Sport City Center West Bay, P.O. Box 16657, Doha, +974 55319507, www.qatarmarine.net Qatar Scuba Centre, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277 or 44422234, www.qatarscubacenter.com

Caving

Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +968 24543002, www.holiday-in-oman.com Oman World Tourism, Oman, +968 24565288, www.omanworldtourism.com

Fishing & Kayaking

Equipment Az’Zaha Tours, +968 99425461, www.azzahatours.com Water World Marine Oman, P.O. Box 76, Muscat, 113, Sultanate of Oman, +968 24737438, www.waterworldoman.com

Boating & Sailing

Equipment Al Kashat, Fishing and Hunting Equipment, Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 70057489 Al Mamzoore Marine Equipment, P.O. Box 6449, Old Salata, Doha, Qatar, +974 44444238, almamzoore@qatar.net.qa Extreme Adventure, Shop 3,4 Ahmed Bin Ali Steet, Doha, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa Fish World, P.O. Box 1975, Doha, Qatar, +974 44340754 State of Qatar (QatarSub), Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 4431234, www.stateofqatar.com Operators Paddle Qatar, +974 55490895, www.paddleqatar.com

Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

Equipment, Operators Fly-N-Ride, Ras abu Aboud, Doha, +974 33117089, Flo Kite School, Westbay, Doha, +974 33155628, www.flokiteschool.com Kitesurfing Qatar, +97430179108, www.kitesurfingqatar.com QSUP, Qanat Quartier, Costa Malaz, The Pearl-Qc, Doha, Qatar, +974 66602830, www.qsup.me

Cycling (Road & Off Road)

Bike Servicing, Equipment Carbon Wheels Bike Shop, Al Maha Center 10, Salwa Road, Doha, +974 44419048, www.facebook.com/CarbonWheelsQTR Flash Bike Shop, Mesaeed New Souq, Shop C.06, +974 6600 9116, www.flashbikeshop.com Skate Shack, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 44692532, www.skate-shack.com Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, +974 44822194; Villaggio Mall, +974 4456 9143; Ezdan Mall, +974 4492 2827, www.galaxysportqatar.com Sportswell, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 44151687

ONLINE DIRECTORY

AR 192 2016

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