OutdoorUAE - July 2011

10 Top Tips to BEAT THE HEAT Ian has some solutions

Party Cruise II

We summarise our epic adventure!

Elham Qasimi

An exclusive interview with an inspirational adventurer

Cruise Listings

The biggest and coolest cruises are listed inside Price: DHS 10 Discover more and visit us online: www.outdooruae.com

Issue 7/2011 July

2011

Photo: S.Whitesell

Explore the possibilities

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Park

Bolt

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3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.5, 12, 14, 16

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In Print: Managing Editor Daniel Birkhofer daniel@outdooruae.com Editors Kim Perks Marilena Cilta Graphic & Design James Russell james@outdooruae.com For advertisement enquiries contact:

It’s just too hot!

“

Tel: 04-4472701 marketing@outdooruae.com Published by: Outdoor UAE FZE P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04-4472701 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Distributor: Abu Dhabi Media Company P.O. Box 40401, ABU DHABI Printed at: Galadari Printing & Publishing LLC P.O. Box 11243 Dubai, U.A.E. © 2011 Outdoor UAE FZE Issue 7/2011- July

The information contained is for general use only. While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources, however the publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. In no event will the publisher, its related affiliates or anyone else be responsible for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

All contents are under copyrights and may not be reproduced in any kind without written permission.

I hate

the heat and humidity at this time of the year! I can’t even get to my car without starting to sweat and then it takes an eternity for the AC to actually work. I just left the couch five minutes ago and could have directly plonked myself onto the next one. I spend my days more or less 24/7 in the AC-climate of my apartment, malls and my office. It’s only the small intervals in between where I am exposed to the unbearable heat. How can people suffer going out in this heat by their own free will? Back home it was so much better.

I’m quite sure you will not find yourself relating to this out-cry because if so, it’s more than likely that OutdoorUAE is not your type of publication. I am 100% certain you will have heard such a common rant or similar, from friends or colleges. I have never understood these people who always have to complain about everything. The UAE has an expat population of about 80% meaning most of us are not natives to this climate and we have come here and stayed from our own free will. If someone is starting to complain that everything is bad here, I tell them – GO HOME! And don’t bother me with your negative attitude. I’ll admit that there are things I don’t like or totally agree with, but honestly, there are complaints abound in a lot of other places.

I agree that it is hot and humid and that you can call the hot summer months a bad time of the year. I do sweat buckets, but I still spend a lot of my weekend time outdoors, because YOU STILL CAN. How? It is very simple. It is down to motivation and encouragement. There are only two options: stay inside and complain or go outdoors, even if you have to compromise a bit. The UAE is a place with a lot of benefits in comfort and service. You could spend all of your free time on the couch with affordable solutions and service providers who will deliver everything and anything to your doorstep within minutes, and even clean up afterwards. I think it is a modern disease, called laziness. Why should I do something if someone else can do it for me? If you fancy this kind of lifestyle you will never understand us outdoorsy people and the adventures we have. You may never understand that the journey might be the goal. You will never challenge yourself. And you will never experience that cardinal feeling of reaching your limits or even exceeding them.

No matter where in the world you are, or what weather you endure, you will find us outdoors.

Yes we will take the effort to adjust to the situation and get up with the sun, carry litres of water and take the time to acclimatize just to be out.

If you still have to ask WHY, then watch us! Shake your head, think we’re stupid, stay inside but don’t bother to asking the same question.

If you want to get some good tips how to adjust to the weather and go outdoors, check out tips from our fellow outdoor lover Ian, on page 54.

Enjoy the Outdoors!

Daniel.

PS: I’m not completely outdoor crazy, I love my couch and watching DVDs and going to the cinema just as much as many people do. I won’t get up every day at 4 or 5am to spend hours outdoors – I do it when I feel can do it. As most of us do. And don’t forget, you will always feel good for doing something challenging and productive.

© 2011 Outdoor UAE FZE

Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.

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Your Best Shots - 6 Some great shots of the month Beat the Heat – 7 Pete beats the heat with climb at Jebel Qihwi Event Review – Adventure HQ - 10 We join the grand opening of the new superstore Events Calendar -14 News – 16 Products – 18 Deep Water Soloing - 20 An introduction to a spectacular past-time Adventure Chicks - 22 OutdoorUAE and Tori Paddle for the Planet The Fishing Kit - 26 The Migration Begins Well that’s swell – 28 Some surfing etiquette Travel: Trek to OZ - 30 Simon and Megan go long haul OutdoorUAE Cruise - 34 We summarise a fantastic 2nd cruise party!

Cruise listings – 36 ME 4x4 - 40 Part 5 Outdoor People - 52 We meet Lesley and Patrice, and interview the inspiring Elham Qasimi Tips + Tricks - 54 10 top tips to BEAT THE HEAT! Oudoor Photography - 56 Point of Interest Final Thought - 56 Plastic Not So Fantastic Directory - 61 Pictured: Pete Aldwinckle 4

The OutdoorUAE Team

Daniel Birkhoffer

Kim Perks

Marilena Cilta

James Russell

Founder and Editor in Chief

Management and Administration

Copywriter and Editor

Graphics and Photography

Our Regular Experts and Contributors

Tori Leckie

Ian Ganderton

Kit Belen

Pete Aldwinckle

Mike Nott

John Basson

Writer, runner, blogger, adventurer and adidas athlete

Our Fishing Pro

The 4x4 expert

Kayaker, climber, mountainbiker and snowboarder.

Enthusiastic jack of all trades, master of none.

Climber and all-round adventure seeker

Moto/ATV and all round adventure seeker

And introducing...

Couple this with my love for writing, health and fitness, and you have yourself a columnist whose main aim each month will be to stoke your passions, elevate your soul and enliven your body.

Interested yet?

If so, then welcome on this journey of discovering all the wild and wonderful activities one can do in this unique part of the globe. Being based in Dubai, we literally have the world at our fingertips thus, whether it be a short weekend trip away or your next holiday, I want to show you all the amazing activities available to you.

Laura Snook

In the days when ADHD was “undiagnosed”, it was up to myself and, quite often my poor family, to think of ways to release my excessive hyper activity.

Subsequently, equipped with the rugged lands of Australia on my doorstep, my parents who loved the outdoors and my free spirit who just wanted to run and explore.... my passion to discover natures ‘playground’ was born!

Whether I am climbing along jagged cliff tops, surfing within the company of whales, cycling through mysterious forests, or practicing yoga as the sun rises over the Himalayas.... the pleasure of experiencing the wind in my hair, the sun on my back and the tingle of water on my skin is nothing but blissfully fulfilling.

Remember, many a false step was made by standing still and the experience of discovery is always a wonderful moment.

So, enjoy the monthly read, relish in the delight of discovering each new destination... and lastly be prepared for happiness, energy and a cheeky glint of adventure to enliven your body!

Enjoy!

Miles of smiles

Laura x

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What to se 's there e and do?

[ski]

Ski Dubai Summer Camps Ski: Offered from June 19th – July 24th, 2011, daily from Sunday to Thursday Camp duration: 5 days Children ages: Between 3 – 13 years Timings: 9:30 am – 3:00 pm (till 3:30 p.m. for kids between 7 – 13 years old) Cost: AED 770 Snowboard: Offered from June 19th – July 24th, 2011, daily from Sunday to Thursday Camp duration: 5 days Children ages: Between 8 – 13 years Timings: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Cost: AED 990 Ski Dubai, the region’s premier indoor skiing destination is all set to welcome skiing and snowboarding enthusiast to its alpine slopes with its special 5 day summer camps. From the 19th of June 2011, children will have the opportunity to spend time with professional skiing and snowboarding instructors and learn to navigate the pristine snow capped slopes of Ski Dubai. www.skidxb.com

[dive]

Pavilion Dive Centre - Dive and Support Sipadan 11th -19th of August 2011 (taking bookings now) Pavilion Dive Centre offers an ‘Adventure of a lifetime’ to get involved and give back to Sipadan. For the past 6 years The Pavilion Dive Centre have been travelling to Sipadan as apart of a social entrepreneurship initiative and bringing back stories of amazing adventures.

Sipadan is located at the South Eastern Coast of Sabah, Malaysia and is judged by many to be among the top 5 diving locations in the world. It’s famous with swirling tornado formations of Barracuda, massive schools of Hump-head Wrasse, Sharks, Turtles, Turtles and more Turtles and thousands of exotic species of macro marine life.

Due to Islands location, the weather and diving conditions are near perfect all year round so there is never a bad time to go. The trip lasts for 7 nights and 8 Days, and will take place from the 11th -19th of August 2011 (taking bookings now). Join the facebook group to find out more. To check out Tawasal and what they do click here: www.mytawasul.com Pavilion will also be running a trip to Raja Ampat between the 5th and 14th of November. We know this is almost 5 months away but they are taking books now as places are quickly swept up as you have till mid July to confirm!

Known as the Four Kings, Raja Ampat archipelago is known as the most bio diverse location on the planet. Conducting a selection of PADI specialty courses, the trip will take you on a cruise on the Pearl of Papua in and around Raja Ampat, with only 14 spaces available so get in touch with them for this one in a lifetime adventure!

[cycle] [run] [skate]

Cycle, Run & Skate Safe Every Wednesday from 6:00PM until 9:00PM (free) Dubai Autodrome The Dubai Autodrome opens for Cycling, Jogging, and Roller Blading on Club Circuit under Flood Lights. In a safe controlled environment, the Dubai Autodrome offers all the family the opportunity to stay fit and healthy without the risks of training on public roads. All cyclists, roller bladers, skaters and others MUST wear a helmet. No helmet required for runners. www.dubaiautodrome.com

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For more information please contact divecentre@jumeirah.com or ernst.vanderpoll@jumeirah.com or phil.oshea@jumeirah.com Divecentre Tel: 04 406 8828

[motor]

Bike/Car Track Days All motorcycles must be of a road worthy manner, and will be safety checked prior to participants being allowed on track. For a standard Track Day/Evening, all riders must be in possession of a valid and current road or competition licence.

Track Days/Evenings allow drivers to explore the performance of their cars in a controlled and safe environment. It is an opportunity to drive on a race track without the constraints, restrictions and invariable risks of a public road. Safety cover on the track is run to strict international standards, with marshal’s posts manned, and safety trucks, ambulance and paramedic services available throughout the event.

For more information on when the Car and Bike Track Evenings are log onto www.dubaiautodrome.com for more information and the calendar.

[motorcycle]

Autodrome Bike Nights

Mini Review!

On Friday the 24th of June, Outdoor UAE ventured down to the Autodrome to check out what all the fuss was about on this hot sweaty Summer evening.

We thought to ourselves, race bikes in this heat… can't be, the season for it must surely be over!? Little did we know it turned out to be a very interesting evening.

Looking at the crowd these track evenings bring in, it needs to be noted that there is definitely is a growing community of sport and super bike racers who meet maybe twice a month when the Autodrome opens its club circuit for track evenings (the calendar is listed on www.dubaiautodrome.com) Ages and experiences range from beginners with standard bikes to enthusiasts who modify their bikes to go racing and compete with a team during the racing season. The prices for the track day/evening depends on the Dubai Autodrome circuit configurations being used on the day: Club Circuit – AED 400 (evening) Club & National Circuit – AED 650 (afternoon) International Circuit – AED 750 (afternoon) Grand Prix Circuit – AED 850 (afternoon)

Facts: • To be able to ride around the track on these nights you need to make sure you have a motorbike or competition license.

• The race season here in Dubai starts in October and lasts till about April.

• All riders must have either one piece full leathers or two pieced zipped together leathers.

If you have a race license but no bike and are keen to get back into it, Liberty Kawasaki rent their bikes out @ around 1,500AED ( prices vary depending on the circuit) If you want to improve your learning to the point where you can go on track, look out for the Superbike School coming to Dubai this year: www.superbikeschoolme.com For more information get in touch with: contact@outdooruae.com

*All images are either our own, sourced from event websites or supplied with permission *You can find more events and detailed information online at www.outdoorUAE.com *Please send information about events to: events@outdooruae.com

Jim and Hennie from Liberty Kawasaki invited us down to meet some of the key figures in this adrenaline-fuelled sport and get a feel for what these nights were all about before the season kicks off. The evening had a very social atmosphere, families and friends gather round talking, egging riders on

as some maybe practicing to get their technique right, or others building endurance for the coming season. It's an environment which you can easily sit down and take in all that's going on around you, make use of the empty pit wall as you look through the fencing to catch the bikers speed past, or walk up to the bowl to watch them move over onto their knee sliders..it's definitely entertaining and open to anyone that is interested in the sport either as a spectator or participant.

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Nathan Root POKHARA, NEPAL Sunset, about 196kms east of Kathmandu.

Simone Caprodossi JUMAIRAH BEACH, DUBAI ‘Squirt’ enjoying the warm waters of the Mina A’Salam.

Tazza UMM AL QUWAIN Abandoned fishing pier.

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Beat the

Heat

An ascent of Jebel Qihwi 24 June 2011

A frequent complaint made

by residents of the UAE is that it is too hot to do anything outdoors during the summer months. Relief from the heat is sought overseas and in the sanitised security of air-conditioned malls. Despite the majority view that that the summer is a writeoff for outdoor activities there are small groups of people still getting out there and doing stuff. Although they are perceived as lunatics by the voyeurs hiding in the malls, there is a method in their madness: good research and planning, appropriate equipment, preparation and a can do, will do attitude.

the hidden saddle at around 40R 421829 E2851229. The route was a rising traverse on a reasonable track that was never steep and easy to follow. The temperature was significantly cooler than at sea level and although our exertions worked up a healthy sweat it was not uncomfortable. We crossed the saddle and continued upwards in the fading light.

The next leg of our journey was a traverse round the eastern side of a mountain. Our research showed that this could be potentially problematic if we were at the wrong height and so we were keen to find a track before the light was completely gone. The short climb up from the saddle brought us to a shoulder where we could move round to the East of the mountain to start the traverse.

As darkness enveloped us and the red glow of light from Dibba rose out of the valleys below us we identified a potential traverse line and our target point at a saddle on the at the foot of the ridge leading to the summit. Bizarrely, out of the gloom a stranger appeared, greetings and salutations in various languages exchanged, and Odd Person on Mountain disappeared into the gloom.

By luck or judgement (more the former) we

At the summit

A year ago I celebrated my birthday on a remote island accessed by kayak; this year I opted for a mountain peak. My very sensible wife questioned the feasibility of this endeavour at the height of summer and possibly some compromising fitness issues.

However, birthday wishes were accepted and our objective was set as Jebel Qihwi and to summit on my birthday (24 June).

We left the car (parked at 40R 4121055 E2851676 and altitude 1004m) at just before seven in the evening on the 23rd June. We had stripped our equipment to the minimum (see below) in order to be able move quickly and maximise the fluids we carried. With under an hour of daylight left we headed up the track towards our first objective,

Packing at overnight camp for early start

successfully completed the traverse by the light of our head torches without incident and then plodded via 40 R 421626 2849157 up the long ridge towards the summit. Just under three hours after leaving the car we found a flat area (approx 40 R 421070 2848343) short of the steep final ridge to the summit rocks. Therma-rests out, with a feast of dried fruit, we reclined to enjoy the wonders of a night sky undiminished by ambient light from urban development. The silence was deafening and almost roared in the still darkness. So silent that even the quietest of relaxed snoring from a person in deep sleep could be extremely disturbing, apparently.

By first light we were packed and heading up towards the summit. Behind us, the sun was launching itself through a layer of thick white cloud. As it burst through, any morning chill (a relative concept) was almost immediately gone. There are two distinct summits to Jebel Qihwi. Both are protected by short walls of vertical rock above steep slopes and have the appearance of well fortified medieval castles. The southern summit is the higher of the two. We traversed below

Twin peaks - left is the true summit

the rocky ramparts of the northern summit looking for a line of weakness on our objective; none was evident. After further exploration we found a potential line of weakness at the southern end of the mountain (above the radio installation).

The ascent by our selected route to the true summit of Jebel Qihwi (40 R 420841 2847401, 1789m) was more serious and committing than we expected; the consequences of a fall would have been very serious and I would not recommend it to people without rock climbing experience.

But it was worth it, (albeit providing an unfortunate catalyst for discussion on washing up and dog walking responsibilities or lack of interest in them;) panoramic views from a litter free mountain top looking down on a sea of cloud at a time when the majority of people are still in bed..... priceless!

Conscious of the rising sun and the increasing temperature, we did not linger too long.

Our descent and subsequent route back to the vehicle was a reverse of our ascent with a deviation for sweet tea at the invitation of two shepherds living at the farm below the potentially problematic traverse (Farm - 40 R 422191 2850489). One of our hosts, previously known as Odd Person on Mountain, met us before the reverse of the traverse and very kindly showed us the easiest path to take. We managed to make two cups of tea

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of chickens set us on our way again. We reached the car park at eleven; some 16 hours after leaving it.

Did we beat the heat; most definitely. For the majority of the trip, whilst occasionally warm and sweat inducing, it was never uncomfortable or skin stripping hot. I would certainly recommend this summer trip to moderately fit people that are prepared to put Early morning view looking north up with a little discomfort and when required man last a significant length of time; shade and up/suck it up (select as applicable). The true a welcome cooling breeze made us linger summit of Qihwi should be avoided unless longer than we should have. Eventually the you are prepared to risk life and limb with guilt that we were disrupting our hosts’ busy the potential of ending up as a pile of sun schedule of managing 30 penned goats, six bleached bones on a rocky hillside. feral donkeys and an unspecified number

Turtle

Power!

We witness the release of 101 rehabilitated turtles back into the ocean

“Turtles and tortoises are frequently depicted in popular culture as easygoing, patient, and wise creatures, snapping turtles aside.”

Thankfully, there were no angry Snapping Turtles to be seen at the Mina Al Salam, but there was a plethora of stunning little hawksbill turtles, excited to be released into the wild oceans. We were at hand to capture the great moments of an inspiring event on the morning of the 16th of June 2011.

In celebration of World Sea Turtle Day, the Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project (DTRP) today successfully returned 101 critically endangered hawksbill turtles back to their natural habitat following several months of rehabilitation at Burj Al Arab and Madinat Jumeirah.

101 children, including competition winners, pupils from a local school and hotel guests, released the turtles from the beach of Madinat Jumeirah back into the Arabian Gulf.

The DTRP is based at the Burj Al Arab and Madinat Jumeirah and run in conjunction with Dubai’s Wildlife Protection Office. It has been running since 2004 and has so far released over 500 rescued sea turtles back into Dubai’s waters. This year alone, over 350 sick or injured sea turtles have been treated by the DTRP’s team of marine biologists after washing up on the region’s beaches.

The event, which attracted a large crowd with children’s activities and a taste of Jumeirah hospitality, was designed to raise awareness of the importance of the turtle rehabilitation programme, issues facing turtles, their risk of extinction (with an 87% decline in the hawksbill turtle population in the last three decades) and conservation of the marine environment.

To see more pictures, log onto the OutdoorUAE Facebook page!

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We took: • • • • • • • • • •

Nine litres of water between two in hydration bladders Thermarest and cotton sleeping bag liner each Good quality head torches with fresh batteries Mountain first aid kit Too much dried fruit (what was remaining was left with tea providing shepherds) GPS (Garmin Etrex Vista HCx complete with user manual – unread) Coolmax clothing – very effective with the breeze experienced on the ridges.

Brimmed sunhats Buff headwear – great stand-in sunhat for the idiot that left sunhat on backseat of car in rush to depart.

Approach shoes

We left behind: • •

One sunhat – see above Atmospheric Data Centre that would have provided objective evidence of how we beat the heat.

Pete Aldwinkcle.

Hold your breath and smile!

The Underwater Photography Group Meets once a month at the Atlantis Dive Centre Vladimir Radnic (a head instructor at the Dive Centre and avid underwater photographer) says, “Anybody can join in the club, they just need to show up in a dive center or at the meeting, which is held once a month (every first Tuesday of the month)!”

It’s a friendly atmosphere and everyone from beginners to experienced photographers go to show off their snaps. Vladimir is always there to give helpful and handy advice on how to take great pictures underwater.

Spotted there is also Burj Al Arab Aquarium’s Operations Manager- Warren Baverstock who has done some inspiring macro photography and has recently won awards alongside Adam Skrzypczyk for the Diving Association’s Digital Online Underwater Photography in Fish, Macro and Wide Angle. Both Warren and Adam come to

Name: Vladimir Radnic Subject: Sea Horse Location: Atlantis Dive Centre Camera: Olympus SP560 UZ Lens: Focal Length 7mm F-stop: f3.3 Shutter Speed: 1/100 Lighting: Strobe INON Z240 Type IV Best Diving spot/ site: The best spot on this side of the coast I should say Zainab ship wreck, on Oman side from places I have visited Lima Rock and Jazirat Musandam!

the meets and have been known to give really good advice on your how to get the perfect shot! From the latest meet in June both Vladimir and Gordon sent in a couple of their best shots and how they did them!

Check them out above!

Name: Gordon T. Smith Subject: A Small boxfish Ostracion Meleagris.

Location: "Martini Rock" Khorfakkan on the east coast of UAE Camera: Nikon D300 in a Sea & Sea housing Lens: 60mm Nikkor micro lens F-stop: f18 Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec Lighting: Double Sea & Sea YS110 Strobes set at approximately half power Best diving spot: In the UAE there is "Car Cemetery" - Nudibranch Heaven, on average you will spot 3-4 different species on one dive.

On record this year is seven different species.

Best diving site: In Oman there is "The Aquarium" at the Damaniyat Islands off the coast of Barka, north of Muscat. Lots of marine life including larger creatures, excellent corals, and plenty of small creatures for the macro photographer.

If you want to know more about the Underwater photography group or how to get involved get in touch with us at : contact@outdooruae.com, or alternatively for a sneak preview - look out for Atlantis Underwater Photography Club on Facebook!

Super Sports Series Prize Giving Some of the top junior and senior athletes in the UAE gathered for the 2nd annual Super Sports Events Series Prize Giving Ceremony, which was hosted by The Westin Mina Seyahi, Dubai and organized by Super Sports, on Friday the 10th of June.

Athletes who qualified for prizes due to their respective rankings in either the Zoggs Mina Mile Open Water Swim Series swum at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi, the Zoggs Aquathlon Series which took place at Madinat Jumeirah and the Super Run Series run at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, were awarded some valuable prizes and trophies from associated sponsors.

“It was great season of races with many previous athletes returning, but also many new faces entering the events” commented Warren van der Merwe, Event Organiser of Super Sports. “ All races were well attended with on average 200 participants per race.

What was exceptionally pleasing was to see the number of families participating, either as individuals or in relay teams. Our events are designed for all ages and abilities to participate, from 6 year olds to 70 year old athletes. It’s all about participating and promoting a healthy lifestyle on a social yet competitive level. So we are really looking forward to the 2011/12 season”.

Desire Coetzee, Brand Manager for Zoggs,

who presented all with their prizes and trophies, had the following to say “Zoggs as a brand are delighted to be involved with all these Super Sports organized events. Zoggs, in the same way as the events, offers all ages and levels swim wear and equipment for recreational and competitive purposes. By sponsoring these events we have been able to expose our product to all in the community and in return have received valuable support from all on the day at the events or through our retail outlets. We will definitely be continuing our Zoggs sponsorship for the 2011/12 season and will be expanding the sponsorhip to include another of our brands, Skins, for the running and triathlon races”.

Prize Giving

In the Super Run Series, it was Emma Phillips (Abras AC) and Rawab El Habari (Jumeirah) who were crowned overall winners of the 8km ladies and men’s races respectively, while in the 4km race, the overall female honours went to young 13 year old Carmen Fourie (Abras AC) and on the mens side it was Chris Williams (Fitness O2) The Zoggs Aquathlon Series Super Sprint category (2.5km run followed by 400m) was dominated by juniors.

Twelve year-old Elizabeth Hancock (Dubai Leander) topped the rankings on the ladies side while eleven year-old Harris M Carvel (Hamilton Aquatics) did so for the men. In the Sprint category (5km run followed by 800m swim), Julia Townsend (Dubai Masters Swim Club) was awarded the top ladies position with Tim Cambell (Lend Lease) securing the men’s prize.

Claire Nicholson and Nicholas Tipper (Tribe Racing), in the ladies and mens categories respectively, achieved top positions in the Olympic distance (10km run followed by 1600m swim) of the Aquathlon.

Rosa Smith (Speedo) and Tommaso Manetti (Speedo) were crowned champions in the girls and boys 200m Zoggs Mina Mile Open Water Swim Series respectively. Sarah de Maaker (Active Sports) and Shresht Prakash (Active Sports) won both the 400m and 800m events. Eighteen year-old Channa van Englen (Dubai Masters Swim Club) secured the ladies 1600m swim title while sixteen year-old Chris Allan (Hamilton Aquatics) did so in the men’s section.

The Super Sports 2011/12 season will kick off in mid October 2011 and will include 3 ZOGGS Aquathlon races, 5 SKINS Super Run Races, 2 ZOGGS Mina Mile Open Water Swim races and 3 SKINS Triathlons.

All event details, dates and online entries will soon be available on the Super Sports website at www.supersportsdubai.com

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Adventure HQ: More than just a store The 23rd of June saw the opening of Adventure HQ, the new outdoor mega-store at Times Square Center, Dubai Headquarters (HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization or expedition are coordinated.

Generally the HQ is your base camp with supplies, technical equipment and the chance to rest and plan your trip. The headquarters for your adventure gear, whether it be for a little weekend excursion or a big expedition, is now open in Dubai.

The name ‘Adventure HQ’ is wisely chosen to represent the concept of the store.

Despites the Do-Buy mentality in retail, customer service and added value is one of the most important tasks for the Adventure HQ team. “Adventure HQ is more than just a store” sounds like a great marketing slogan but going into detail and looking to the ‘adventure while you shop’ concept - we agree.

Adventure HQ, the ultimate outdoor adventure superstore located in Dubai’s Times Square Center, officially opened its doors on Thursday 23rd June. Elham Qasimi, the first Arab woman to set foot on the North Pole (read more on page 52), and Sam Whittam, Founder and General Manager of Adventure HQ, celebrated in true adventurous style by holding a ‘rope cutting’ ceremony.

Sam Whittam, Founder and General Manager of Adventure HQ said: “Adventure HQ is the new headquarters for adventure gear in the Middle East and we look forward to welcoming our first adventurous custom-

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ers. We are passionate about encouraging participation in outdoor pursuits and have over 7,000 products so there’s something for everyone.”

Adventure HQ Brand Ambassador Elham Qasimi added: “Adventure HQ is exactly what the UAE needs in terms enabling outdoor pursuits. The region has so many adventurous activities on offer, and my goal as Brand Ambassador for Adventure HQ is to inspire and encourage residents and UAE nationals to discover and enjoy the great outdoors.”

To celebrate the launch, Adventure HQ gave the first people through the doors an Adventure HQ pack and for all who joined (submission still open) ‘The Adventure Club’ they have the chance to win a share in over 100,000Dhs worth of Adventure HQ gear.

It’s free, so join in-store or online at www. adventurehq.ae The whole weekend was filled with fun and entertainment and loads of prizes were up for grabs for the customers and spectators coming through the doors of Adventure HQ. Everybody is and was welcomed to discover Adventure HQ. The Drums of Dubai Drummers were heard everywhere in Times Square Center and African beats and grooves attracted adventurous people into the store.

For those who did not dare to enter the adventure zone, they still had the chance to gather outside the store and on the first level at the galleria to watch the action. The Climbing Pinnacle and Cable Climb proved

to be the main attraction and especially for the young ones, it was not to stop. The high security and professional instructors even convinced some brave parents to follow their kids and enjoy the action.

Not just another retail store: Adventure HQ is the ultimate destination for outdoor adventure gear and equipment, catering for a wide variety of pursuits including; camping, kayaking, cycling, rock climbing, diving, fishing, kite-surfing, falconry, hiking, skiing, off-roading and plenty more. They have equipment to suit beginners, weekend enthusiasts, right through to accomplished adventurers. The team of knowledgeable and friendly ‘HQ crew’ will be on hand to guide you every step of the way.

There is also a range of rental gear available for the ‘Try Before You Buy’ experience; rent bikes, tents and kayaks.

You can enjoy ‘In-store adventure’ activities that are guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping, take the challenge on the 30ft ‘Climbing Pinnacle’ and the ‘Cable Climb’ – an obstacle course suspended from the ceiling of the Times Square Center. The store

also features the ‘Chill Chamber’, the coolest place in town, designed to test ski-wear and acclimatize adventurers to extreme cold conditions by reaching a frosty -25˚C. There is even an in-store Bike Workshop where the team of trained mechanics will keep your wheels turning.

On Friday 24th June, City FM held the first in-store adventure competition where two groups were fighting for a prize of 10,000AED for the first group and 5,000AED worth of products for the second group.

Both teams were guarenteed prizes but they pushed as hard as they could regardless. The challenge included a goal to reach the top of the climbing pinnacle, to race the Cable Climb, to cycle 5km and finally setup a tent.

To succeed the teams had to work together because each task had to be fulfilled by each member. The competition was accompanied with cheering spectators and after two hours of physical and psychological challenges, fun and entertainment, Sid’s team (the red team) were crowned the lucky winners.

In-store adventures will take place each month with regular competitions and events.

On Saturday, 2nd July, the first ‘Speed Climb’ competition will be held, where the person from each age group to reach the top of the ‘Climbing Pinnacle’ in the fastest time will win Adventure HQ credit to spend instore. It’s free to enter. For more information, check out Adventure HQ’s facebook page www.facebook.com/adventurehqme We are looking forward to more events, instore adventures and a wide product variety in Adventure HQ. If you are not sure if it is worth a stop to Times Square Center and visit Adventure HQ – don’t think twice, go there once and you will come again. The indoor adventures, an in-store library to read and chat with fellow adventures, loads of products to rent and buy and much more Adventure HQ will be the new destination for us Outdoor Lovers.

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y a D e t GoSka 21st June 2011

At the height of summer many would think twice about spending the day out in the blistering heat. These guys didn’t have to think at all. Rage Skateshop had brought together the eager and dedicated young skaters of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, for a skateboarding tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

OutdoorUAE caught up with the 200+ group to get a glimpse of the some of the greatest spots and skaters around. Despite the heat, the energy and atmosphere was all there. As an avid skateboarder myself back in the day, the nostalgia of collective competition between friends, and just the whole togetherness of it all, had made me wish I had my old board back.

A tour bus was booked for all the skaters, with a heavy task for Alex (Rage Skateboader and ‘Marketing Guru’) as he had to organise and keep an eye on the horde. Once in Abu Dhabi, the skaters were guided to some exceptional spots. Prizes were given out to the ‘gnarliest’ tricks pulled on the day.

The event is global and happens every year. The whole event was supported by Rage and ran from 11am until around 9pm. Skaters of all ages and genders are welcome and ability is mixed, so you don’t have to be the next ‘Andrew Reynolds’ to join the show. The next GoSkate day will be on the 21st of June 2012!

Thanks go out to all the skaters who participate in the event every year and Rage for the support. www.rage-shop.com

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Taking Action?

Tailor-made first aid courses for outdoor and adventurous people The U.A.E. has a fairly good emergency system and in the urban areas the rescue services should be at the scene within 15minutes. Unfortunately sometimes it can take much longer. Being outdoors and in remote locations the situation that you may be in can get worse and you can expect times of an hour or even more until professional help will arrive.

the group through the course step by step, explaining important and vital functions of the human body and the risks if they fail.

Injury prevention (e.g. safety equipment for motor bikers) and situation management at a scene was covered, as well as the important part of Fist Aid. Motor Bike & Moto-Cross Specialized Course core: • Managing an incident • Assessing a casualty • Severe bleeding • Shock • Heart attack • Unconsciousness • First casualty examination and recovery position • Cardio pulmonary resuscitation (adult)

There are a lot of rumors to what is allowed and what isn’t in case of an emergency.

Most people are scared if they try to help or touch an injured person in case they will directly be held responsible for anything what will happen to this person, even death.

Unfortunately we couldn’t get a reliable answer to this question. One thing you should do every time is call the rescue services. If you are not certified in first aid you should avoid touching an injured person even if it sounds weird for some of us who have grown up with varied values. If you have a UAE accredited first aid certificate, you should not exceed your skills. It might be easy to wait for help and do nothing if there is a stranger in front of you… but what if, it is your friend, your wife, your husband or your child? In this case nobody will consider any possible consequences of his/her action in attempting to help. If you are in a remote location I would even say in bad situations you have only two choices: You let your friend suffer or even die or you do your best to comfort the subject and keep him/her alive until help arrives.

We mentioned three good reasons why you should know how to help. The decision to take action will always be with you and we will not decide if and when you should take action. But if you decide to help, you should know what to do.

Motor Bike & Moto-Cross Specialized Course additional elements: • Heat exhaustion and heat stroke • Head injuries • Sprains & strains • Fractures • Basics for spinal injuries The participants did not only learn the theory, they also had to play different scenarios and everyone had to train how to act. A very important part in acting is to be confident on what you do. This is also the reason why you should refresh your knowledge regularly.

All courses provided by Safety and Leisure Training Middle East is officially recognized in the U.A.E. and you will get a certificate for your acquired skills. Don’t think of it as a boring lecture, as you will join Heike together with a great group of people where you can have a lot of fun and it makes a great educational weekend.

OutdoorUAE and Safety and Leisure Training Middle East are planning further specialized courses focused on outdoor activities. If you want to know more about it or join a course contact: www.sltme.com Phone: +971 4 450 2418

On the 24th June, KTM together with Safety and Leisure Training Middle East held a one day first aid course focused on possible accidents and incidents for motorbike and motor cross drivers. Heike Glassner, the course leader and an experienced and UAE certified First Aid and Safety instructor took

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Desert Ranch at Al Sahra Desert Resort in DUBAILAND® Proves Key Attraction for Families Tourists and Residents Alike can Visit Destination to Indulge in Host of Family-Friendly Activities.

Dubai-UAE: 23 June, 2011 – DUBAILAND®, the landmark leisure, tourism and entertainment destination and a member of Dubai Properties Group (DPG), today an-

nounced its newest attraction – the Desert Ranch, a unique eco-tourism concept set in the heart of the Al Sahra Desert Resort off the Jebel Ali Lahbab Road.

Comprising 2.4 kilometres of natural desert and home to many protected species of desert flora and fauna including the endangered Arabian Fox, the project is part of the Jebel Ali International Hotels and provides an ideal setting for a relaxing, fun and educational activity for families, schools and the youth, as well as for corporate activities.

The Desert Ranch provides a plethora of fun activities ranging from campfire Fridays, family picnics, educational field trips, horse leasing and riding, children’s’ clubs, ranch tours, Bedouin farms, camel cuddling, team building as well as corporate and executive coaching and development.

At the Desert Ranch, all ranch activities are designed to symbolise the ethos of Dubai’s heritage, promote the culture of the Arabian world and offer an opportunity for everyone to experience the desert environment in a safe and natural way.

As a monthly feature, the ranch team invites guests to join a traditional camp fire evening. The gathering enjoys storytelling and guitar singa-long, which bring back the ‘good old fashioned family fun’. Guests are welcome to bring their stories and song requests as well as a ‘braai pack’ and let the ranch team assist them to cook campfire style.

For those new to horse riding, lessons are available either individually or in a group, covering all the basics including the behaviour and psychology of horses. Offering a different experience, desert riding involves a sunrise or sunset journey into the sands with stunning views of the Dubai skyline.

Other family activities include the popular ‘camel cuddling’, an educational and fascinating encounter with some of Dubai’s most cuddly camels. Participants get to meet the flock, participate in feeding and washing the camels, as well as learning how to ask the camels to lie down. This exercise is aimed at familiarising guests with camels, their behaviour, needs and historic importance in the UAE. Additionally, families can indulge in camelmilk tasting, a truly unique finale to this one-of-a-kind experience.

DUBAILAND®, has been designed to elevate the position of Dubai as an international hub for tourism and provides a diverse range of live and open attractions that offer tremendous value for money.

The Desert Ranch is a testament to DUBAILAND®’s continued and active contribution towards Dubai’s vibrant leisure and entertainment scene.

Dubai International Boat Show Recognised As Region’s Leading Consumer Event Top Industry Accolade for the Middle East’s Most Successful Leisure Marine Expo.

Dubai International Boat Show, the region’s largest and longest running leisure marine event, was named Middle East Consumer Event of the Year by a distinguished panel of key industry professionals at the Middle East Events Awards in Dubai last night (Wednesday). As one of the top five international boat shows in the world, the 2011 edition generated an estimated AED1 billion worth of

business for the boating and leisure marine community and has successfully acted as the lynchpin of global marine investment into the region for 19 years.

The top accolade reflects the constant drive not only for business excellence, but also for the consistently high calibre of exhibitors and visitors which make the show an essential date in the marine calendar.

Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of Dubai International Boat Show said: “It is a great honour to receive this award and for the show to be recognised as the region’s premier consumer event. The volume of business conducted at this year’s show and the quality of exhibitors has been exceptional.

“Dubai International Boat Show is an excellent barometer of the renewed confidence in the Middle East leisure marine sector and the global demand for expansion into the market. Year after year, we set new standards set and achieve new goals, and for the 20th anniversary edition in 2012, we are looking forward to the most impressive event in the show’s history.”

More than 26,000 visitors attended the five day show at the Dubai International Marine Club in March this year, which welcomed more members of the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) than ever before in its history and featured the inaugural Supercar Promenade.

With more than 750 international companies and brands taking part and a record 41 regional and global launches, this year’s event once again highlighted the unrivalled influence of the Dubai International Boat Show to the Middle East leisure marine industry.

In a night that recognised the event industry’s most prominent and illustrious organisations and exhibitions, the Middle East Events Awards also named Dubai World Trade Centre as Best Purpose-Built Events Venue for the second year running.

Hot Rod Fuller Endures Challenging Baptism To 2011 Nhra Full Throttle Top Fuel Season BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 22, 2011) – Hot Rod Fuller and his Yas Marina

16

Circuit DiGiorno Top Fuel Dragster had a somewhat bumpy ride this past weekend in The Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tennesse. Qualifying 15th, Fuller found himself up against current Top Fuel Champion Larry Dixon, losing in the first round of eliminations.

“After our awesome performances in the test prior to the race, we were super confident coming to Bristol,” said Fuller, a seven-time Top Fuel winner. “But, the reality is, we weren’t able to deliver when it mattered. There’s huge potential in this car and the team. We just need to unlock it.”

A difficult Friday saw Hot Rod post a best run of 4.040 seconds and 280.31mph (451.12 kph), placing him 13th.

“Our short times were the fastest of the session,” said Fuller. So, we knew the car was fast; it just had to be tamed. On the second run, the car lost fire in one of the cylinders and I had to back off the power.”

Saturday’s third run saw a car malfunction leaving it to a nail biting fourth run before Rod qualified his Yas Marina Circuit top fuel dragster for Sunday’s finals.

“I’ve qualified in every race that I’ve competed since 1996,” said Abu Dhabi’s Fuller, “that’s the longest streak in the NHRA. Trust me, the pressure was really on.”

Heavy rain and storms delayed Sunday’s elimination rounds by 4 hours.

Against Dixon, Fuller had the start line advantage with a reaction time of .046 secs to Dixon’s .063 secs.

But, the Yas Marina Circuit Dragster smoked the tires, sending the Qatari Al Anabi Team on to round two.

“My start was awesome,” said Fuller, “I also banked the fastest sector time of the first round. However, we had decided to go with an aggressive set-up and sometimes that backfires. Larry went on to win the entire round. To lose to the eventual winner lessens the pain, but only a little. Going into Chicago I feel very confident. I know that we have the horsepower, and the tune-up, to win races.”

Bristol was the first of 10 races in which Hot Rod Fuller and the Yas Marina Circuit GiGiorno Top Fuel Team will participate in the 2011

NHRA Drag Racing Series tour. The next round is the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals, July 7th10th, in Chicago.

2XU: Official Compression Partner of Ironman!

2XU Signs high performance Ironman partnership with the World Triathlon Corporation.

Leading high performance sports apparel brand, 2XU, has forged forth in elite sporting circles once more, this time signing a two-year agreement as the exclusive Official Compression Partner of World Triathlon Corporation’s (WTC) global Ironman Series. 2XU will now operate as the preferred supplier of compression apparel at Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events As the existing official supplier of Compression to Triathlon Australia, Triathlon New Zealand, international triathlon powerhouse teamTBB, United Healthcare Pro Cycling Team and the Official Compression Partner of the Australian Institute of

Sport (AIS) amongst many others, formal alliance with the acclaimed Ironman brand marks a logical next step for 2XU.

integral to the brand’s winning formula.

2011 Khareef Festival in Oman to draw international visitors to wealth of familycentered activities Ministry of Tourism expects 5 per cent increase in tourist arrivals during this year’s festival.

The Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism has announced that this year’s popular Khareef Festival, one of the top touristic events of the city of Salalah in Oman’s Dhofar Province, will commence on July 1, 2011 and run for 30 days. The festival draws visitors from neighboring Arab countries and around the world to the Dhofar governorate’s cool ‘khareef’ or monsoon months which last from June to September.

The ministry expects a 5 per cent increase in tourist arrivals to Oman during this year’s Khareef Festival.

Salalah is often referred to as the ‘Perfume Capital of Arabia’ due to the abundance of frankincense trees in the area. During the ‘khareef’ season the accompanying rain and fog transform the city into a fragrant green paradise. This year’s mix of games, rides, concerts, and food displays is once again expected to attract huge local, regional and international audiences. The festival normally starts in June but has been moved to July in 2011 to accommodate the Holy Month of Ramadan.

“We are excited to partner with 2XU, a leader in the industry,” said Mike Pine, Chief Sales Officer, WTC. “The quality and technology of the 2XU product will support our participants in their pursuit of peak performance.”

Following extensive testing by independent sports institutes, 2XU Compression has been found to provide an array of physiological benefits to the wearer including improved circulation and heightened agility through reduced muscle fatigue and damage.

“2XU has invested significant resources toward developing and leading the global understanding of high performance compression products,” said 2XU Director of Sales and Marketing, Aidan Clarke.

“In understanding the undeniable and proven gains for endurance athletes, it’s only logical for us to unite with the Ironman brand that is so synonymous with incredible feats of human endurance.”

With a relentless commitment to engineering world-class garments from fabrics delivering tangible benefits to the wearer, 2XU sets the benchmark in high performance compression.

Ongoing testing, research and consultation with professional sporting bodies of such caliber as WTC are

“Salalah’s Khareef Festival is one of Oman’s longest-running promotional platforms and a vital component in our plans to grow the tourism sector’s GDP contributions to at least 3 per cent. So far we have witnessed a strong influx of tourists to the country, particularly to Salalah, so we are confident of achieving record numbers this year with the diverse lineup of family-friendly events,” said Salem Al Mamari, Director General of Tourism Promotions, Sultanate of Oman’s Ministry of Tourism.

The Khareef Festival is one of many local events celebrating the historical, cultural and environmental beauty of Oman. The Global Peace Index published just recently by the Institute for Economics and Peace ranks the Sultanate fourth most peaceful in the Arab region, making it a perfect leisure and lifestyle destination.

Azamara’s Extended Voyages Offer Travelers More Captivating Destinations, More Overnights And Late Stays And More Value Guests Enjoy Savings up to $400 per Voyage when Combining Multiple Voyages To Create Grand Adventures Dubai, June 7, 2011 – Azamara Club Cruises – one of the global brands of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. - is known for offering up-market travelers more time in port to explore destinations and delivering extraordinary service and culturally enriching experiences. For travelers with even more time, Azamara Club Cruises’ Extended Voyages helps fulfill their wanderlust.

Up-market travelers may seamlessly join two, three, four or more consecutive voyages into one incredible regionally immersive experience.

With Azamara Quest or Azamara Journey sailing in the Far East, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, or South America, travelers simply need to pick a season before embarking on a voyage of a lifetime, ranging from 11 - to 78-nights without repeated ports of call.

In addition, guests booking consecutive voyages will receive $300 (1,102 AED) per voyage, per stateroom for voyages of eight days or less and $400 (1,469 AED) savings per voyage, per stateroom for voyages of nine days or more for even greater value on an immersive adventure. Savings double on voyages sailing Oct. 1 – Dec. 31, 2011, if booking between June 1- July 31.

“Azamara Club Cruises is throwing open the doors to the world and inviting travelers with wanderlust to step in,” said Edie Bornstein, vice president of Sales and Marketing, Azamara Club Cruises. “Travelers can choose among 114 possible Azamara Extended Voyages com-

binations that repeat no more than one port and delve deeper, explore more and discover a region’s hidden gems. Throughout, guests can fully enjoy Azamara’s extraordinary service, amazing fine dining and distinctive collection of boutique wines for an unforgettable adventure.”

Guests with ample time will want to book Azamara Journey’s comprehensive 77-night voyage from Stockholm, Sweden, to Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, departing June 27, 2012, and featuring 25 overnight stays, with four being two consecutive nights, where guests may experience the nightlife of Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris and Seville, Spain.

This Extended Voyage features a unique Jazz in the Norwegian Fjords itinerary, which highlights the North Seas Jazz Festival, one of the world’s premiere musical festivals.

For those keen on exploring the Far East, they may prefer Azamara Journey’s Piraeus (Athens), Greece to Hong Kong, China voyage departing Oct. 26, 2012. This 72-night voyage, combines six voyages – Egypt & Suez Canal; Luxor, Petra, Sinai & Eilat; Luxor Petra & Sinai; The Spice Coast & Ceylon; Burma & Andaman Sea Islands; Vietnam & Thailand, Christmas and New Year – for an in depth exploration of the region, plus an incredible opportunity to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Hong Kong through a Land Discoveries excursion.

Also in the region, Azamara Quest departs February 29, 2012, on a 78-night voyage, sailing from Singapore to Piraeus (Athens), Greece.

This port collector’s dream, combines six voyages – Trade Routes to the Orient; Japan & Taiwan; Manila, Sabah, Borneo, Komodo & Bali; Spice Route; Petra, Sinai & Luxor; Egypt & Suez Canal ¬– for an unforgettable experience. www.royalcaribbean-arabia.com www.AzamaraClubCruises.com www.CruisingPower.com

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ducts available in the UAE

pro Some of the best outdoor

[bbq]

Severin Barbeque Grill (PG8522) Price: 220-325AED

Severin’s barbecue grill and stand powers for up to 20 people and is great for balconies and small areas. Built with superior German quality, a tradition of Severin, the grills comes with removable water tray for easier cleaning and is equipped with micro-safety switch.

This 2300 Watts appliance is also fitted with chromium-plated detachable grill wire and heating element and cleaning friendly removable water tray which helps to control steam and odour.

[camp]

MSRFlex3 System

Price: 735AED Available at: Adventure HQ in Times Square Center High-capacity, hard-anodized aluminum pots with both coated and nonstick surfaces open up your options for cooking while mugs and plates for three add comprehensive cook and eat utility. cascadedesigns.com/en/msr

[kayak]

MALIBU KAYAK Pro 2 Tandem

Price: 5950AED Available at: Go Sport in Ibn Battuta Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre A brilliant, highly versatile product that will keep a hot drink hot for up to 4 hours or cool for 12 hours! Designed to be the same size as a large cup of tea, this product finds itself used everywhere from the arctic to the golf course. Also great for high mountains when things cool down so quickly! Watertight, so can be put into a pack or rucksack.

[travel/camp]

Lifeventure - Thermal Mug (330ml)

Price: 85AED Available at: Go Sport in Dubai Mall, Ibn Batutta Mall, Mall of the Emirates and Mirdif City Centre, Adventure Head Quarter in Times Square Center A brilliant, highly versatile product that will keep a hot drink hot for up to 4 hours or cool for 12 hours! Designed to be the same size as a large cup of tea, this product finds itself used everywhere from the arctic to the golf course. Also great for high mountains when things cool down so quickly! Watertight, so can be put into a pack or rucksack.

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[camp]

Lifeventure Compression Sack in 5L, 10L and 15L Price: 5L - 95AED, 10L - 125AED and 15L - 125AED Available at: Adventure HQ in Times Square Center, Go Sport in Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, Ibn Batutta Mall and Murdif City Centre)

Simple, lightweight and very tough sacks are designed to store and compress soft items such as fleece, sleeping bag, clothing etc, making much more space for other non-compressible kit in your luggage or rucksack.

[surf]

BEAN Surf Board

Price: 2200AED (get 110DHS off if you order this board from Surf Dubai) Call: +971 50 5043020 Available at: Surf Dubai, Jumairah

This board is a high performance small wave hybrid surfboard. Appropriately named, the BEAN has a fuller nose template providing a platform for efficient start-up acceleration and paddling, while the relaxed entry rocker maintains speed and glide over flatter sections. A shallow singleto-double concave with vee running out through the tail delivers response and bite where it’s needed, while also promoting smooth rail-to-rail transitions. The perfectly balanced tail rocker and performance rails complete the design and allow the Bean to be surfed tight in the pocket.

[helmet]

AGV Racing Helmet XXL

Price: 1750AED Available at: Liberty Kawasaki Showroom AGV Stealth SV Motorcycle Helmets are probably the most aesthetically pleasing of all the current models. The very deep chin bar of the Stealth gives it an agressive look that makes this model stand out a mile. It has two shell sizes made from ACF 2 providing an impact resistant, elastic and lightweight shell. This all new shell has been re-enforced with carbon fibre to allow for the addition of an internal drop down sun visor that is easily moved up and down by an external lever.

19

DWS DEEP WATER SOLOING

By Toby Foord-Kelcey

Pictured: Matt Pfeifer

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My arms were getting tired. The footholds were poor. Raise my right foot to a small ledge by my right ear then somehow get stood up on it?

That seemed to be the only way to progress. That or fall an uncertain distance into the Indian Ocean. I gazed down at the dappled light playing off the water and tried to estimate my height. Ten metres? The sun was low in the sky. At the limit of my vision was the dhow, now anchored half a kilometre or so from the cliffs. Ten minutes earlier I’d been there relaxing with a cold can and reflecting on a long day when Mike and Seb had sped over in the tender boat, yelling “Toby, you have to do this route… it’s so good”. They’d dropped me off at the base from which quite tough climbing, dispatched clumsily, had led to my current impasse.

Deep water soloing (DWS) is a strange but addictive game. First popularised in Britain in the 1990s, it relies on the safety net of the sea to strip rock climbing back to its raw essence: you, the rock, nothing else. Though theoretically fairly safe, in practice it can be frightening. The primitive area of our brains that handles height and danger is not easily switched off. And the consequences of entering water at speed are unpredictable. A controlled jump from 15m can be painless, whilst an awkward fall from half as high can bruise and strain muscles, even temporarily empty a lung. Climbing a tall route at your physical limit in this style requires strong mental control. The reward is giant doses of adrenalin and excitement. Picture a babbling fool with bulging eyes and a manic grin; that’s a climber who’s just completed their first DWS.

Pictured: Matt Pfeifer

who lives in Muscat. One day into a six day expedition and they’d already doubled the number of routes established on the coast. As a climber of no great ability or fame I was thrilled to be climbing with this strong team; on the other hand, I was painfully aware I wasn’t adding much beyond my local knowledge. My desire to display some climbing competence was overwhelming.

“Pinch the arête” someone shouted up below. Really? The route follows the right side of what climbers call an “arête”, a feature like the outside vertical edge of a house. I

I placed my left foot high on a tiny notch on the arête and gently stepped up. The hourglass miraculously started working like a real hold and I could bring my right foot up by my right hand. I began easing up in turn on that side whilst reaching to a distant hori-

“Musandam’s east coast is a perfect venue, with endless expanses of steep climbable rock...” shifted my weight so I was in balance with just a right hand hold and gingerly explored the edge with my left hand as high as I could reach. Unhelpfully it slanted leftwards away from me, preventing the classic “layback” move that solves many climbing problems.

However in one place the edge constricted for a few centimeters into a shape like a kitchen hourglass. A tenuous grip was pos-

Musandam’s east coast is a perfect venue, with endless expanses of steep climbable rock, a warm friendly sea and numerous boats in Dibba port available for hire. UAE climbers first began exploring the potential in 2006. Last year I posted some Musandam DWS photos on a UK website and quickly received an interested enquiry from an anonymous climber. It turned out to be Seb Grieve, the star of the best-selling “Hard Grit”; an iconic climbing film. Over the last decade he and his friends have devoted themselves to climbing in exotic locations and were now intrigued by the idea of DWS in Oman. I had responded enthusiastically with tales of the virgin cliffs and nearby wonders; for example, the boat-sized whale shark we’d seen (once).

Thus I had found myself this April boarding a dhow with Seb and four other British climbing legends – Tim Emmett, Neil Gresham, Grant Farquhar, Mike Robertson - and a talented Canadian climber, Read Macadam,

sible with fingers on the left side positioned for a rightwards pull and thumb pushing upwards to create a stabilizing effect. A rational analysis of the vector forces wouldn’t suggest much hope, but, if you have climbed for long enough, sometimes intuition kicks in and you try things that make little immediate sense.

zontal slot. A moment of doubt then, done, I’d latched the slot. A few more metres on perfect holds led to the top. Some polite applause drifted up. I felt I had passed a test, if only in my own mind.

Five days later we stepped reluctantly off the dhow back in Dibba with broad smiles and unanimous agreement that it had been an extraordinary trip. We had travelled nearly 300km exploring almost every indentation of the coast, added over sixty new routes and – thanks to Read, Neil and Tim – extended the difficulty range for Musandam DWS by six grades. Tim had also pushed his limits in another dimension; free diving to nearly 30m.

Most importantly we’d lucked out with every other aspect of the Musandam experience: cool night breezes, zero swell, mesmerising phosphorescence and appearances from almost all the notable sea life. We’d checked off dolphins, reef sharks, octopus, cuttlefish, sea snakes, a flying ray and a metre-width turtle. Not, though, the whale shark, I was reminded back in the port. Maybe they’ll come back for that!

Toby.

Pictured: (from left - Mike Robertson, The Boatman, Read Macadam, Tim Emmett, Seb Grieve, Islam, Grant Farquhar, Neil Gresham

Toby Foord-Kelcey is the author of “UAE Rock Climbing”, the first printed guidebook to UAE and Musandam climbing. More details can be found at www.redarmadapublishing.com

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Adventure Chicks

Adventure Chick gets wet for a cause!

This month, Adventure Chick checked out Paddle for the Planet, an awesome initiative started here in Dubai that has fast built a worldwide following. Here’s what you need to know: •

On the 4th of June, here in Dubai, hundreds of paddlers of all ages and ability, united at Jumeirah Beach Hotel’s North Beach… kayakers, SUP’ers, surf-skiers, dragon boaters … I even caught sight of a swimmer with paddles on his hands!

•

They then paddled around the Burj Al Arab to Pierchic and back

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Dubai-based singer and keen diver, Fatinizia, showed her support by performing her song Today; a song she wrote especially for the cause

•

The idea is to gather a host of global ambassadors and respected watermen who are witnessing first-hand the decline of the ocean, our ‘playground’, to create a global movement to raise environmental awareness and give something back to our oceans

•

Every year, paddlers in countries from all four corners will at the same time, on their own patch of water, unite and paddle for the cause. The event coincides with World Environment Day

•

Seven tenths of the earth is covered by water and the oceans belong to each and every one of us; we all have a right to assume that the oceans are managed for the benefit of us all and in turn our children and grandchildren

•

•

22

The first project that funds raised will be put towards is the Daram Marine Reserve in the Raja Ampat Islands, in a far-flung corner of Indonesia. These magnificent islands should and have been home to the most bio-diverse tropical marine life on the planet … but without support from the likes of Paddle for the Planet, the entire area is in imminent danger of being decimated by reef bombing, illegal fishing and more You can read all about it on the website … unfortunately though, just reading about it isn’t enough

Box Out

My paddle du jour on the 5th of June was a play on a surf-ski. Not tried it? Surf-skis are long narrow ‘sit in’ boats with a paddle for propulsion. To keep steady, they rely on great balance, which means you get a fantastic workout for your entire mid section never mind the terrific toning for your arms. For this same reason, if ever wanting to admire some rock-hard six-packs of the bronzed male variety, just hang out near one of the surf-ski hot spots!

You can vary the intensity from a play in the water to hardcore competition level so it’s ideal for all abilities and skill levels. When you begin, be prepared to get wet – they are very tippy; just as well then that our waters are so warm.

I paddled first in a Fenn XT which is ideal for beginners as they’re wider, heavier and more stable. An injection of surf-ski confidence found me upgrading to an Epic which required huge concentration just to remain wobble-free.

Much lighter, much faster and much more slim-line, these skis are designed for the more advanced paddler … unless of course, you are happy to spend a lot of time upside down!

When you take to the waters on a surfski you fast realise why the sport has so many followers; it’s fun and a great physical workout, it’s a fantastic antidote to land-based activities that focus more on your lower body and less on your core and upper body strength.

And, needless to say, whilst we are spoilt with miles of glorious coastline, crystal clear waters and uninterrupted views of the city skyscrapers in one direction and the endless ocean to the other, it’s an injustice not to embrace it.

Tori.

Photos: OutdoorUAE

Support and action is needed and so if you love the ocean and find yourself taking it for granted, register on the website and get involved.

Your ocean.

Your playground.

Save it!

PADDLE FOR THE PLANET www.paddle

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t.org

BE PART O

F IT

23

i r a f r Su

Ian Ganderton takes a rather unconventional Omani safari

I’ve been a kayaker for as long as I can remember and as a kayaker, surf has always been one of my playgrounds. Nothing feels quite the same as being picked up by a wave and thrust forward. Whatever craft you’re using the feelings generated at the point where the oceans meet the land are addictive.

Because I’m a kayaker it’s been difficult to make the transition from sitting to standing.

When I’m sitting in a kayak or on a surf ski I know I’ll get the gratification of catching waves. Starting to stand up will put me right back at the start of the learning curve and with that comes the feeling of being a bit rubbish.

However, surfers who stand up can surf much steeper and faster waves as well as being able to carve top and bottom turns again and again. I’ve decided that the time has come and here is the place to make the transition. The UAE has some good waves.

I can see whether or not there is surf from my bedroom window and I have a reasonable and deserted long board beach break that is on the way into work for me.

What I’ve needed was a few days at a surfing spot with good reliable waves where I could kick start the whole process. I’d been talking to Carl of Surf Shop Dubai, down near Mall of the Emirates, about the right board for me to start on when I picked up

24

on a post from Carl on the shops’ Facebook group. It was about a series of Surfaris to Joe’s Point, Oman, running through the summer. Carl was promising a range of great waves suitable for all levels, from beginner to expert, at a great beach with excellent cool weather. Sounded perfect; “count me in” I messaged him.

The plan was four days long, Wednesday to Saturday and Carl provided all the transport, camping kit, food and boards along with his extensive surf expertise. This wasn’t going to be a five star holiday with the occasional surf lesson thrown in. This was a surf trip where the focus was on surfing as much as possible. The camping plan was just the way I like it; we stay in an awesome location with just the bare necessities. Carl’s been running a few of these trips now and his new trailer is fully kitted out with everything needed to keep surfers happy when they’re at the beach for a few days.

We left Dubai very early on Wednesday morning. The eight hour drive went very smoothly with just brief stops at the border and then at MacDonalds for breakfast. We were at the beach by lunchtime. There we met the guys who had left earlier with the trailer. It wasn’t long at all before camp was set, boards had been extracted from bags and we were heading down to the surf.

Joe’s Point, Asyllah, has something for everyone. The outside is a long right hand point

break which can be ridden for what seems like miles, often hooking up with the smaller inside point breaks until your legs can’t take any more. The inside breaks were excellent for beginners like me and anyone fancying some fun on a long board or stand up paddle board (SUP). Further down the beach were some great beach breaks that worked well for the short boards.

The weather was amazing. While everyone we knew back in the UAE was sweating in the 45°+ temperatures and raging humidity we were lounging in perfect sub 30 degree sunshine. The best months in the area are June to September when the Khareef (returning monsoon) sends good swells marching up the coast, cooling the temperature at the coast to an average of 28 degrees making it a great

Immediately we all fell into the pattern. Up early to catch the morning surf then back to camp for breakfast and a doze.

Back out surfing before lunch, lunch then a post lunch nap, a mid afternoon session before a rest then finishing off with a sunset session. It would then be back to the camp for dinner cooked over an open fire by Carl. Honestly could our days be any more perfect?!?!?

By the dawn of Day 3 my shoulders and core muscles were screaming and I’ll admit I had a steady day. I was beginning to get to grips with both the long board and the SUP and it was great to be feeling the new skill acquisition starting to take shape. When learning a new skill there is no good substitute for time spent ‘doing’ and this trip was the perfect kick start I’d been hoping for.

The last day, Day 4, came around all too quickly. After the ‘normal’ dawn session and breakfast, camp was packed up then there was time for the last blast before lunch. Our vehicle left around lunch time and we were back in Dubai for around 7 after a pretty non stressful drive back (good navigation Linda!!).

Big thanks to Carl and his team. I had a great weekend and I’ll be back.

If you’re interested in joining one of the Surfaris you can contact Carl on info@surfadventuresuae.com or by searching on Facebook for Surf Shop Dubai and Surf Adventures UAE for their groups. As well as the Oman trips there are also trips leaving for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

summer escape. The water temperature is generally very comfortable and warm but a short wetsuit is sometimes needed.

The perfect temperatures, good swells and reliable winds make the whole section of coast popular for those in the know within the regions’ surfing, kite surfing and windsurfing communities. However it seems those in the know are pretty limited as breaks were relatively deserted while we were there.

On the Thursday evening our numbers swelled to their maximum at 13. We were a fantastically international group - Carl and Mike (South African), Riley (Australian), Linda (Slovakian), Piedro (Italian), Jerome (Swiss), Roger (Lebanese), Joy (Taiwanese), Jeppe and Sten (Danish), Andryas and Smile (Indonesian) and myself (British). We were all united by a common bond: the desire to surf.

25

Plastic Summer The Migration Begins

One by one the people in the office leave for the summer and as usual, this is also the time when the seas and beaches are devoid of boats, jet skis, beach junkies and anglers. Quite a lot of people stay indoors because they say they can’t stand the heat. Most anglers call it quits by the time temperature hits the 40s. Often it’s because their catch rates drop, mistaking movement of fish to deeper water as a sign that there won’t be anything left to catch.

Fish are migratory, they move because of their temperature range/preference, breeding patterns and the movement of their food source. What a lot of people don’t realize is that when one species moves out, another moves in.

A little adjustment to your fishing is all it takes to enjoy the sport year round.

Last year, we had fun with tuna and dorado (dolphinfish) in Fujairah, grunter (nagroor) in some parts of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, barracuda, sharks, spangled emperor snappers (sherri), queenfish, bartial flathead, gilthead sea bream, black sea bream and the ever present orange spot grouper (hamour) in the middle of the summer – with not another boat or kayak in sight!

In Fujairah, the temperature drops as soon as you go off shore. We went far out for the dorado and tuna but to our surprise the temperature out in the open was not nearly as warm as it was on land. We enjoyed the weather so much that we stayed out for the whole day!

So just how do you beat the heat? First, you get out of the house!

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Keeping Your Cool

As with any fishing trip, always watch the weather. There are a lot of resources on the Internet that tell you days in advance what the temperature is going to be like.

So check the weather before you go on a trip. The best times often coincide with the time that fish bite the most, early morning and late afternoon. We usually go really early since sunrise in the summer months are as early as 5:00am anyway. The next best option if you are allergic to sunlight is the early evening. This would give you more time and the afternoon session can spill over to be a night fishing trip.

There is a lot of outdoor clothing available to the angler these days – Columbia Sportswear have clothes specifically for fishing that are made of lightweight material which are very breathable with vented backs! Choose bright colours to reflect the sunlight.

Buffs are useful in covering your face so you don’t get hit by direct sunlight.

You don’t even notice it’s there. I never leave without one with me.

water because we lose a lot more water in the heat.

Let's go Fishing!

What I often use in the summer are soft plastics – for the simple reason that it takes less energy to make them work. In the heat of summer, I want to exert less effort in making a lure move. The Soft Plastic Baits fit the bill.

Soft Plastic baits come in different shapes, weights, colours and sizes. In fact, these

From crabs to worms to fish, softbaits are made to suit any situation and fish

Drinking a lot of water is very important. More often than not, having a headache while on a fishing trip during the summer is a sign of dehydration. We forget that we need more

are the lures which have the most variety.

The most important thing about them of course is that in the right hands, they work

Even the same softbait will have different variations, even just the flecks in them!

Team Soolyman - working magic in the summer with soft plastics

magic. Before taking up fly fishing, I would use up 10 kilos of these things. I used to buy in bulk and have them imported and summer is usually the time I stock up on them.

You can use any hook to rig these lures, however as you progress you will find that some hook types are more efficient. Lead head jigs are used when you either want to cast far or work your lures deeper. In Fujairah, I used a 4oz. (115 gramme) jig-head dressed with a paddle tail soft plastic to catch tuna and dorado. In Abu Dhabi and Dubai, I used a 3/4oz (22 gramme) jig-head to cast from the beach to catch flathead – both were equally effective for what I was using them.

Another common method is to use a type of fishing hook called a “worm” hook.

“Worm” hooks have a 90º kink in the shank of the hook designed to hold the soft plastic bait in place so the fish can’t pull it off.

Using a worm hook is the best type of presentation when you are dealing with shallow water. Grubs, worms, shrimp and crab imitations shine with this type of hook.

Making soft baits work is almost too easy.

Cast as far as you can and retrieve it slowly

with a few pauses on the retrieve as well as some sudden stops and jerks. This causes it to swim, free fall and dart, simulating an injured fish.

I take a big selection of soft plastics and fish profiles such as these are a mainstay

Another presentation is what’s called a slow crawl. You do exactly how it’s written; you cast out and slowly crawl it along the bottom. This method works well for bottom feeding fish.

Soft plastics work, even in the evening. Fish not only use their eyesight to locate food.

Their lateral line is an organ that runs from the base of their gill plate down to the tail and they can feel the vibration made by the lure and locate it even in the darkest of nights.

One of the mainstays of my fishing is a soft bait called a jerkshad. This type of soft bait is one of my favourites and it has caught me a lot of fish, from inshore to offshore.

It almost outshines any other type of lure I have in my tackle box. It is a very versatile bait which can be rigged on an ordinary hook, a jighead, a worm hook or almost any other hook manufactured today. I have used it to catch groupers, snappers, bream and barracuda in shore, dorado, queenfish and tuna off shore.

These versatile lures are available locally and all you have to do is walk into the fishing shops we have in Sheik Zayed Road and ask them where the wall of their soft plastic selection is, the hooks to use them with and how to use them.

The bonus? They are probably some of the cheapest lures out there; they sell for an average of 20AED to 30AED per packet.

Soft plastics come in different shapes and sizes, like this mini lobster

Soft plastics require the use of special hooks, suck as these jigheads

reason why we have to stay at home and watch other people catch fish on YouTube.

There’s fish out there to catch and they are waiting for you. You just have to pick the right time, a few bottles of water, the right clothing and the right baits which will give you a chance at some of the best fishing you would get all year. Do me a favour, when you see someone on a kayak busy catching fish, go up to him and say “hi”. Chances are – it will be me.

Until the next tide change, Kit.

One last cast Just learn to keep track of the weather and you shouldn’t stay indoors in the summer

Even when the temperatures rise there really is no

Queenfish are willing biters year round

27

s ’ t a h t Well

swell

e, Between the 10th - 16th of Jun the of t a cyclone was set to hit jus coast of Oman. Seeing the vari- fer ous Facebook updates from sur al friends and checking out the locn weather forecast, not to mentio a quick call to Surf Dubai (to seeit if there was a swell and where would hit), I was up for heading down to the local public beach (Sunset beach Beach next to The ld Burj Al Arab) and seeing if I cou . ves wa few catch a on actually Unaware to me, the surf seas of year time this nd does pick up arou hitting the due to the monsoon weather best beaches tip of the Arabian Gulf. The off the coastts poin to catch the waves are islands being any ’t aren e ther re whe line swell- JBR built as this blocks out the good options. beach and Sunset beach are the beaches that eed rant gua ays It’s not alw type of this n whe ll will get a good swe es miss etim som can it as hits ther wea irah, parts Dubai completely and hit Fuja in Oman so of the East Coast or just stay before headit’s good to do your research to get to. time take ing to places which pretty certain Daniel from Surf Dubai was el any more that I wouldn’t need to trav ch that they than 15 minutes to the bea board to catch are based on, to hire out a n late on dow ded hea I So es. wav e som cooler h muc (it’s on rno a Saturday afte early bird at this time - or if you are an with a little they are open from 6am) and rd was boa er bigg a encouragement that beach to see the to n dow ded hea I er, bett waves. if I could at least surf a few it was clear As I swam out on the board waves were the r inne to see that for a beg and bite nd arou me w thro to ugh eno t the breakback! As soon as you get pas t and left and water you look to your righ other surfers. suddenly there are loads of to myself, ght thou I ng A little overcrowdi there are cerout d foun kly quic I as and ’ve got to be tain surfing etiquettes that you aware of as a beginner. uette Check out the following Etiq es: Rul and

28

Surfing Etiquette is the most important thing to learn before you set foot in the surf. These rules are not so much “rules” as they are a proper code of conduct designed to keep everyone in the water safe and happy. New surfers should memorize these rules, and even veterans should take a refresher course now and then.

Rule #1: Right of Way The surfer closes has the right of way. This means if you’ret to the peak of the wave a surfer on your left is also paddling for paddling for a right, and it, you must yield to him or her.

Rule #2: Don’t Drop In This is related ably the most important part of surfing to Rule #1. This is probetiquette. Dropping in means that someone with the right of way is either about to take off on a wave or is alread and you also take off on the same wavey riding a wave, in front of him or her.

Rule #3: Paddling Rules: Some common sense surfing etiquette ple don’t seem to realize are important.rules that peostraight through the heart of the lineup Don’t paddle are surfing. Paddle out through the chann where people Sometimes at spread out beach breaks el where the waves aren’t breaking and people aren’t surfing. this is hard, but usually there is a less crowd through. ed area to paddle When paddling back out, do NOT paddl of someone riding a wave unless you’re e in front in front of him. You must paddle behin well, well d those who are up and riding and take the white water hit or duckdive. You’ll appreciate this the next time you’re up on a wave.

Rule #4: Don’t Ditch Your Board This is important, especially when it gets Always try to maintain control and conta crowded. your board. Surfboards are large, heavy ct with If you let your board go flying around, , and hard. it is going to eventually clock someone in the head.

Rule #5: Don’t Snake “Snaking” is when a surfer paddles aroun for a wave. He is effectively making a big d another surfer in order position himself to get the right of way “S” around a fellow surfer Rule #6: Beginners: don’t paddle out to This is kind of open to interpretation, but the middle of a packed lineup. it still stands: if you’re a beginner you should dling out into the middle of a pack of exper try to avoid padienced veterans. Try to go out to a less break. You’ll know you’re in the wrong crowded beginner spot if you get the stink-eye!

Rule #7: Don’t be a wave hog.

Just because you can catch all the waves ers, kayakers, or stand up paddlers. Sincedoesn’t mean you should. This generally applies to longboarding to catch them all, leaving nothing for it’s easier to catch waves on these watercraft, it becomes temptshortboarders on the inside. Give a wave, get a wave.

For more rules check out: www.surfinghandbook.com* *All rules and illustrations are in reference to the Surfing Etiquette Article sourced book.com written by Haley Gordon from www.surfinghandOverall, the experience is a must for anyon out and a bit of fun. I caught a few waves e who is confident out on the water and up for a great work evening for 4 days straight and have the and so did a lot of people over the weekend, I was there every sunburn, bruises and rashes to prove it!

For any new experience that you’ve never done before, sometimes it can be a to go, how to start it and I can imagine for some people this maybe what stopslittle intimidating on where The great thing about the guys at Surf Duba them i is that no matter what skill level you aretrying new things. helpful and encouraging, so we would they are always defini tely recom mend headi ng down awesome surf house where you can hang there. out afterwards and grab a shower. It’s wellThey also have an worth a visit.

Looking to check out the surf in Oman If your also looking to get out of Duba ? i for the summer, also check out some Both Surf Shop Dubai and The Surf Shop of the ‘Surfaris’ going on do them and are open to families, indivi novice and skilled so get involved! duals, young and old, Surf Dubai- www.surfingdubai.com The Surf Shop Dubai- www.surfshopdub

ai.com

Quad Life I have been involved in extreme sports since landing in Dubai over 5 years ago and from the age of 12 was given my first Quad bike. It was an 110cc (Chinese type) and that gave me the bug to get more involved with the sport. As I got older I became more experienced. My bike profile also changed. I moved from the 110cc to a blaster, then a banshee and eventually to a 450cc.

I wanted to learn every aspect of riding and whenever I could I would speak with other riders trying to get their experiences. It was also a good way to interact with other cultures. I am now lucky enough to have many friends from different countries.

At the age of sixteen I applied for an FIM license so that I could race quad bikes and compete with other riders. I enjoy riding in the desert and will go out with my brother and dad at every opportunity, but racing was always my goal. I got my license and applied to race in the senior category for quad bike racing at Dubai DMX. As I was only sixteen they thought I may have been too young to ride but I asked for a trial and they agreed. I turned up early at the track and completed five laps of the track trying to impress the track officials. It must have worked as they agreed I was good enough to ride Pro Quad.

At the first race meeting I was welcomed warmly by the other quad bike racers and it was clear that they had a lot of experience in the sport. Some had already competed in the Desert Challenge and already had a couple of race seasons under their belt.

The bikes they were riding were testament to that and I was going to find it hard to compete against that experience. I was the rookie riding a 450 Yamaha but more or less straight of the production line. Nevertheless I was determined to give it my all and compete to the best of my ability.

This was my first race and I was very nervous at the starting line.

The flag went up and we were off. Well they were, I was bringing up the rear. After a couple of laps I quickly settled into the rhythm of the track and really began to enjoy the race. It was very exciting and the adrenalin was pumping which seemed to give me more confidence in my ability to compete against the other riders. I was actually doing what I had always wanted to do, Race! As the race progressed I was able to move through the field and eventually finishing in 2nd place. This was much better than my expectations. Infact it was better than most people’s expectations. The other quad bikers were fantastic and congratulated me on the race. The great thing about racing at the DMX is the camaraderie of the track.

I got lots of advice following the race and how I could improve came from all quarters.

I was well and truly hooked on the sport!

satisfaction that I was also the youngest competitor ever to do so.

I am looking forward to the next season which starts in September. I will continue to ride until I go to University next year to study Motor Sport Technology. I am currently looking for a sponsor so if anyone is out there and interested I would love to hear from you.

Alex MacFarlane

As the season progressed I became more experienced and my bike began to look and feel like a proper race bike. I was really hungry to learn more and would continually ask questions from the other riders how I could improve the bike and improve technically as a rider. It all paid off. By midway through the championship I was sitting in 1st place.

However the competition was extremely fierce and again I had to make some further improvements both to my bike and my riding technique. With some good fortune and determination I finished the competition in first place with the added

29

K E R T OZ to

We didn’t plan to visit the UAE, it wasn’t in our route and to be honest we knew very little about the place save stories about cars of failed bankers abandoned at airports, the world’s tallest building, and sand, but due to floods, a fire and helpful friends we ended up in Dubai, and it turned out to be a highlight of our trip.

Our plan was to drive from our little semi detached rented house in North London to Australia, an idea, like all good ideas, that was conjured up on a napkin whilst out getting a Thai takeaway. Most of you by now will have realized that the UAE is not really on the way to Australia from Europe so let me try and explain: about two years ago my girlfriend, Megan expressed an interest to ‘go down under’ as she put it, and after realising that this was not indeed code for ‘undercover to fight crime’, we started to get very excited about the prospect of driving to Australia. I think it is fair to say I got more excited because this meant that I finally had an excuse to buy a Land Rover and kit it out for an expedition, something I have wanted to do since the age of ten!

After trawling Ebay for months, and even getting side tracked into buying a 1989 MK 2 Golf GTI, something I think we’ve all done, I found my ideal car. It was a 1996 Land Rover Defender with only 230,000 miles on the clock! In Land Rover terms that’s not even broken in. We spent the next year fitting it out and going on trial trips

30

to France and Spain. During this time we replaced a lot of the moving oily bits as they broke; my first gearbox was spread on the autoroute just outside of Calais and there were dark days just before we left when turbos and fuel pumps were replaced. Getting the car ready is only 50% of the battle, the rest is all the paper work that goes along with it. The main bit of paper is the Carnet Du Passage, which is basically a passport for the car and allows the owner to drive the car into different countries. It’s not cheap, in the UK it was about $5000 and that along with all the improvements and repairs to the car the brought the bill final to around $40,000 before we had even traveled one mile. It’s not a cheap way to travel.

We left our jobs in July last year and set off in August, traveling through France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Iran. The first bit through Europe was fairly straight forward, the Land Rover is fitted with a roof tent, a must for any respectable overlander, so we simply camped our way to Asia.

Once in Turkey the campsites became a little more spread out and we spent a few nights setting up camp in car parks. By this time the weather had also started to turn cold and although the

by Simon and Megan

little tag on our sleeping bags read ‘–5 to +5’ we both started to get very cold, so the warmth of hotels during the last week in Turkey was very welcome.

Iran is where our plans started to change.

Iran is a very interesting country and we could write a book on our experiences there but needless to say, we left Iran sometime ago and not a day goes by without a sentence starting with ‘you know when we were in Iran?’, or another favorite ‘ Do you remember in Iran…..?’ Unfortunately half way through Iran we started to have car trouble. It started in Turkey to be fair, with small electrical problems but by the time we had reach Shiraz half the electrics were not working, which meant the radio was not working, which in turn meant that we had to talk to each other! This had to be fixed.

There was oil leaking out of the turbo, the car’s immobilizer was playing up, there were exhaust pipe problems and we had no temperature gauge. The electrics were the worst, as we had a small fire under the car

our fingers. We cannot thank Gareth and Jason and all the guys at the a2b garage (www.a2b-garage.com) enough for all their help and advice, it’s not an exaggeration to say that without them our trip would have finished in Dubai.

During the rest of our short time with a working car in the UAE we made sure to visit some of the sites outside of Dubai; we particularly enjoyed Al Ain, we snorkelled off Snoopy Island, and we hopped across the border to Oman for more snorkeling. We also naturally spent a lot of time in shopping malls and at the beach! It was good to relax and have time to plan the Asia part of our trip.

and there was now just a mass of molten wire. We had tried to get things fixed in Iran, but as Land Rovers are not sold in the country and a duel battery system was not really understood our excursions to garages were fruitless. Coupled with the fact that we could not even get a visa to pass into Pakistan due to the flooding at the time this meant that we had no choice but to turn south to Bandar Abbas and catch the ferry to Sharjah. The ferry alone was a bit of a shock, not exactly 5 star cruising, and instead of the 8 hours it was meant to take I think it took around 14 in all, but we made it and after a couple of hours dealing with the customs formalities we out and driving down the Sheikh Zayed highway. We were both overjoyed at the sight of Subway and McDonalds, something we had missed in the last six weeks or so. I don’t even eat McDonalds but I think my first meal in Dubai was a McChicken sandwich. Megan had some family friends that had very kindly offered to put us up for our time in the UAE and as we drove from Sharjah to Dubai Marina where their flat was our jaws started to drop lower and lower as increasingly tall buildings came into view and the number of Bentleys spotted reached double figures.

To call it a culture shock from Iran was an understatement!

It was great having a base in Dubai and we

set about trying to get the car fixed, but not before we had a go in the desert of course!

Our hosts suggested a jaunt in the desert just outside Dubai and not really having done any ‘proper’ off roading since the UK we jumped at the chance. We met up with some other work colleges of our friends and proceeded into the sand, where we managed to cover about 30 meters before getting stuck! We could still see the road!?! It was all a little embarrassing to say the very least.

The Land Rover you see is very heavy, and as I had not had any sand driving experience before I slowed down too much and lost all my momentum, which meant we sank axle deep in soft sand. It took us two hours of digging, swearing, towing and help from a local Emirate to free the car! Once free though I kept my foot down all the way to the BBQ site, and despite the screams from the passenger seat I kept the speed up all the way back to the road in the dark on the way back too!

So with the car fixed we made arrangements for getting it shipped to Malaysia, which turned out to be incredibly cheap. I think a 40 foot container only cost us around $200, which as shipping goes was damn cheap. In comparison the ferry from Iran will set you back around $1000 after all the port fees and paperwork (I think you pay extra for the cockroaches). >>

We stopped on the way back to inflate the tyres and it was here that we had a stroke of luck: whilst in the queue to pay for petrol we met a really nice guy called Gareth, and it turned out that Gareth had a garage which dealt with Land Rovers. He gave us his card and offered to help us fix our many, many issues! The next day we arrived on his doorstep, handed him the car keys and crossed

31

We enjoyed the UAE and all the different landscapes and places to visit, so much so that we intend to return very soon. The weather, culture and sheer open space is such a contrast from the UK, and although we have spent nearly a year traveling, passed through many different countries, and met many different people will still view our time in the UAE as a highlight. Currently we are in Australia and have around two months to go until we have to go back to the UK and earn more money to continue our travels.

We are already looking at a stop over in Dubai on the way home‌

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uise r C y t r a P

When we go boat – it felt rit off the first OutdoorUAE p and with that ght to say ‘we have to do tharty cruise checked with everyone agreed. We immedis again’, date - it turnedClaude and Gilles for the nexiately started the pre out to be the 3rd of June, t available cruise number parations for the OutdoorU and so we AE party 2…

As Outdoor enthusiasts w e kn extremely ho t outside espe ow that by June it can al ready get cially during we were rig ht, it wasn’t a 2pm depa hot it was sc rture…and the only days or ching! It was we had had also one of during the la thermometer st few month had crossed s where the the 40°C mar k.

Our departi ng harbor th is time was Dubai Off-Sh in Jumeirah ore Sailing C next to the lub. On the leaving from first Outdoor the creek was UAE Cruise, great, easy ac tle and bust le around ke cess and with eping you en the husleave the cree te rta k however, it ined. As soon quickly wea Rashid and as you rs off as you Maritime City pass Port , which is st takes almos ill under cons t an hour to truction. It reach the ba small island y we normal close to Jum ly anchor at eirah Beach -a Park (our de stination).

So the decisi on was mad e to leave di and reach th rectly from Ju e island with meirah in 30 minut evening alon es and then g Jumeirah Be cruise in the ach, Burj Al World. The Arab, the Pa itinerary was lm and the perfect for ou the Outdoor r guests and UAE team th it was only at had to su heavy lifting ffer in the he of the Kayaks at due to the , SUP, Goody equipment w -Bags and al hich had to l the other be carried to our floating th island for th e next 5-6 ho e berth of ‘ON VERRA’, 50 guests on ur s. board, DJ Ed At 2:30pm w Wulf, the O ith about equipment an utdoorUAE d the crew of team, our the catamar an were read y to leave.

Whilst everyb ody was tryin g to cool do ter and catc wn by drinki hing shade it ng cold wawas hard to do so as it w as 40°C and

34

with no wind, it was hot. As soon as we set sail however, the airflow of the moving boat cooled us down and within minutes it started to feel like a real cruise was about to begin. It didn’t take much longer until the tunes of DJ Ed Wulf filled our ears and animated our feet and more and more people started to get up and move with the grooves as the deck was quickly filled.

Claude and Gilles circled the island first before we anchored in the bay. After having a refreshing breeze run across the boat, there was only one better thing to do on this day – dive into the blue water of the Arabian Gulf. As soon as Claude the Captain gave the command that it was safe to jump into the water- the OutdoorUAE crowd were jumping off the boat like crazy, before we even started unloading all our leisure sports stuff, almost everybody was in the water!

This time the cruise was supported

by BEACH HUT, located on Jumeirah Beach Residence. They supplied ‘HOBIE’ Kayaks and Spring-Floats – perfect for hot weather, as they are almost like floating loungers when opened. There is not much else to do than throw them in the water and lay or sit on them- half your body is still in the water what provides the perfect cooling effect. LOO BEACH provided us two Gondolas, which are similar to Kayaks but they have a window on the bottom so you can explore underwater life and you can also use them as SUPs. OCEAN SPORTS supplied the NAISH SUPs again which are available at Picnico Jumeirah Beach Rd or The Surf Shop in Al Barsha. GU – Energy Gel, LightMyFire – Outdoor Products and Piper – the relaxation drink in addition to Adventure HQ – the newly opened adventure superstore who supplied goody-bags for everyone who came on the cruise.

Cruise was only a mere 250AED, which also included food and beverages throughout the day.

Everybody had an amazing time trying out all the sports equipment, some just chilled in the spring floats or the dingys, others had a dive competition jumping off the side of the boat, with all this action the few people who didn’t want to dive in the water had enough entertainment on board. Everyone was getting involved in some way shape or form.

The OutdoorUAE team were busy ensuring that everybody had fun and gave instructions to those wanted to try the SUPs or Kayaks. There is one thing that you may not know about ‘ON VERRA’ even if you had already checked out their website.

Claude- the French captain and owner of the catamaran is a very passionate cook, so everyone who is looking to join the cruise after the summer will have the pleasure of trying some ‘Exquisite French Cuisine’.

The smell of food lured the first people back on board and it didn’t take much longer until everyone was enjoying the different dishes. After two hours of water, fun and action everybody was starving but also happy that it was the perfect timing for dinner. It might have been the only quiet half an hour of the whole cruise.

While everybody was eating, we set sail again into the sunset. DJ Ed Wulf turned up the music again and the crowd gathered on the foredeck of the catamaran.

To get everybody pumping and in dance mode again after the amazing dinner, we started a competition to give out 3 Prizes.

To be able to give everybody the chance to win one of the prizes we decided to do a dance competition – women verses men. It was the ‘Shakira version of musical statues’, where every one had to shake their asses like Shakira and every time the music stopped they had to freeze. People who didn’t move enough were out, in addition to those who couldn’t keep still after the music paused! In

the end we had a ‘dancing king’ and ‘two dancing queens’ who won the prizes!! Hips certainly don’t lie!

By around 7pm the beats were pumping and everybody was on deck, the sun was just about to set when we reached Burj Al Arab, (this was the scheduled time to be back in the harbor) all of the guests however agreed that the party needed to go on! So we extended it for an hour and were rewarded with a HOT surprise. In front of the prestigious skyline of Jumeirah Beach Hotel, the 360° club and Burj Al Arab, Tara heated up the crowd with her amazing on deck fire show. The beats and artistic fire show attracted not only the attention of our guests but other yachts and boats that were cruising alongside ‘ON VERRA’ to catch some of the fun and entertainment on board. (We were crossing our fingers in hope that no one would think the boat was on fire!) This was the perfect highlight of an amazing cruise with amazing people. Our guests on board have been the most important ingredients for such a fun day and the whole OutdoorUAE team says: Thank you all!

In the end we reached the harbor at around 8pm after 6hrs fun and party cruising. The cherry on the top of the day was all the goody bags, which were handed over to everyone leaving the boat. Everyone had a great time and promised us to come back for Cruise No 3, which we will organize after the summer.

Special Thanks to our supporters for this great event: Beach Hut, Adventure HQ, Naish, Loo Beach, GU, LY Catamaran

All these give-aways are a fundamental part of the cruise and offer extra value to the experience, as you are able to try all these products without any added costs. The ticket price of the

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Part 5

MIKE NOTT BRINGS YOU HIS SERIALISATION OF THE ULTIMATE OFF-ROAD GUIDE Part 5: SOLO OR GROUP Solo off-road driving, particularly in the dunes, in remote areas in this region is possibly one of the most foolhardy and dangerous activities you can undertake, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. If you do decide to drive solo off-road, all the aspects of mental and physical resilience and technical knowledge and experience, that have been described in earlier articles, are required. You have to be prepared to cope with the worst possible eventualities, alone. If you have not been in such a situation in kinder terrains and climates, it is suggested that you do not attempt to try it for the first time in this region. If you do go alone, it is imperative that you leave your route, itinerary and contact details with someone who will be prepared to instigate a rescue if required. You should also take comprehensive self-recovery equipment and effective means of communication. Having said all that, solo excursions can be immensely satisfying and enhance your self-reliance and confidence.

Group driving

ity of him making mistakes through fatigue and stress.

The leader should remember to consider the capabilities of all in the group and not plough on regardless and ignore the plight of those behind him. The leader should force himself to give the group breaks, for their comfort and enjoyment of the excursion. Communication on the move is extremely useful. Use of walkie-talkies is suggested (in accordance with local regulations). They can be used to warn of hazards enroute, indicate flora and fauna and generally keep the group informed as to what is going on.

Convoy Discipline Convoy discipline is also a key ingredient to a

Solo driving

successful group excursion. The distance between vehicles must take account of the terrain and the speed over ground. This distance judgement comes with experience. In difficult terrain there should be a sufficient gap between the leader and second vehicle to allow the leader to find a good route before committing the rest of the group to a par-

Group Driving within an experienced group is the safest way to enjoy the routes in this guidebook. It is likely that an experienced group will be able to extricate itself from the worst possible situations. However, in contrast to going solo, on a group excursion there is a need to understand team/group dynamics and to know the qualities of each group member, particularly if it is a long or technically demanding route. It is not in the scope of this guidebook to go into the detail of group dynamics (a whole volume in itself) but there are some key considerations when driving in a group.

The organiser of the excursion should appoint themselves as the ‘leader’ and appoint a convoy ‘sweep’ to follow at the rear of the convoy (communication between the leader’s and sweep’s vehicles by radios or mobile phone is desirable). The leader should brief the whole group face to face at the start of each day. The leader must give the group as much detail as possible regarding the route, the day’s schedule and the likely actions to be taken in the case of specific eventualities. If the drive is very long and technical, the leader should consider swapping the lead with another experienced driver in order to avoid the possibil-

36

Convoy & Flags

ticular line. Speeds will be slow but the second vehicle needs to keep its distance in order to allow the lead vehicle room for manoeuvre.

Communication is important in these situations.

•

The mantra for convoy discipline is: ‘follow the vehicle in front but you are responsible for the vehicle behind’. If the vehicle behind you drops back, then you need to slow down and let it close up again. The use of tall flag poles fitted to the rear of vehicles is a great aid to group driving through short, choppy dunes. It allows the following vehicle to see the movement and position of the vehicle when the vehicle itself is hidden from view by the dunes. It can prevent you colliding with the vehicle in front when crossing crests or descending small slip faces.

Equipment There is a fine line to be drawn between taking too little and taking too much equipment. The lists that follow are not exhaustive or prescriptive and deal only with vehicle equipment. The lists are based on the author’s and others’ experiences of driving in the region and having to deal with mishaps, breakdowns and stucks. They are suggestions and are not intended to be followed slavishly. Indeed, it is an indication of your experience, self-confidence and resourcefulness to know what, and what not, to take, depending on the length, remoteness and severity of the route you decide to undertake.

MAINTENANCE AND PREPERATION

•

Replace the following: Oil Filter, Starter Motor, Fuel Pump, Fuel Filter & Alternator.

Bleed the following: Brake, Clutch and Other Hydraulic Systems.

Minimum Recovery/Safety Equipment:

8 1 4 6 2 3 Do you know how to maintain and service this?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

7

5

Recovery Strap (rated to a suggested minimum of 8,000 kg).

Shackles x 2 (soft or hard and rated to a suggested minimum of 3.25 tonnes).

Large, Lightweight Shovel.

Work Gloves.

Jacking Board.

Car Jack and Wheel Removal Tool/s.

Tyre Pressure Gauge & Deflator.

Fire Extinguisher.

Vehicle Tools:

Makeshift workshop

It is another truism that your vehicle needs to be well maintained before going off-road. But, in addition to knowing your vehicle is well maintained, you must know how to maintain it yourself. If you have to rely solely on the vehicle dealerships or independent garages to keep your vehicle maintained, then you do not possess sufficient technical experience to undertake many of the routes in the guidebook. It is imperative that you can maintain and service your vehicle yourself. As a guideline, you should be able to do the following jobs on your vehicle: • • • • • • • • • • • •

Oil Changes in the following: Engine, Gearbox, Transfer Case and Differentials.

Drain and Re-fill the Cooling System.

Change Main Radiator Hoses.

Change the V Belts/Fan Belts.

Check and Change Electric Fuses.

Refill Power Steering System.

Change Power Steering Hoses.

Replace Spark Plugs.

Change Wheels, including using a jack in sand or on uneven ground.

Plug a Punctured Tyre.

Re-fit a Tyre Off the Rim Jump Start from Another Vehicle.

• • • • • • • •

Tyre Valve Release Tool.

Socket Set. Alan Key / Torx Set (Male/Female: depending on your vehicle).

General Tool Box (spanners, screwdrivers, pliers, hacksaw, circuit tester, mole grips etc..).

Special to Vehicle Tools (e.g. wheel bearing socket, oil filter remover, brake tools).

Multi-meter.

2 x Tyre Levers.

Bead Breaker.

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• •

Lubricant for helping get tyres on/off the rims.

Torque Wrench.

Vehicle Spares:

General Recovery/Safety Equipment:

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Tow Strap (rated to minimum of 3,500 kg).

Jump Leads.

Air Compressor.

High Lift Jack, Wheel Adaptor and Base.

Sand Ladders (Sand Shoe, Waffle, Maxitrak).

Tyre Repair Kit, including plugs and side wall patches.

Funnel.

Fuel Can/s (20 litres) with Spare Lid Seals (number dependent on vehicle fuel range and trip distance).

Water Can/s (5 litres per day per person).

Flag and Pole (to keep vehicle positions in view in the dunes).

Walkie-Talkie/s with spare batteries (if legally entitled).

Global Positioning System (GPS).

Crow Bar. Windscreen Hammer/Seat Belt Cutter.

Long Rope (not for recovery).

Inverter (DC to AC).

Head Torch (with spare batteries).

4lb Hammer.

Electrical Tags .

Electric Wire.

Binding Wire.

Wire Cutters/Bolt Croppers.

Wood blocks of 4”x4” wood (for placing under jacks, hammering, vehicle chocks).

Bungee/Elastic Cords.

Ratchet Straps.

Small Axe.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Tyre Valves.

Tyre Valve Dust Caps.

Fuses.

V/Fan Belt/s.

V/Fan Belt Idler Pulley (if fitted).

Vehicle Specific Spares (know your vehicle).

Starter Motor (for automatic transmission vehicles if going on remote trips).

Relay Modules.

Oil Filter.

Fuel Filter.

Main Radiator Hoses.

Power Steering Hoses.

High Tension Leads.

Fuel Pump.

Fuel Lines.

Spark Plugs.

Air Breather lines.

Fluids/Lubricants: Engine Oil, Brake Fluid, Gear Oil (Differential and Transfer Case), Coolant, Automatic Transmission Fluid, Power Steering Fluid.

Bulbs (Headlight, Brake, Rear, Indicator, etc..).

Small & Large Cable Ties.

Jubilee Clips.

Electric/Duct tape.

Spare Wheel & Tyre (2, if going to remote areas).

Spare Inner Tubes + Patches.

Spare Wheel Nuts.

Accidents do happen!

38

Cruise Listings We’ve managed to put together a list of some of the greatest cruise boats that you can book right now. So go and catch some cool sea breezes!

Luxury Yacht Cruising

Azimut 62

Berth Location: Pavillion Sports Centre Marina: Jumeirah Beach Hotel Max. Passengers: 13 in the Day, 6 in the Night Pricing: Minimum 2 Hour Rental, 3,200AED per hour Description: Azimut 62ft motor yachts are the ultimate in luxury. Includes large lounge area, satellite television and plasma screens in every cabin, fully fitted gourmet kitchen Owning company/Managed by: Art Marine Phone: +9714 3481281 or 050 459 8690

Lady Bella

Berth Location: U01 Marina: Dubai Marina Yacth Club Size: 85 ft Crew: 1 Captian and 2 Crew Max. Passengers: 25 Guests Boat Specs: Duretti yacht, 3 Master Bedrooms, Fully equipped kitchen, Flybridge with Jacuzzi Pricing: 2,500AED per hour Description: Includes Captain and fuel, soft drinks, water, juices, fruits, chocolates Owning company: Summertime Marine Sports LLC Phone: +9714 2573084

On Verre 6

Location: Bur Dubai Creek Marina: Creek Marine- In front of British Embassy

82 guests, 280m2, 82ft, Motor Yacht Length: 23,75 meters Breadth: 11,4 meters Depth: 1,80 meters Price per hour: Open cruise for 30 pax, Party with DJ- 5 hours : 250 AED P/Adult

3 hours of cruise: 180AED/adult and 100 AED/child, 4 hours of cruise: 210 AED/ adult and 130 AED/child, 5 hours of cruise: 250 AED/adult and 150AED/child Located in the creek, on Bur Dubai historical quarter (in front of Al Bastakiya) “On verra 6”, our 82 feet aluminium sailing catamaran, is designed and built by its owner Mr Claude Kermoal, renowned French boat builder in his country and West Indies. LYCatamaran caters for parties with Dj’s, BBQ, cocktails, relaxing cruises, birthdays, wedding celebration, corporate events and more....” On verra 6”, the Captain and crew will customise a perfect cruise to suit your needs. An air conditioned lounge, a sundeck, a shady cockpit and a bar where our bartender serves cocktails and refreshments.

Luxury Yachting Catamaran http://www.lycatamaran.com/ marialycatamaran@gmail.com 050 58 69 746 or 056 65 06 683

Ocean Voyager 64

Berth Location: Dubai International Marine Club Marina (Le Meridien Mina Seyahi) Size: 64 feet Crew: 4 Max. Passengers : 40 pax Pricing: 3300AED per hour / 650AED per person for sharing Description: Party venue you may well have been dreaming of. This Catamaran is a vast, floating pleasure zone, there is also a BBQ on board the vessel and perfect for multiple leisure activities.

Owning company: SEA HUNTERS Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental LLC Phone: 800 8001 OR +97142951011

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EL Mundo

Berth Location / Marina: Berth # C 36 / Dubai International Marine Club Size: 60 ft. Luxury Sailing Catamaran Crew: 4 Max Passengers: 50 Pricing: Individual & exclusive rates available.

Description: Corporate Functions, Tailored Cruises & Fun In the Sun Cruises Owning company: JPS Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental LLC Phone: 050 551 7406

M/Y Claudia

Berth Location / Marina: RAK City Hilton Marina Size: 13.6 m x 4.2 m Day Cruises: 8 Guests + Crew, Night Cruises: 2 Guests + Crew Pricing: 1,000AED per hour Description: M/Y Claudia is a U.S. built hard-top cruiser, with luxurious cherry wood interior. Both cabins with ensuite bathroom. It has 960 hp Owning company: RAK MARINE LLC Phone: +971 50 491 2696, +971 72066410.

Fishing Cruises

Al Boom

Berth Location / Marina: Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort Fujairah Max Passengers: 4 Pricing: Minimum 2 Hours @ 300AED Description: Boat cruises, snorkeling trips and handline fishing trips from Al Boom Diving at Le Meridien Al Aqah.

Owning company: Al Boom Diving Phone: 04-342-2993

Sea Spirit 34’

Berth Location / Marina: Al Hamra Marina, Al Hamra Crew: 2 Max Passengers: 6 Pricing: Minimum 2 Hours @ 1,380 per hour Description: Fishing Cruises and Charters Owning company/ Managed by: Al Hamra Marina Phone: 00971-7-2434540

Abomrikha

Berth Location / Marina: Fujairah International Marine Club Size: 37 Ft Max. Passengers: 10 Pax Engine: 2/ 200 HP Pricing: 3hours minimum @ 250AED p/h ( Maximum of 6 pax drinks and fishing equiptment included) Description: This boat is used for fishing, snorkelling and diving trips Owning company: Barracuda Diving Centre Phone: 09 2225580, 055 5670043

Sea Master 37

Location: Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi Max. Passengers: 6 Pax + 1 Captain Pricing: 1,600AED for 2 hours and 2,900AED for 4 hours Description: Offshore where the cool waters are and the schools of fish swim this boat is great for deep water fishing Owning company/ Managed by: Belevari Marine Phone: +971 2 6594 144

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Pelican 32

Location/ Marina: Dubai International Marine Club (Le Meridien Mina Seyahi) Size: 32ft Max. Passengers: 8 Pax Pricing: 1,400AED per hour Description: Luxury fishing boat with Gas Grill onboard designed to meet the needs of all those Who-Love-Fishing!

Owning company/ Managed by: SEA HUNTERS Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental LLC Phone: Toll Free 800 8001 or +9714 2951011

WalkAround

Marina: 5 Location: Fujairah International Marine Club Size: 31ft Max. Passengers: 8 Pax Pricing: 450AED per hour/ pp Description: Price includes water, softdrinks and fishing rods and materials provided.

Owning company/ Managed by: Fujairah International Marine Club.

Phone: +9719 222 1166

The Party Boat

Location: Umm Al Quwain Marine Club Crew: Captain, Assistant Captain, plus waiters depending on size of party Max Passengers: 80 passengers Pricing: Dh75 per person, minimum rental price Dh1500. On-board catering optional. Cruise: up to 4 hours.

Description: Escape the city for a day of fun aboard the Party Boat on the UAQ Creek, feel free to use the kayaks, waterslide when your partying hard!

Phone: +9716 766 6644

Sara

Berth Location: Bur Dubai Creek Size: 38ft Max. Passengers 9 Pricing: 350AED / Person Description: Offer fishing and cruises along the beautiful coast line of Dubai while you will enjoy the view of places like The world Island, Atlantis The Palm, Burj Al Arab, Palm Jumeira and much more.

Owning company: Happy Days LLC Phone: +971 55 896 1276 or +971 50 3960202

Day/Dinner Cruises

Bateaux Dubai

Berth Location: Dubai Creek , Oppostie the British Embassy Size: 56m long and 13m wide Max Passengers: 200 guests for sit-down dinners 300 guests for standing cocktails or receptions Pricing: AED 333 per head with one drink- Offer Valid till August 31st 2011 Description: Beautifully designed Dinner Boat for that special cruising occasion Owning company/ Managed by Jebel Ali International Hotels Phone: +9714 3994994

Luluwa Dhow

Berth Location / Marina: The Club, Abu Dhabi Size: 13.6 m x 4.2 m Max Passengers: Up to 30 Passengers for private cruises Pricing: Rates apply for members and Guests of The Club Description: The Club, Abu Dhabi’s private members’ club, invites its Members and their Guests on board the traditional Dhow ‘Luluwa’ every weekend for a sunset cruise along the coastline.

Owning company: The Club Abu Dhabi Phone: +9712 673 1111

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Speed Boat Cruises

Al Ghawas

Berth Location / Marina: Dibba Musandam Port, Oman Size: 35 Ft Crew: 1-2 Max. Passengers: 15 Pricing: 300 AED pp Description: 2010 purpose built diving speedboat with twin 200’s and is used for speedboating, diving and fishing cruises Owning company: Sheesa Beach Dive Centre Phone: 050 3336046, +968 26836551

The Yellow Boats

Location: Dubai Marina Walk Opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina Abu Dhabi Crew: 2 Max. Passengers: 12 Pricing: Starting from 80AED Description: Top of the line RIBs with 500hp from twin Yamaha Engines. With a number of trips to choose from, there is is guaranteed to be one for any taste. Be it sightseeing or adrenaline rides Owning Company: The Yellow Boats LLC Phone: 800 8044

Velocity

Location: Umm Al Quwain and Dubai Size: 18 ft Max. Passengers: 3 Including driver Description: N.Z built, the design is a hybrid copy of America’s Outlaw Eagles racing marathon jetboat, top speed of 115km per hour, it’s a breathtaking and adrenaline fuelled experience, to be spotted around the coasts of Umm Al Quwain and Dubai- for more information about the experience get in touch with Outdoor UAE (contact@outdooruae.com) Owning company: The Boat House LLC

Sea Breeze 33

Berth Location: Dubai International Marine Club Size: 33 feet Crew: 2 Max. Passengers 6 Pricing: 700AED PER HOUR Description: Speed Boat made for cruising & fishing, zip around the coastline to your hearts content in the custom made speed boat, cruising up to 45 knots and an impressive Volve 2x260 HP engine.

Owning company: SEA HUNTERS Passenger Yachts & Boats Phone: 800 8001 OR +97142951011

Dhow Cruises

Barracuda 3

Berth Location / Marina: Fujairah International Marine Club Size: 37ft Max. Passengers: 10-30 pax Specs: Engine 1 360 HP Pricing: Prices starting from a minimum of 4 hours, 150AED per person Description: Double decker dhow 1 room with AC, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen, TV, stereo, fridge,microwave oven and other equipments for cooking.

Owning company: Barracuda Diving Center Phone: +9719 2225580

Menden

Berth Location / Marina: Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi Crew: 4 and 1 Captain Max. Passengers: 50 Pricing: 4 hours Cruise 11,500 AED 6 hour cruise 15,500 AED Description: Refitted less than 6 months ago she boasts an upper deck with modern furniture, sun loungers, DJ area, huge BBQ station, and plenty of seating Owning company: Belevari Marine Phone: 050 908 7208

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Adahri

Berth Location: Marina Banda Rhowda, Muscat, Oman Size: 65ft Crew: 3 depending on pax Max. Passengers: 60 Pricing: 15/ RO to 35/RO day trips and over nights 85 p/p Description: Traditional Omani open Dhow : A traditional type of dhow called Al Boum, the style onboard is, of course, traditional Omani with carpet, majilis seating, with on board local cuisine. Think Pirates of the Caribbean across scenic Muscat with friends.

Owning company: Muscat Diving and Adventure Centre Phone + Web: +968 24485663

Al Montaser

Berth Location / Marina: Dibba Musandam Port, Oman Size: 75ft Max. Crew: 3 - 4 Max Passengers: Day 35/Overnight 15 Pricing: From 4,500 AED Description: Private charter, Musandam day cruises & overnight charters fully catered from 1 - 7 nights, inclusive of snorkeling, hand-line fishing & kayaking.

Diving is an extra. stereo, fridge,microwave oven and cooking equipments Owning company: Sheesha Beach Dhow Cruises Phone: 050 3336046, +968 26836551

Rustar

Berth Location / Marina: Dubai Deira Creek Size: Length 50.1m Height 6.3m Passengers: 400 + Crew Pricing: Regular Adult/Child: 250/200AED Description: With 3 decks, this mammoth dhow has space for the DJ, dancefloors and fine dining this is the biggest Dhow Cruise in the World Information supplied by: One World Travel and Toursim Phone: +971 4 2209393

Saluja

Berth Location: Dubai Deira Creek Crew: 10 Max. Passengers: 120 / 140 Pricing: Regular Adult/Child: AED 165 / 145 (Promotional Price Adult/Child: AED 99 / 99) Description: Have a dinning buffet and cruise along Dubai Deira Creek on a genuine 2-deck wooden boat.

Owning company: One World Travel and Toursim Phone: +971 4 2209393

Adventure Cruising

Hobie 16

Location: Al Bahia Private Beach Abu Dhabi Size: 16ft sailing catamaran Max. Passengers: 2 Pricing: AED 300 per hour per boat.

Description: Explore the waters north of Yas Island with this low environmental impact sailing boat with an experienced Noukhada Helm.

Owning company: Noukhada Adventure Company Phone: 02 650 3600

Get your boat listed with us. Just contact us on 04-4502419 or e-mail: contact@outdooruae.com The information contained is for general use only. While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources, however the publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information. In no event will the publisher, its related affiliates or anyone else be responsible for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine.

43

The

One Lure

What is ‘The One’ thing a lure needs to be special?

After reading Kit’s recent article on being a “Lure-Aholic” I could not help but think about the many times I have been asked certain questions regarding lures: “What is the best lure to catch (such and such) a fish with?” or “What lure works the best in that area?” So what do you answer?

What does this “One” lure look like?

What is it that “The One” lure should have? A Specific color maybe? Or is it a specific action? What about size?

Does it really matter?

Well the lure manufacturing companies, for one, would hate to know what exactly “The One” magic lure is; after all they manufacture lures to make profit. According to the advertisements you see, every lure available on the market is suppose to be “The One.” Though choice there must be millions of fishing lures on the market. Walking into a fishing shop for us guys must be like walking

44

into a shoe shop for the ladies. You know you don’t need another pair but there is an empty spot that needs filling. Take care now!

I have many times seen Lures catching a lot more fishermen than actual fish. Beware everything that shines is not always gold.

Select wisely!

Colors

A few years ago I was preparing to go on a Fly Fishing trip to Inhaca Island of Mozambique. I was getting some information on flies to use and was told by one of the outfitters “That if it is not Chartreuse it has no use!” Thus recommending that I should only fish with Chartreuse and white flies. A few seasons later preparing for a trip to the Seychelles I was told that White and Tan flies should be the only flies I take, it also came with an “I guarantee you.”

A friend of mine who Fly Fishes for billfish off the Kenya coast, said “You can bring any color fly to Kenya, as long as it is Pink!”

Is this a personal preference or actual fact?

That only certain colors work in certain areas? Fishing for Dorado’s (mahi-mahi or Dolphin fish) I think you should never be without a pink lure. They seem to love the color, however a few seasons ago I used a blue and green Yozuri Hydro pencil and out fished all the pink lures put together. I landed my best fish of Inhaca with a blue and white fly, in the Seychelles I landed various Gt’s on Chartreuse and blue and white flies. So now what? There is however more to a lure than just the right color.

Action

What other characteristics should “The One” lure we are all looking for have? Could it be

that there exists just such a lure?

Take a recent trip to the Musandam Northern Oman. We came across a school of feeding Queenfish. I tried my luck with a deadly small Yozuri stick bait that I landed a 30kg GT on a few weeks before. I worked with short jerks on the rod that make the lure move for side to side. Irresistible! But not this time.

I changed to a popper and worked it back to the boat creating lots of splashes another guaranteed fail-safe action. But still had no luck.

Werner my fishing partner was into his second fish and had, had numerous missed strikes. He was fishing a plain white, very un-assuming looking, needle nose plug.

There was no special way of working the lure or making it pop, or dance or walk the dog. Just a simple cast and fast retrieve. I changed to one and was into a fish immediately. We landed a lot of fish between the two of us and Allan or fishing partner for the day. We even managed a triple hookup all using the same needle nose plug ending up with three different species of fish.

So was the lack of action of the needle nose plug “The One” thing that made it stand out?

Another example of the importance of movement was when we where fishing in the Musandam on a slack tide throwing drop shots (soft plastic) close to the rocks. Nick and I where using identical outfits, Shimano Aero cast rods and Shimano reels, same make and color of braid line and even using the same 5 inch Riptide Jerk Shad. However he was getting a lot more hookups than me.

I was a bit bemused at my skills or the lack thereof. I could not work out why until Nick showed me the Nitro Jig head he was using. It looked totally different from the one I used and caused his bait to behave a lot more erratic on the retrieve. I “begged” for a sample and low and behold the strike rate improved. Could this be “The One thing”?

Does size matter?

Fact or fiction: Big lures catch big fish. I too believed this but was politely told by a friend of mine; “Never forget that elephants sometimes eat peanuts”. This is especially true when you fish for tuna.

I have many times been in a situation where huge schools of tuna bust schools of tiny sprats or anchovies. It is so frustrating to make cast after cast to these busting fish without them even taking a second look at your lure. Fresh water fly fishermen refer to this as “matching the hatch”, basically matching the fly you use to the insect life in the water. Be that, caddis flies, crass hoppers, beetles, larva, flying ants or small baitfish.

This is an important part of lure fishing. Pay attention to what color and size the bait are; look at their the movement in the water and try and find the lure that match this. When it comes to “The One” thing that makes for a great lure this is a must, in a case like this “size does matter”!

So fellow Lure-Aholics and guys looking for that “One” special lure; it is a myth there exists no such “One” lure to catch all fish.

Each situation you will be faced with as angler may call for a different size, color or action of lure. What works today might not work tomorrow. The most exciting part is to find all this out by trying over and over.

Mistakes are limited by experience but experience only comes from making mistakes.

Now go to the shop and spend that hardearned cash on some new flashy looking lures, I know there is an empty spot in your tackle box!

AJ Pretorious.

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FunRide I suppose competition is a good thing? After all it is the continuous strive to improve and perform better that makes certain nationalities world leaders and excel amongst less competitive nations.

The absence of formal competition in my sport is, however, something that I have enjoyed over the last three years. It has been more of a hobby than a competitive sport. It is also safer and more enjoyable for the newcomers when they accompany us on rides. The occasional testosterone overloaded rider that has to prove himself, quickly realizes that he is the only fan applauding him for crossing the line first.

Little was I to know the effect of a statement I made in a previous article where I mentioned how well Tiennie and his son Craig rode their 700 Raptors. Comments like, “Oooh reeeeaaally?” and “they can only ride on flat terrain,” “it’s only because

they know the area” and who knows what else was made by fellow Boers in the UAE. This was when I came up with the idea of some healthy competition between the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Riders. It had to be fair and cover all the bases so no excuses could be used after the ride. I was very cautious of using the word competition in my invitation and had to make sure that everyone understood it was an adventure and not a competition. This was only due to possible legal implications if someone got hurt during the “event”.

Neutral ground with mixed terrain had to be selected. Knowing some good areas around Al Ain that had not been ridden by

The team!

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any of us for more than a year, the planning started. I sent a draft invitation to get an idea of what the other riders thought of the plan. I immediately realized that this had been an outstanding requirement for some time. Everyone was keen on some healthy competition or adventure as I called it. Many a witty e-mail was sent to and from the “Clans”, all indicating the good camaraderie and “need” for this event.

To eliminate the logistics of refuelling, a 50km circular route was plotted (on Google) crossing some high, medium and small dunes. Louis, a trusted friend and I, took a drive out to the waypoints about a week prior to the race and placed some numbered cards at each turning point (one card per team). On arrival, each team was to take a number and continue. Exact GPS plots plus photos of navigation points like a tree, rock or fence were taken for easy recognition of where the cards were.

These co-ordinates were then sent via

Ettiene’s 2 Polaris quads used for ‘Recovery’ standby

e-mail a couple of days prior to the event so that participants could programme their GPS’s and study the route if they wanted to.

As the event took place only two weeks after I had sent the initial invitation out, I was not expecting more than about 15 Riders. The response was, however, overwhelming and 27 riders participated including 20 Boers!!!

The start was from our usual picnic area in Al Ain and by 8h30 all the riders had arrived and surprisingly nobody was late!!

I wanted to really make a fun day of the event and with the help of Louis, Mike and Charles we really showed them how to do it. Braais (bbq’s), shade, music and a very full cooler box!! On arrival everybody had a level of excitement in their voices. There are no events like this in the UAE. Here we have only two events. The Abu Dhabi Desert Classic, for champion level riders, and the UAE Desert Baja which was a more “social” event and catered for non-Professionals. The Baja as I understand had sadly been cancelled and even before the start of this event riders commented that this should become an annual or bi-annual event.

Good turn-up for the Fun Ride!

We divided the group into 5 teams and tried to balance the experience level of riders between the teams. Just before the start the rules, and the fact that it was an adventure and not a race, was explained and then the fun started!!!

We set off at two minute intervals with the faster teams in the front. The “adventure” was completed with only three incidents: one rider came off his bike only 500m from the start. No injuries, other than a slightly dented ego, made him opt to wait and join the sweepers at the back. The second was slightly more serious; as Driekus Top Adventurers: Craig, crossed a ledge in an old quarry area Tiennie, Pierre, Louw, Johan, his front wheel buried itself in soft Oliver & Mark! sand and he hit the ground very hard. The third was a rider that ran out of fuel. The route was only 50km and he should have made it. Their team, however, missed the third turning point and had to return to collect the card.

This added about 15km to their ride. They were originally part of the same team as Driekus but after Driekus fell they split. This was no problem but they had no phone with them and could not let anyone know of their preThe briefing dicament!!! We only found them three hours later when we sent out four different search parties………..

A spectacular start!

All in all a great event and outdoor adventure which was enjoyed by everyone. The mutual request from all the riders was for at least one more event before the summer. I am very pleased and proud of the Al Ain team for the effort they put in that made this 1st Rally such a huge success!! Prior to the printing of this article we had

already completed our second fun ride.

There is a definite need for this type of social interaction in the sport and we, the Al Ain team, will attempt to take this event to the next level this winter. Keep reading your OUTDOOR UAE for details of this upcoming event.

Go For Gold and Ride Safe, John Basson.

Hubby & wife team

Some Dubai riders

Special thanks to Mike, for being standby Paramedic, Marshal and Braai Koning!

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Standing Up

for the Jet Ski

After 37 years it seems that the Kawasaki standup Jet Ski might be confined to the history books... The legendary craft that has been developed from the 400cc Jet Ski in 1973 has come a long way, but maybe finally succumbing to final deadline on its old-school, two-stroke engine.

So where is the good news? That doesn’t mean if you buy a craft now, you won’t be able to ride it. On the contrary, current machines will be grandfathered in.

If you needed any more incentive to buy one of the most fun, athletic rides on the water, consider this. Kawasaki is sending out the current 800 SX-R in style, the new color and graphic schemes are a flashy, tribal-inspired

model…Moreover the Kawasaki is still one of the best Stand up Jet Skis on the water to date although in recent years it has had stiff competition mostly from Yamaha.

Having ridden stand up Jet Skis most of my life I have seen both sides of the coin, in my teens I was loyal to Kawasaki having had a 440cc, 550cc & 650cc, stand up skis not to mention the race skis I had when I used to race semi-professionally. In the new millennium the old Kawasaki dealership in the UAE lacked incentive to sell much of anything except spare parts. This is when I jumped to Yamaha and have owned several Yamaha Superjets over the last 10 years…

Now with Liberty Kawasaki taking over as the new dealer we see a fresh lease of life in the Kawasaki’s brand in the UAE. Suddenly the one who I had once been loyal to was back! So it was time to reacquaint myself and see what had happened to Kawasaki during my affair with Yamaha.

The look is younger and bolder, with green

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and black and white, these prime colors on a black hull, It looks hot and fresh and a break away from the old reds and blues. Kawasaki’s nod to the craft’s significance is subtle. A small badge on the handle pole reads “Tribute to 37 Years of Jet Skis.”

Below the flashy looks, however, remains the tried-and-true Kawasaki hull. Several years back Kawasaki tweaked the design and created a unique mix; the craft became more aggressive in turns for experienced pilots, and yet at the same time easier and more stable for beginners to learn on.

Much of the change came from hull-sides that flared outward toward the bow, and slimmed slightly aft. The change was akin to bolting on aftermarket sponsons that had become popular at the time, giving the boat more wetted surface where it counts and positioning the bow higher in the water. Stability also improved, but turning really advanced. The 800 SX-R can lock into a slalom course and carve it up with the precision of a chef at a Japanese steak house. At the same time it porpoises less under acceleration and handles more solidly in rough water.

The engine that’s in part causing the Jet Ski’s demise is still pretty darn good. A 781cc twin-cylinder, two-stroke, it pushes the boat to around 48 mph for those that have the skill to hold on, and features enough lowend punch to leap the boat out of the hole and accelerate strong. It’s also reliable and simple to maintain; many owners can forget trying to work on or troubleshoot today’s more complex four-stroke engines. A two-stroke, however, is much more simple for those with a little mechanical knowledge.

Basic daily maintenance is aided by a convenient freshwater flush fitting.

Verdict

So how does this stack

up against the established competition in the UAE? Well pretty damn good. It may be in the minority out here but this Ski has got style and to top it off it feels more focused in the corners than my old Super-jet, this Ski really does hook up in the corners when carving, it oozes enthusiasm. As far as power goes it’s pretty much the same, and there are also all the usual aftermarket parts out there to boost the power, should you want it.

For those of you who like to do your tail stands and tricks, it is harder to slide than a Superjet, but if you’re at an advanced stage where you can do the tricks you won’t have a problem getting your head around getting the Kawasaki into a slide!

Am I convinced? Yes, I would go back to Kawasaki…I just hope that this is not the last chapter for the Kawasaki Stand up Jet Ski! Ryan Trutch.

Hennie (Liberty Kawasaki’s after sales manager) gives Ryan some technical advice

Don’t Tell My Father...

Ten years ago one piece of advice my father gave me after my brother crashed his KTM 125 into a truck, whilst illegally crossing a fly over in Dubai was- ‘Darling if I ever see you ride a bike or a quad again your grounded’. Luckily my brother survived, but seeing the amount of physiotherapy he had to go through and the state of his leg and arm in plaster and the embedded metal plates, I decided to take my dad’s advice quite seriously.

Only until now did I decide to go against my father’s wishes and get on a quad again, I understand how dangerous it can be, but under supervision and instruction out in the desert and not on a road, I thought I should give it another go. (I just needed to remember not to mention it to him!)

On a mission to find out the best place to go and who to call- a friend of mine who is an avid motocross junkie passed on a lead to me- Emirates Bike Tours. Although EBT is a new company the owner James West has been doing bike tours in the UAE for 5 years, so his knowledge of the UAE desert is excellent. Based in Al Awir just by the sports stadium, they operate during the week but are mostly busy on the weekends.

Run by James, James Edmeades and Stuart Billington they have a collective experience of 2 and 4 Wheels, Moto-x, Rally, Endurance, Superbikes, Road bikes and much more! And after meeting them all I felt I was in safe hands. The only problem I could see was that I would never be able to get up in the morning…

“Getting up at 4.30 am to be on site by 5.00 am for the summer months, I thought to myself you’ve got to either have something wrong with you, or you just love what you do!? I was hoping for the latter after the adventure!”

Having minimal experience on a bike – I’m talking maybe 2/3 trips to the desert 10 years ago with my family the guys thought it would be best to try it all again on a Quad just for safe measure. They were actually a little nervous to even take me out to begin with, as Stuart explainedthey don’t cater for many beginners but rather people who have had some time on a bike or quad and want to take it onto the next level. They run ½ day and full day bike and quad

rentals, also specialising in tours around the deserts and mountains of the UAE, in addition to provide storage and service, but this is mainly for accomplished and experienced riders. However saying that they also do 1-2-1 guidance sessions for those less experienced like myself, so there are certain boxes you need to tick before diving head first into the sand!

Having run through the basics again, all supplied protective gear in place (after contemplating if the goggles go on the inside or outside of the helmet- don’t worry was quick to figure that one out) I got on the 450 Kawasaki Quad and started her up with a lovely little electric button. I thought to myself- this is much easier than I remember from kick starting a bike! Little did I realise pulling away, not so easy. After stalling a few times, I managed to get the hang of it again and with James Edmeades leading the tour my friend Tom at the back we set off into the desert.

At first I was going way too slow I thought I’ve got to push a bit faster if I’m going to represent any form of adventure chick and after a while I was actually keeping up with the pace (or the pace they had made for me lets not tell half truths here).

We came off the track, which runs parallel to the fence next to the highway and started climbing up and down dunes. It was quite unreal as you’ve got to keep up the power when hitting the bottom of the dune and hope to god you don’t bail out midway and fall off or get too much air at the top if your not ready for it which happened to me a few times.

We were only out for about an hour and a half and by 7.30 am you could already start to feel the heat, we had to stop a few times as I found myself a little unfit and using muscles I never knew I had. The guys left me to recover as they had a bit of fun on the dunes, and after drinking some water and panting heavily, I got back into it.

We headed into a flat area and had an encounter with a wild gazelle and rode alongside it for a while. By this point we were pretty far out in the desert and after another stop, James could see heading back was a safe option as I tried to step of the quad and fell face

first into the sand. My legs decided to stop working …I was so tense throughout the whole experience it overworked my quads so I couldn’t walk properly for a few days!

“Apart from the muscles tensing up the whole experience was fantastic, driving fast, getting hot, feeling uninhibited, you can escape out in the desert, push yourself up and down these dunes with adrenaline pumping through you and all before work starts at 9 am!”

The experience is a must for those looking to get back into it, and if you fancy yourself a bit of an adventure chick there are a few girls that go out during the week and weekends.

I even spotted Vicky White from Channel 4 when I was there!

Just remember if you are interested in making this activity your new pre work hobby as Stuart from EBT’s advises; This hobby is for sure dangerous, and riding in the desert you don’t go over the same track twice, the terrain changes constantly, and don’t forget the desert will always bite back!

If you want to find out more about this experience make sure you get in touch with Outdoor UAE to find out more about Emirates Bike Tours.

And what ever you do- just remember, don’t tell my father!

Desert Cat. x

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Activity:

Paddling

(surf ski)

ty: British

Nationali

PEOPLE

sley Jones

Name: Le

hy did .E. and w in the U.A for 4 ½ years. n e e b u i Duba have yo dHow long re? I have been in nth secon he 3 – 6 mo e a m n o o c y u ll yo itia ith work in le I stayed longer.

I came w peop y n a m e passion ment. Lik really my unning is R ? n y. it io v ss ur pa ional acti What’s yo reat addit ling is a g d d a p t dling – u b With pad ot/route? is one of sp lm te Pa ri u e ur favo hi to th at to get re g What’s yo om the Mina Seya r it is just Fr e n y. ays ll in a g e re b y an if some d As a nt routes. n the water – even ing ay st n my freque o a t th u e to be o the water the chanc lling into re time fa o m d n e I sp it. ut on top of Just get o aders? – re ak r ay u o K d & n i recomme ai Surf Sk b u u yo D o h d it t Wha ns. check w y it. Also ing sessio there & tr nts & train e v e r fo ) KC arly - it’s Club (DS Get out e e heat? water. th f h o it ts w u cope lus take lo yo P o . d rt o w ff o e H the ell worth always w

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Lesley

PEOPLE

SSE e De WERGIFO Name : Patric elgian Nationality : B Age : 33 ce 2005 In Dubai : Sin s d getting Telecom Sale ying Rugby an la Occupation : P , g in iv D y, tograph Hobbies : Pho dle of nowhere lost in the mid

When I first saw this car on Dubizzle 5 years ago (the Land Rover, pictured below), I immediately thought I would one day drive it back to Belgium. That was even before I started to hear about off-road driving, and falling in love with the desert and other empty and remote places. It is a 1989 Land Rover Defender 110, ex-UAE Army vehicle. Everybody likes this car. Even in Dubai where nobody has friends on the road, people of all nationalities wave at me. Some people even went as far as tailgating me in Oman, just to stop me and talk about the car!

The issue is that you don’t often get an occasion to do such a trip. Although some people manage to reach Northern Europe in 12 days, my aim was not really to get there, but rather to get lost in the middle of nowhere on the way. As I hadn’t been working since Christmas, I decided it was now or never. After exceeding my budget big time with my preparation delays, I will be soon ready to go.

The initial plan was to go through Saudi, Jordan and Syria (with a stop in Lebanon). However, the current situation in Syria made me reconsider this option. It would not be a problem to cross Syria, however, it wouldn’t really suit my way of travelling, turning every rock upside down in the country and going everywhere with a big camera.

So the journey will start with a boat trip to Bandar-Abbas. Itinerary will be Iran – Naxevan (not sure about the spelling, small enclave of Azerbaijan between Armenia and Iran) - back to Iran – Iraqi Kurdistan - Turkey… and then I will see. The only place I decided I’d like to visit in Europe is Vaduz in Liechtenstein. I don’t know why, maybe just to tick it off my list.

I was planning to go the long. However, as preparation took longer than expected, I will take “only” one month for the upward journey to avoid the peak of summer in the Middle East.

Then I will spend 2 weeks in Belgium and take 10 weeks to come back.

Why come back? Firstly, it’s because I don’t plan to leave Dubai anytime soon to return to paying taxes under the rain clouds. Secondly, because there is no way my car would pass registration anywhere in Europe. And thirdly, it is cheaper to drive back rather than shipping the car and flying back home.

I’m doing this trip for ‘me, myself and I’. I’m not supporting any charity as I didn’t want any sponsoring and other related obligations… just time for me to discover other cultures and travel slowly through remote places. I would like to take as few roads and as many tracks as possible. As if I needed an excuse to go off the beaten path, I will use the Degree Confluence Project (http://confluence.org/) as a thread for this trip. The goal of the project is to visit each of the latitude and longitude integer degree intersections in the world (e.g. E43 N42), and to take pictures at each location. The pictures, and stories about the visits, will then be posted on their website. There are dozens of points not yet visited in Iran and about 10 of them in Eastern Turkey.

So now the car is in the workshop for the final preparations (winch, tent, awning, electricity jobs, water tank …). Don’t tell me about the paradox of putting so much equipment on a 20,000 AED car which is all open with no AC - I know already. You will not

make me change my mind. Yes, I can be very irrational sometimes.

Google Earth is my best friend at the moment.

I don’t care about the general itinerary. I will use maps and my sight. But reaching the confluence points can be a bit tricky and requires some good research. If you enter the wrong valley, you can cover dozens of kilometres and never get close to the point…

So the car is nearly ready, almost all the equipment purchased, just admin stuff to clear (CPD, visas) in the next few weeks and I hope to be ready to hit the road by mid-July… and prove wrong all the ‘friends’ that predicted I wouldn’t even reach Sharjah to get the boat. For the first time since I purchased the car, I managed to do 1,500km without breaking down. That is a pretty good sign for the trip! And yes breakdowns will happen. Just an occasion to use the tonne of spare parts I’ll be taking with me and to meet more friendly people. Under social pressure, I eventually decided to write a blog.

So you will be able to follow my trip, but it is not ready yet. In the meantime, you can contact me on slowlanetonowhere@gmail.com. If you have an idea about how to use Google Earth offline, please let me know!

I will keep you posted, Patrice.

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Elham

Qasimi

PEOPLE

In April 2010, Elham Qasimi (brand ambassador of Adventure HQ) successfully trekked an unsupported expedition to the Geographic North Pole. During her often arduous but mostly inspiring three-week journey, Elham skied cross-country to the North Pole starting at 89 degrees latitude. As a result of her success she became the first Arab woman to set foot on the North Pole and the first UAE national to undertake an unsupported expedition to the North Pole. We present an exclusive interview of one of the most inspirational women of the world today.

Would you say, the north pole was your biggest achievement so far? Not only as a personal one also as an Emirati women? Yes it was, but it was not necessarily the step onto the pole itself that embodies this achievement much as it is the most visible aspect of it all. It is the journey to actually have the courage and the resilience to get there, and in my view the most difficult depth of courage to draw upon is the courage to surrender. I

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had to draw upon this a lot in the months leading up to the expedition. I chose the journey for the fun of it but also as a catalyst to really do some ‘housekeeping’ of my life and where I dedicated my energy as I felt there was leakage of my energy so to speak. I had no idea when I set out how tough the task of organizing and cleaning up my life to square up to the challenge would be. In the end it was a gift.

I will never forget how tough it was, especially each time I meet a charged Emirati woman at a public event, or motivational talk, and see that mix of questions and fire in their look, wanting to pursue their own unbeaten road but struggling to understand how to cut through the many layers. It is why I will never tire of engaging with them, with young people, and with people of other backgrounds alike.

What was the motivation for this expedition?

And what did it mean to you to succeed? I think I answered this in the previous question, but will elaborate further.

Did you ever want to give up? What was the hardest part (day) from the first day until your success? There was a day perhaps three days into the expedition when the

profound amount of silence, newly created mental space, and solitude surfaced old ghosts. You would think the extreme physical conditions your body is put through would be the hardest part, and it was indeed physically grueling. However it is when your mental composure deteriorates that you actually risk failure. That day I learned in order to move forward there were things I had to leave behind. Realising I would not make it if I didn’t purge myself of such old fears, doubts, and so on, I had no choice but to try much as it felt like a step in the dark.

It was a very personal experience, but I remember looking behind me as I skied and almost seeing little old beaten suitcases falling off the load on my shoulders.

I remember feeling lighter as I skied on.

And shockingly thinking those old stories and experiences I held onto made me who I was and underpinned my success. I let go and realized success was my own blood sweat and toil, it always had been all my life, and I simply undermined and held myself back by believing otherwise. It’s easy to say that now with the benefit of hindsight, but it was a very scary shot in the dark almost like stripping back your sense of identitiy and questioning whether it really is what you think it is. It turned out to be the best thing that ever has happened to me, a gift. All growth and progress comes through pain.

We are sure, this was not your last adventure.

Are you planning further expeditions? Can you tell us something about them? Any reminder or pictures of the north pole, and I immediately have a deep pull to do it all over again. And then there is the other par tof me that never wants to feel that cold again!

Suffice to say despite the conflicting desires the spirit of advaneture is rooted firmly in my soul. I can’t discuss the actual

coming people I have ever met. I was very much tempted to move there and open a little corner shop and live peacefully and quietly if I could sit still long enough! expedition until I am done researching and planning it. What I can tell you is it is taking longer to prepare/announce because it is, as you may expect, slightly more ambitious than the last expedition The north pole is most probably the complete opposite in climate to the UAE. Do you have any favorite sports and activities in the UAE? I have been away from the UAE for 7 years and have only just moved back to the UAE this year. I am so excited about exploring the outdoors and activities available to us practically year round, something I never had while living in Europe no matter how funt he outdoors are there!

I’m taking this as an opportunity to take cycling more seriously, it’s a great way to keep fit, and one that suits me as I get injured shins fairly quickly when I run too much.

I’m also very curious about open water kayaking, but that’s something I’ve never done before!

What is your favorite spot worldwide and in the UAE? Why? World wide: I haven’t seen enough of the world to really make that call yet, but of the places I have seen, The Serengeti ranks pretty high.

UAE- I love Ras Al Khaimah, its natural terrain has so much to offer. It would probably be a tie with Liwa however. The dunes there are stunning and the local community were truly the nicest most wel-

Extreme sports, adventures and the outdoors are dominated by men, do you think, that women in general and especially Emirati women fit into this world? Any such boundaries can only be creating by an indivdual and imposed upon herself. For example, why would the number of men vs women who have participated in an extreme sport before me matter unless I was subconsciously deselecting myself from participating on that basis?

There is absolutely no reason why being the first women or Emirati woman to do something be a factor to stand in your way unless you allow it. All that matters is that it is important and enjoyable to you, and that you are genuine in your effort to achieve your dreams. You do however have to take full ownership of the outcome, can’t wait for change to be handed to you.

What would you tell people (women) to motivate them to go outdoors and live their adventures? You only know your limits when you risk going too far. I found mine where no where near where I thought they were, and I certainly haven’t found my limit yet.

Nothing in the world beats persistence.

With persistence and the motivation to do things for the right reason, the goal is yours.

Is there anything else you want to add?

Something that helped find the courage to let me my more adventurous side emerge was surrounding myself with other people with similar ambitions/interests over a number of years. I think we should be more organized around this effort in the UAE to create a bit of inertia. We need that inertia for systemic change of habits and norms around extreme and outdoor sports. And in the end, lets not forget its healthy and innocent fun!

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10 Top Tips to Stay Adventurous and Active through this Summer Summer in the Gulf Gulf is weirdly similar to winter in the UK. Here instead of the cold and rain keeping you inside it’s the heat and humidity. But just as the UK has plenty of adventurous games to be played during the winter it’s the same here in summer. There is a knack to it and in this article I hope to help through passing on 10 top tips to you all.

Top Tip #1 – Stay acclimatized

Do your best to avoid air conditioning so you don’t lose your acclimatization to the heat. It takes about 2 weeks for a person’s body to go through the physiological changes needed to cope with the regions’ heat in the first place. Preserve this by regularly spending time outside and not keeping your air-con turned up to the max. I have mine set around the 26 to 27 mark so that the jump to the temperature outside isn’t so harsh (saves cash too!).

Top Tip #2 – Make the effort

I do find it harder to motivate myself to get out in the summer but have always found it worth the effort. Remembering this is important and helps make getting out of the door that bit easier.

Top Tip #3 – Stay safe

Do make plans with safety in mind. The big danger in the summer is hyperthermia (getting yourself unhealthily too hot and not

being able to cool down) or dehydration.

If you’re not used to managing yourself in the heat don’t stray too far from ways of being able to cool your core temperature down if you do cook up. Sources of air conditioning like vehicles are a useful safety net as are bodies of water like pools and the sea. Make sure you have access to plenty of drinking water and drink little and often.

Top Tip #4 – Front load your hydration While it’s obvious that keeping properly hydrated is crucial, what is less obvious is that thirst is an actual sign of dehydration.

If you wait till you’re thirsty it’s a bit too late.

In the summer I make a point of drinking a litre of water as soon as I get up as this kick starts my hydration and it’s then just a case of ensuring I keep topped up. Making sure I have plenty of water available is important and I’m a big fan of bladder systems like Platypus in backpacks to enable me to drink little and often when I’m on the go rather than stopping and fishing around in the bottom of a pack for a water bottle.

Top Tip #5 – Pick the right games to play

Some outdoor activities lend themselves more to the summer than others. Watersports obviously fit into this category.

Kayaking, scuba diving, surfing and stand up paddle boarding (SUP) are all brilliant all year round activities as just being by the water is cooler plus a quick dip has always been one of the best ways to cool off. Cycling generates its own breeze so is also a great year round activity. Just be careful to pace yourself to keep your body temperature from going through the roof. Heading to the hills is a great way to beat the heat. An effect known as the lapse rate means that for every 100m you go up a hill you’ll lose about 1 degree Centigrade of temperature.

This means that at 1000m above sea level it will be about 10 degrees cooler than down at sea level. Typically it’s also breezier which makes it feel cooler. Be careful though, referring back to top tip #3 and staying safe, it’s very easy to get much more remote and far from help in the hills so plan carefully.

Top Tip #6 – Choose your time

As it cools off at night it makes sense to make the most of this time. Most adventurous games can be played at night so making a plan to either start or finish in the dark is often worthwhile. Sea kayaking with the phosphorescence coming off your paddles is really something else. The regions’ mountain bikers can be found most evenings of the week out at Shawka doing laps of the single track they’ve been developing out there. You’ll find the regular Dubai Roadsters crowd leaving the Lime Tree Café for an

54

80km to 120km road bike ride an hour or so before dawn on a Friday morning.

Top Tip #7 – Wear the right clothing

The right clothing will protect your skin from the sun and help you manage the sweat that will be generated therefore helping to keep you as comfortable as possible. Go Sports, Intersports and the newly opened Adventure HQ all now sell ranges of technical clothing that will do the job brilliantly. Buff multi functional head wear can help protect the whole of your head as well as the back of your neck while also wicking away sweat. I find them brilliant either soaked in cold water and placed around my neck to keep cool or under a cycling helmet to prevent sweat running into my eyes while still protecting the back of my neck from the sun.

Top Tip #8 – Freeze your water

Good quality water bottles like the Triton Flasks from Lifesystems or the Platypus bladder systems can all be filled then put in the freezer over night. Use them the next day and you’ll have a constant source of crisp cold water for hours.

Top Tip #9 – Use isotonic drink supplements

Sweating doesn’t just dehydrate you, you also lose lots of important salts through your skin. Isotonic drinks will replace these keeping a spring in your step and making you feel much more able to cope with the heat. I often find mixing them at half strength makes them much more palatable in the heat ensuring I stay hydrated.

Top Tip #10 – Travel

Many people run away from the brutal heat of summer on the Arabian Peninsular which doesn’t make much sense given that it’s high season, busy and expensive everywhere.

However last weekend I discovered there were other options much closer to home.

The Gulf itself is a closed shallow sea guarded by the Straits of Hormuz and as a result tends to get quite warm during the summer.

The east coast always has slightly lower temperatures than the west as it is next to more open ocean. The further down this coast the cooler the average temperatures tend to be.

Once you get about a 3 hour drive beyond Muscat, even in the height of summer, the temperatures get down to below 30 degrees on average. Exploring this area is definitely worthwhile for any adventure seeker based in the Gulf. It took us about 8 hours to drive door to surf beach making it a very viable and cool weekend away.

Ian Ganderton.

Centered

Third

Golden Ratio

Point of Interest (Motive)

Snap Shots: A snap shot does not fall un-

der this topic and is as the name describes – a quick shot out of an impulse to catch a situation without considering much the creative aspect of a photograph. Even though snap shot result sometimes in amazing photo, this however is more based on luck and coincidence than control and creativity.

To take a good photograph think first and then press the shutter button. If you don’t think about what you want from the picture you will not succeed. (Or sometimes just be lucky)

Point of Interest: Choose one point of interest and try to create your scene around it. Keep in mind that sometime less is more.

Centered: The easiest rule is to keep your point of interest in the center of your picture.

Golden Ratio: A centered point of interest

is often considered as boring. One of the most important rules in photography is the golden ratio. Using the golden ration to arrange your scene, you have to do some math or you try to follow the graphic below to

1/3

1/3

a

about 61,8%

b

about 38,2%

Golden Ratio Φ = a:b = (a+b):a

place you point of interest on point C. (check online for golden ratio, it would be too long to explain here) www.kleine-fotoschule.de/ bildgestaltung/goldenerschnitt.html

Rule of Thirds: A little bit

The point of interest is chosen by the golden ratio to highlight the main motive the paddler in front the background is off focus (blurred)

>

>

easier to apply is the rule of thirds, where you simply put your point of intrest offcenter, on a line two thirds on one side and one third on the other.

Horizon: You can apply

the golden ration or the rule of thirds to place the horizon in your scene. You should always try to keep the horizon horizontal and not droping in one direction.

Image detail: Choose the part of the scene you want to include around your point of interest. This includes for example if the image format: landscape or portrait as well as how far you want to zoom in or get close to your point of interest.

Perspective: The perspective is one very important part of the atmosphere in the photograph. Think about the perspective – there is more than just your usual perspective while standing. Lying on the ground or taking a photo from above can change the appearance of a subject dramatically. Also The point of interest is centered in these pictures, to compare the chosen image detail the left one is in landscape format and the other one in portrait format. The face of the person is lit by the evening sun, the back of the dune is already in shade.

>

Some people are born with a sense for aesthetic photos and will always catch the right balance and placement of their subjects.

We could write a book about this topic and there are books written about it. What we want to do in this article give you some little hints if you have the feeling of struggling with your choice of ‘the point of interest’ and your scene. There are some basic rules you can follow for the beginning, which will help you.

1/3

>

In the past articles we focused only on technical aspects of digital photography, which is most time logic and absolute. But the essential part of each and every photo is not based on technical things, knowing the techniques and rules and understanding them is still important as you must be able to master your tools, but without a sense for a photo all technical knowledge would be useless. Every month we get amazing photos with the simplest tools – why? Because the choice of the point of interest and the motive is simply amazing.

the choice of focal length will have a big influence on your perspective and the atmosphere. Extreme and dramatic perspective might also result in bent lines or distortions, which could be a desired effect.

Focus: First define your fore and back-

ground, and then put the focus on the right spot. With the sharpness in the picture (depth of field / f-stop) you can manipulate your photograph and drive the viewer of your image directly to your point of interest.

Keeping parts of an image vanished will also influence a lot of the atmosphere of an image. In other situations you might desire sharpness throughout the whole photo to catch each and every detail.

Light: Light is the mastering force for pho-

tography. Photography is all about capturing light. Therefore it is no surprise that light is one key element in your scene. This is also a huge topic which we try to put in a very few sentences.

Analyze the light situation: What and where is the light source or sources? Can you influence the light situation? We will focus here only on available light like the sun what applies to the outdoors. The sun is a single light source but might be (and in general is) bounced back by other objects and surfaces which generates and ambient light. You need to analyze is the angle of the sun and the shadows and be aware that the best light is usually in the morning and the evening hours after sunrise and before sunset – the so call golden hour (twilight).

Rules are there to be broken, creativity has no borders so what is mentioned above are hints but are not absolute rules. Feel free to experiment and enjoy taking photos.

Don’t forget to send us your best shots! contact@outdooruae.com

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Location, location!

On our travels up and down the UAE coastline in car, kayaks and Jet boats alike, Outdoor UAE stumbles across all sorts of hidden gems. We stay true to the fact that all natural environments should remain natural, and if you were to go visit any of our locations remember to respect the area and it’s habitat.

When on the Jetboat experience mentioned below in Umm Al Quain we noticed some abandoned fishing peirs on our travels, small communities of fishermen live on these islands and look after the areas, maintaining the balance of life on the Natural Reserve. The Mangrove area of Sinayah Island is mostly popular for kayakers, or any watercraft with shallow hulls as the low tides can fall down to your ankles in the blink of an eye.

On these islands you can see flocks of Great Cormorants, groups of turtles and gazelle. We were lucky enough to spot some gazelle, and adventure onto a small abandonded fishing peir, and on the way back down the coast line taking in the industrious fishing community breaking for lunch in the midday sun. All in all a little adventure in itself....

The area is : N25° 38’39.2”, E055°41”41.0” This is known as Sinayah Island Natural Reserve- Umm Al Quwain Mangroves.

Where no one can hear you scream!

Gus from the The Boat House invited Outdoor UAE to have a spin in one of the smallest and fastest little jet boats around. As Gus mentions, ‘This is the first performance Jet boat of its kind in the UAE and the Gulf’.

N.Z built, the design is a hybrid copy of America’s Outlaw Eagles racing marathon boats, which are designed for white water and shallow water boat racing. With an aggressive performance these boats call out for adrenaline junkies and are ‘the ultimate toy’ for speedboat enthusiasts.

ers a cky read ense to g two lu n lic ri ’s e it ff o d ’ an er UAE is ‘Velocity AE’s fac Outdoo erience tdoor U p u x O e n to o ners to r in e b W . m e w chance m to the dra . come a thrill! Be to be entered in nth f the mo ge book pa ced at the end o n u be anno

Whipping up and down the Umm Al Quwain coastline (the ideal place to have an experience) the boat can comes within cm’s of the mangroves as it weaves it’s way in and out of the lagoons.

Breathtaking and adrenaline-fuelled the experience also has a calming effect on you as the boat gracefully skims across the ankle deep shallows.

It’s aerodynamic hull and simple yet vivid splash graphics pictured to the left somewhat don’t do the boat justice. Don’t be fooled by it’s toy like appearance, it’s jet engine gives it a license to become one of the most rapid and boisterous pieces of kit there is out there on the water, and coupled with heightened wind noise it becomes a place where no one can hear you scream….

SPECS: Name: Velocity Length: 18 Feet Hand built chevy 600HP+ Performance Engine Top Speed: 62 Knots ( 115kph) Runs in as little as 15 cm of water.

TIPS: Bring Sunglasses with you, you can’t keep your eyes open otherwise!

If you want to find out more about the Jet Boat and where you can spot it over the next few months, get in touch with Outdoor UAE! Email: contact@outdooruae.com

57

Final Thought

plastic not so fantastic Our passion is the great outdoors.

We love to discover new places, but unfortunately we have encountered all too often the destructive effects of plastic pollution in the most remote corners of the globe. Our mission is to raise awareness about plastic pollution from the United Arab Emirates to the rest of the world. Thus came the idea to combine the two – a great journey with a great cause. The PlasticNotSoFantastic (PNSF) Expedition was born.

We both grew up with a strong environmental conscience, particularly in all things relating to plastic. David, through his father’s work as a veterinarian, became aware of the destructive and often fatal effects of plastic pollution in the animal kingdom at an early age. Theresa’s love of the beach and sea was all too often marred by irresponsible beach goers leaving their waste behind, and the increasing quantity of plastic based debris being washed onto the beaches, a significant amount of which was clearly from sources outside of the UAE. David and his father work at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory here in Dubai. David’s father first coined the term “Fatal Pollution” based on the fact that one of the most common causes of death in animals which come to them for post mortem analysis is as a result of plastic ingestion.

The animals are unable to expel the plastic, which forms a calciferous mass in their stomachs, weighing up to 58 kilograms, and they eventually die a slow and painful death. If the animal is lucky enough still to

be alive when it’s delivered to them there is a chance to try and flush the plastic out, but this is very rarely successful.

However, in the end, you know that even if you save one animal, there will be hundreds where you won’t succeed. Like with an illness, treating the symptoms doesn’t provide a cure. The only way to provide a cure is to prevent the animals eating plastic in the first place, which means that us humans have to stop creating so much waste and dumping it in the oceans, deserts, mountains and beaches just because we are too lazy to take it home or dispose of it responsibly.

Hence, we spend our weekends collecting rubbish on the beach, in the desert and in the mountains. We spent part of our honeymoon cleaning up a wonderful plateau in Oman, which was a favourite picnic spot for Omani’s until the government closed the road to the site because the rubbish problem was getting unmanageable.

We do believe that attitudes to waste creation and management are slowly changing in the UAE, nevertheless, the UAE remains one of the highest per capita producers of waste in the world, and there is still consid-

58

erable progress to be made both in the UAE and across the globe. The world’s largest concentration of floating plastic waste has accumulated in the North Pacific, between Hawaii and the west coast of the United States, and is estimated to be twice the size of Texas. A second, equally large, polluted area has now been confirmed to exist in the North Atlantic Ocean. The vastness of the oceans makes it difficult to ascertain the extent of current levels of plastic pollution, coupled with the fact that over time plastic breaks down into small particles barely visible to the naked eye. Fish feed on this “plastic plankton” and we feed on the fish, and end up ingesting the toxic cocktail.

It’s therefore clear to us that an awareness campaign which focuses on reducing the consumption of single use plastics is essential to target the source of the problem, which is a lack of understanding and environmental consciousness.

The PNSF Expedition is not only dedicated to promoting awareness of the consequences of plastic pollution, but we also intend to seek viable alternatives to single use plastics, and to transfer new technologies, community schemes and methods of reducing plastic

consumption to our stakeholders here in the UAE. We are working hard to make sure that a broad range of stakeholders will benefit from the PNSF Expedition, and naturally, the general public is one of our stakeholders and we intend to convey information to them, through pictures, videos and blogs on our Facebook, Twitter, Issuu and You Tube pages.

Environmental agencies, NGOs and academic institutions are some of our other stakeholders. They will receive data and non-copyrighted material, which they will be free to use for any purpose they wish (projects, studies, campaigns, literature, school visits, advertisements, web content, etc.). Through us (and our truck) they will be able to reach some extremely remote communities which they would either never reach, or it would cost the NGO a significant amount of their precious capital, to achieve aims which we can do on a funded basis.

Our sponsor companies are also our stakeholders. Their customers and staff will become more aware of the problem of plastic pollution, which in turn should have an impact on their consumer decisions.

The PNSF Expedition is endorsed and supported by the US based NGO Plastic Pollution Coalition, as well the Emirates Marine Environmental Group and Emirates Environmental Group. Together with these organizations and future endorses and spon-

sors, we intend to provide information, data, case studies and constructive encouragement to both corporations and individuals by raising awareness of the consequence of the irresponsible consumption of single use plastics and show that our consumption in the UAE has not only regional, but also global implications.

We believe that individuals will make the difference. If everybody does their bit, a lot can be achieved. Our ACT NOW tips include:

• • •

• •

•

Take your own carrier bags when you go shopping. Buy a couple of reusable cotton or jute bags and keep them with you.

•

Buy a re-usable water bottle and keep filling it up, instead of buying plastic water bottles.

The same goes for your home – use a filter and water jug instead of plastic water bottles.

Try to reduce your consumption of pre-packaged food – start meals from scratch or buy / ask for less packaging at the supermarket.

Do not leave your rubbish at your camp site or when you stop for a break.

Recycle – there are plenty of collection points in the UAE for recyclable waste.

Confront plastic polluters and make your voice heard.

EXPLORE ENCOUNTER INVESTIGATE –LEARN ACT! 59

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kawasaki@liberty.ae

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Manufacturer LRC Off Road Engineering, Dubai, +971553198526, www.lrcoffroad.com Repair and services Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +97143392449, www.offroad-zone.com Equipment AEV, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +97143307152, www.aev.ae Icon Auto, Dubai, +97143382744, www.icon-auto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, Um AL Ramoul, +971509029800, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Dubai, Times Square Centre & Festival City, +97143418592, www.yellowhat.ae

ADVERTISE HERE 40mmx100mm 1200AED/Month Call: 04-4472701

Surf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Dubai, Dubai, Al Raha Bldg, Al Barsha 1, +97143990989, www.surfshopdubai.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributor Ocean Sports FZE, +971559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Operator Al Forsan Resort, Abu Dhabi, +97125568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971502547440, www.kitesurf.ae Kite4fun, Abu Dhabi, +971508133134, www.kite4fun.net Nautica1992, Dubai, +971504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Sky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +97143999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf Adventures UAE, Dubai, Al Barsha1, +97143990989, www.surfadventuresuae.com Surf School Dubai, Umm Suqeim & Al Barsha, Dubai, +97143990989, www.surfschooluae.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle www.uaesup.com

ADVERTISE HERE 83mmx70mm 1200AED/Month Call: 04-4472701

Sadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +97125578000, www.sbgolfclub.ae Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +97143999005, www.golfandshootingshj.com SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emirates, +97144094000, www.skidxb.com Spacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +97124463653, www.spacewalk.ae

Water Parks

NEED MORE EXPOSURE?

Aquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +97144260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwaim, Emirates Road, +97167681888, www.dreamlanduae.com Wild Wadi, Dubai, +97143484444, www.wildwadi.com

Advertise with us or get into our directory for free.

Just send an e-mail to

Other leisure activities

Tour Operator Desert Road Tours, Dubai, +97142959429, www.desertroadtours.com Off Road Adventures LLC, Dubai, +971506289667, www.arabiantours.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com Filipino Off- Road Club, www.forac.ae ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com

STUDIO

LIGHTING

CAMERA

GRIP

PRINT

PRO PHOTOGRAPHIC EQUIPMENT AND STUDIO RENTAL STROBE PROFOTO ++ CONTINUOUS KINO FLO, MOLE RICHARDSON, ARRI, FILMGEAR, LEE ++ CAMERA / LENS CANON, NIKON, HASSELBLAD, PENTAX, SINAR, MAMIYA ++ GRIP RED ROCK, APPLE, AVENGER, MANFROTTO, CALIFORNIA SUNBOUNCE, POCKET WIZARD, LASTOLITE, LEE, ROSCO, EIZO, HONDA ++DSLR SENSOR CLEANING ++ FINE ART GICLEE PRINTING ++ LANGUAGES SPOKEN P-H-O-T-O-G-R-A-P-H-Y

Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.org Mirdiff Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.com

Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding

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or call: 04 44 72 701

hotcoldrental.com

Running

Equipment Leisure Marine Beach Hut, Dubai, The Walk JBR, +97144243191 Pearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.com

contact@outdooruae.com

Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 97125588990, www.adgolfclub.com Dolphin Bay Atlantis, Dubai, +97144260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +9713369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.ae Ifly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdiff City Centre, +97142316292, www.iflyme.com

PADI Career Development Centre Jumeirah Beach Hotel P.O. Box 11416, Dubai, UAE Email: divecentre@jumeirah.com Tel: +971 4 406 8828 Web: www.thepaviliondivecentre.com

TEL +971 (0)4 347 9820 WEB WWW.HOTCOLDRENTAL.COM SKYPE HOTCOLDRENTAL

GPS COORDINATES

25.1174 NORTH 55.2147 EAST AL QUOZ 20C STREET, DUBAI

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