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Vol. 5, No. 6 June 2015
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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
OutdoorUAE Team
June is definitely getting hotter but with careful planning we can still get outside, keep active and enjoy some adventure.
OutdoorUAE this month is about diving. Dubai, the East Coast of the UAE and Musandam has some of the most spectacular and accessible diving anywhere. Companies with qualified instructors can offer a whole variety of courses from taster sessions to multi-day adventure dive expeditions. You can scuba around Atlantis on the Palm or marvel at the remoteness, isolation and huge fish in the sea off the Straits of Hormuz. For a change, take a trip over to the East Coast and spend a weekend in Fujairah. Where better to escape the soaring temperatures than looking at corals and sea life on the ocean floor. I have been back from Nepal for a month now. Already I have got back into routine here in Dubai. It is the first summer in five years that I have not planned a two-month escape from the heat.For the next few months I will be here. Routine is esSean James sential in life and provides Editor stability. sean@outdooruae.com
Life in the UAE, especially in the summer can often seem like living in a goldfish bowl; fast paced, very intense and no escape. However, giving your routine a little natural uplift and boost is always a good idea; especially if like me you are staying here. What better way than to have a short adventure in the UAE and de-stress, disconnect and explore somewhere and something new. Every month we keep telling you the same message - Get outdoors and have an adventure either by yourself, with friends or with a group. You will definitely feel instantly revived. Watch out for details of presentations around the UAE about the Everest trip in combination with the partners who have supported us throughout. Now is the time not only to try something new as Ramadam approaches and we have a little free time but also to plan ahead for the cooler months. In the office we are busy planning the Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show. It will be in October on the beautiful green fields of Sport City. A huge success last year, it is an event that is not to be missed for retailers, exhibitors, tour companies, companies, visitors and adventure enthusiasts looking to give new activities and events a go. The best time to plan a three-day spectacular and entertaining event that lasts for three days is in the summer so make sure you keep in touch with how to be part of it.
Editor For editorial content and press releases Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 5760322 editor@outdooruae.com
Distributor Tawzea, Abu Dhabi Media Company P.O. Box 40401, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
Sales & Marketing (advertisement enquiries) Tel: 04-447 2030 Mobile: 055 9398915 linda@outdooruae.com
Printed at United Printing and Publishing P.O.Box: 39955, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Published by Outdoor UAE FZE In cooperation with A2Z EVENTS P.O. Box 215062 Dubai, U.A.E. Tel. 04-447 2030 contact@outdooruae.com www.outdooruae.com Cover photo by: Suunto, Conquer New Territory
© 2015 Outdoor UAE FZE Vol. 5, No. 6, June 2015
© 2015 Outdoor UAE FZE Reg. at Creative City Fujairah P.O. Box 4422, Fujairah, U.A.E.
Keith Pereña Editor keith@outdooruae.com
Eulogy van Dyk Editor Qatar eulogy@outdooruae.com
Linda Turcerova Sales and Marketing linda@outdooruae.com
Katherine Cañedo Patangui Administration kathy@outdooruae.com
Jung Francisco Designer and Photographer jung@outdooruae.com
EXPERTS & CONTRIBUTORS
Marina Bruce The Desert Diva and off-road expert
Kit Belen Our fishing pro
Nico de Corato Diver and heli rescue swimmer with Bergamo Scuba Angels
www.OutdoorUAE.com Facebook.com/OutdoorUAE Twitter.com/OutdoorUAE
Ivana Chiles Health coach and outdoor enthusiast
Instagram.com/OutdoorUAE
The information contained is for general use only. We have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this magazine has been obtained from reliable sources. The publisher is not responsible for any errors. All information in this magazine is provided without a full guarantee of completeness, accuracy and chronology. In no event will the publisher and/or any of our affiliates be held responsible for decisions made or action taken in reliance on the information in this magazine. All contents are copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any form without prior written permission.
Daniel Birkhofer Founder and General Manager daniel@outdooruae.com
Cindy Stadelmann Equestrian expert
Trace Rogers SuperTri triathlon coach
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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
CONTENTS 26 DUBAI MARLINS
30 RIDING HOLIDAYS
EVERY ISSUE 05 BEST SHOTS 06 EVENTS CALENDAR 38 LIFESTYLE 50 PRODUCTS 62 PEOPLE 71 DIRECTORY
EVENT REVIEWS & REPORTS 17 NORTH FACE NIGHT ROCK RUN 18 DMX AWARDS NIGHT 23 GMC TRI SERIES DOHA
36 SHARK ISLAND
TRAVEL + ADVENTURE 33 DIVE TRIP TO MUSANDAM 34 THE HONEY BADGER DIARIES
LIFESTYLE 38 WANT TO BE AN AUTHOR? 40 HEALTH POWERHOUSE
OUR EXPERTS 56 PLASTIC RIGS - KIT 58 SWIM AROUND THE PALM - TRACE 60 SLIP FACES - MARINA
63 A WEEK IN MUSANDAM
TIPS + TRICKS 66 MTB EXERCISES
58 KHALED ZAKI
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70 SEA KAYAK SKILLS
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
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BEST SHOTS Here are the best shots sent in by you for our monthly photography competition! Thank you for all your entries, they were all great and it was hard selecting the best photos this month. Congratulations to the top three winners, who will each receive Buff headwear, five free copies of the magazine and the Advance Off-road Guidebook: Stephen Turner, John Kenneth Yee and Juraj Roka. Well done! To submit your entries, simply email us at competitions@outdooruae.com with the subject “Best Shots.”
Stephen Turner
Camel sand bath
John Kenneth Yee
I started finding ways to break the back end loose and almost drift the thing sideways.
Juraj Roka
Sunset over the Liwa dunes with two friends, generations apart.
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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
EVENTS CALENDAR Stay up-to-date with the latest events FEATURED EVENT
Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show 2015
October 29-31, Dubai Sports City The Dubai Off-Road and Adventure Show will be back this year with even more fun and entertainment than last year. Shops and services will offer amazing bargains and there will be many activities to try out for the whole family. The event will take place from 29th to the 31st of October 2015 at the Dubai Sport City. We are inviting all Off-Road and outdoor clubs (groups) to take part with a free stand in this community focused event. For more information, visit dubaiaventureshow.com or email us at info@dubaiadventureshow.com
Paddle for the Planet June 6, Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Dovetailing the World Environment Day on the 5th of June, Paddle for the Planet is back this year with bigger surprises! Now backed by the International Canoe Federation, this year’s Paddle for the Planet promises more fun-filled activities aimed at raising environmental awareness not just in the UAE but the rest of the world! Simultaneous water activities will go underway across the globe from the United States, Australia, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, South Africa, the United Arab Emirate, Hong Kong and the Philippines. Events are being organized by local communities in the UAE with unique events taking place in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. For more information, visit www.paddlefortheplanet.org.
Dubai Desert Road Run Summer Scorcher June 6, 6:00 a.m., The Sevens Stadium
Taking place in right in the middle of summer, The Dubai Desert Road Run Summer Scorcher is an aptly named sport event that allows runners to follow their progress throughout the year and socialize with fellow runners. The race takes place several times during the year, so that runners can keep track of their progress. It includes a 10km race for adults and those above 14 years old, a 3km junior race, ages 6 to 18, and a 3km fun run, which is untimed. This time around, there will be a 10k race and a 3k fun run with medals given to all who finish the race. Trophies will be awarded to the first three men and women in all age categories for the 10k run. Participants are able to enter a single run or register for as many dates as they wish. For more information, visit www.premieronline.com. 6
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Summer Boulder Bash powered by Five Ten
June 12 and 26, 11:00 a.m., Rock Republic Dubai Get ready to climb your way towards a fun filled summer in the second and third rounds of Rock Republic’s Summer Boulder Bash. This honour based event requires participants to score themselves to determine who will be the victor across three categories. The event is open to climbers of varying skills even first timers to the world of climbing are welcome! Prizes await lucky winners such as free memberships, climbing gear and of course tons of quality time with friends, colleagues and family! For more information, visit www.facebook.com/rock.republic.dubai.
Saris Summer Solstice 100 Miler June 19, 9:00 p.m., Al Qudra Cycle Course – Top of the T by Zads Cafe
To keep the energies high over the summer season why not come and ride on the third longest day of the year with a 100 mile century ride on the Al Qudra Cycle Path. The event is not a race but more of a timed group ride on what is also shortest night of the year in the middle of the Dubai summer. Because this ride is being held during Ramadan, a take away breakfast pack will be provided after the event. Participants set out together at 9:00 p.m. from the Top of the T and then depending on numbers may split into a fast and steady group. After each lap participants are advised to regroup for water and food and then keep going, expecting a 10-minute stop after each lap. Saris have donated some racks as prizes so the aim of this ride is to be as visible as possible so pimp your bike and yourself out with anything that glows. For more information, visit www.premieronline.com.
Dubai Sports World
June 21 – August 29, Dubai World Trade Centre The largest indoor sports event of its kind! The Dubai Sports World offers sports enthusiasts all over Dubai a chance to enjoy their favourite sports indoors to beat the summer heat! With one of the biggest indoor playing fields which includes football, basketball, volleyball, tennis courts and more. Book a court with friends and family or simply join in on other players and have fun playing your favourite sports safe from the heat of Dubai’s infamous summer. For more information, visit www.dubaisportsworld.ae.
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NEWS + COMMUNITY
Your Ultimate Travel Buddy: UB-COOL.com launches in the UAE UB-COOL.com, the world’s first online adventure hub, was launched in Dubai amidst several global operators from within the adventure tourism industry. This game changing platform aims to capitalise on the growth witnessed by the global adventure tourism industry and chose Dubai as its home base for its launch.
The site offers a wide range of action filled activities around the world like water based adventures (such as diving, rafting, fishing etc.), trekking and hiking, cycling and biking, desert adventures, winter adventures as well as very cool adventures (which could be anything from canoeing to sky diving). International destinations already include Switzerland, South Africa, Indonesia, Greece, Thailand and many others.
This tourism hub aims to provide travellers with the most accessible and cost-effective way of booking the broadest selection of worldwide adventures. UB-COOL.com is an innovative and user-friendly platform dedicated to adventure-seekers, young, youngat-hearts and world explorers. Working directly with adventure providers, the online booking site provides clear information for each adventure, from prices to itineraries to travel equipment. Each offering on the site also provides a brief description, things to bring in the destination, age restriction, travel time, dates and package inclusions. Everyone can browse UB-COOL. com’s offerings from their computers, tablets and smartphones and with just a few clicks people can book or cancel their adventures. Medina Ilyassova, the founder of the website explained why people should join UB-COOL.com, “Adventure providers directly give us the price and that’s exactly what we post on the website. Several sites
have reviews that are not genuine and we have ensured that only real people can leave reviews on our platform”. The event was graced by the presence of Her Excellency, Maitha Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary of Oman Ministry of Tourism. UB-COOL.com will continue to update their site with new adventures, so keep an eye out for it! For more details, visit their website at www.ub-cool.com.
Record participation in the first ever In an exhilarating environment amidst fun and cheer; Dubai’s Al Barari came alive with The Sand Pit’s debut obstacle run on 17th of April. Conceptualised bearing in mind the aim of showing people that they are capable of taking on challenges by working together towards a shared goal; the event’s debut logged an impressive 1,100 number of participants including individuals and groups. As The Sand Pit Run kicked off, participants were seen cruising further and overcoming
obstacles with team effort. The only event in the Middle East that’s focused solely on an untimed obstacle run, the primary intention was offering a fun event rather than a competition. The entire event was buzzing with efficient comradeship as “Pitizens” turned up in various costumes and realised their true potential in physical and mental abilities whilst having fun. Firas Masri, Co-Founder and CEO of The Sand Pit remarks that “It is encouraging to experience the kind of support and turnaround we received on our debut event. Our motive was to devise a bi-annual sports event that is full of challenges both mental and physical but at the same time, an event that will make people achieve it together and not pit them against each other in competition. A winning streak when achieved with a team effort always feels more rewarding and conditions the mind better for real-life situations. We are happy that participants just let loose and simply had fun.” UAE’s first ever untimed fitness challenge; runners in The Sand Pit worked together to overcome 15 obstacles ranging from crawling under barbed wires, a four meter slide into a water pit, a run on sand dunes, climbing up a three metre wall to sliding on ice cold water; to name a few. With interesting titles, the
obstacles like Sub Zero, Into The Pit, Stride of Pride, The Ape Dome, Alcatraz etc. were designed not only to test mental and physical abilities but also encourage collaboration as opposed to competition in obstacles like, The Quarter Pipe, A Friend In Need and Walley to name a few. As many as 1,100 men and women alike participated in The Sand Pit’s debut while another 250 cheered the event as morale-boosting spectators. Participants were awarded with prizes for the best dressed individual, team, best slide Into the Pit and the best selfie!
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Summit Fever
Mount Everest – North East Ridge and establishing higher camps on the mountain. This final part should have been about the final days preparing to climb over 8000m and the freedom of climbing a beautiful ridge This is part three following my to the summit looking one way into the beautiful country of Nepal and the other way into climb to the summit of the Tibet. Instead I am now back in Dubai. highest mountain in the world, Everything changed on the 25th April. Not Mount Everest. just for me but the people of Nepal. By now, we all know about the devastating earthquake Part one was written a month ago before I and the long term damage that it has caused left from Dubai and in part two we spent many to Nepal and its people. We had been away weeks acclimatizing, getting to base camp from Dubai for just over four weeks when the Langtang Village completely buried after the first earth- first waves struck. We could feel them moving quake. You can just see the lakes in the foreground underneath us. Lucky for us we were at base camp on the north side and our tents were in the middle of a flat area so rocks that were shaken free simply tumbled to the side. The pictures and reports that appeared instantly on social media showed just how lucky the north was. No one lost their life on the north. We were shaken, literally and continued to be for the next two weeks. It took us that long to be evacuated to Lhasa and then fly home. That period was a time of huge uncertainty for everyone. The aftershocks became a regular feature of our lives. We remained at base Langtang Village in the middle of April camp waiting for the CTMA (Chinese Tibetan Mountaineering Association) to transport us to safety. Normally we would have driven back through Kodari to Kathmandu but the road was so devastated that we had to go north to escape. The narrow and winding pass that cuts through the Himalaya will take months if not years to reopen. Words By: Sean James
June
Even after the earthquakes the Nepalis are thinking of others
As I write this it should be coming up to summit day. This will be the first time since 1974 that no one has summited Everest. Each year the weather window that allows people to climb high is around 20th May so a lot of the 60 days on expedition is spent waiting and watching. At all other times of the year it is just too cold and too windy because of the jet stream.
The Jet Stream
Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the Earth’s atmosphere. Jet streams are caused by a combination of the planet’s rotation on its axis and atmospheric heating. The jet stream sits on top of Everest almost all year long and when it does the winds at the summit can blow at over 300kmh and lower temperatures to -60 degrees Celsius. In mid-May each year, the jet stream moves north causing the winds to drop and temperatures to become warm enough for people to try to summit. This is called the “summit window”. There is a similar period each fall in November but it is less predictable. At the start of this week there was another 7.4 quake on the 12th of May. Even though I wasn’t in Nepal this time, I felt like I was. Social media instantly came alive with reports of an epicentre around Jhiri - a new one and not an aftershock. It had been predicted like many of the 300 aftershocks I had been through. My
Kathmandu airport set up to receive aid workers and those looking to help
An unexpected visit to Lhasa and the Potala Palace
friends who were still in Nepal reported that this one appeared more violent than the first one; luckily it was deeper and the damage to the infrastructure of Nepal was apparently less or maybe it was just now old news. All of our Sherpas had just returned to Kathmandu to be reunited with their families. It had taken them over two weeks to get home. They are brave people but even they are scared. They don’t ask for help often but now the messages I get are heartbreaking. Sherpas I have worked with over the years are venting their anguish and frustration on Facebook, questioning why it was happening to them and their families again. The young son of a Sherpa who I have never met uses his dad’s account to message me: “Lakpa Dendi Sherpa climber house has been destroyed today in We featured Jangbu Sherpa in last months issue. He’s climbed Everest many times now he and his family are living in a tent
Nepal 12:50 pm by earthquake. So he is still in here all his small children and wife are feeling sad. I hope if you can help to him whatever you can. We are still in very unsafe situation. Because our village are totally undevelopment country. As we hear in Kathmandu there is still no government help”. I felt helpless. Back home in Dubai I did not feel the waves through the ground and the rocks shaking themselves loose from the mountains as before but the sense of sadness and desperation is all too real. What can we do for them? The monsoon is approaching and their complete families are living in tents because their whole houses are lost; others because their houses are too unstable. Aftershocks are still happening regularly every day and people are scared. I still have friends there who are helping with the relief effort. Another friend, Jangbu Sherpa was featured in the May issue. He’s climbed Everest many times and now he is living with his family in a tent in Kathmandu. With the trekking and climbing season effectively finished, tourists have left Nepal. There are some but nowhere near the numbers that are expected at this time of the year. I flew back to Kathmandu and spent a day in the capital. It had a deserted feeling. The streets were empty and the world press has left. Certain districts have suffered more damage than others and only now is the true extent of the damage in the countryside being discovered as aid agencies are able to get to people. The terrain and lack of roads makes any movement without a helicopter very difficult. One of the areas that suffered was the Langtang Valley. Only three weeks before we had trekked through on our acclimatization stage, spending seven days in the region, we had made many friends of the café and lodge
owners. On 25th of April the entire Langtang Village was buried under a landslide. Over 200 inhabitants and westerners staying there were lost in a matter of minutes. The pictures show the total destruction of such a beautiful area. Back in Dubai everybody wants to help but the situation is very confusing. Where should money be directed and to whom? What is happening with the aid that is there already? Who do we help first? What do we give? Can we collect money? Although my adventure started as a quest to climb Everest this has really turned into something very different. A huge thank you to all the individuals, companies and organizations that have supported me, we hope you are following and it inspires you to keep doing what you are doing. Keep checking the OutdoorUAE and OutdoorArabia media channels for more immediate updates. We would like to thank the following sponsors for their interest and support in what we do and in particular Everest 2015.GO Sport and the Millet brand as well as Nite Watches and Al Mekshah have provided the best equipment and support possible as well as numerous others. If you are interested in visiting Nepal and getting involved in the rebuilding, they desperately need tourists to start going back now more than ever. Although tourism is only 10% of the economy it goes directly to the tea houses, guides, porters and locals. The hard, foreign currency is vital to let them start again and begin providing for themselves. We can guide you from start to finish in whatever your goal is. Contact us or join us to find your own adventure around the world. If you are interested in climbing high mountains and even Everest in 2016, contact us at trips@outdoorarabia.com.
OUTDOORUAE One of the tea houses we stayed in during our week in Langtang before the earthquake
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One step closer to a cleaner desert The 22nd of May was an important day for the UAE wilderness as inaugural CleanDesertDrive went underway with participants battling it out for rubbish-collecting supremacy. All teams were positive and showed a great attitude for collecting as much garbage as possible.
Once participants began arriving at Ramy 4X4’s showroom in Deira, it was clear to the organisers that people weren’t coming just for a drive. Upon their arrival to the stage at four o’clock participants got their race kits which also came with discount vouchers on select offroad brands. Each team received
a set of instructions and most importantly, the GPS coordinates for the checkpoints. Once kitted out, the teams set off to the first checkpoint where they deflated their tires and get their vehicles checked for any precollected rubbish. Game on!
A very positive surprise
With their tires down to 12psi all the participants now had half an hour to get to the top of Fossil Rock to be signed in at the next checkpoint. Despite a predictably slow start, all members of the teams were soon jumping in and out of their vehicles to collect any pieces of rubbish that they saw. Different collection techniques shone through the entire day with teams using various styles to achieve a common goal. Some teams on the other hand decided to play it on the safe side by hugging pylon track with the hope of finding cans and bottles caught in the fence whereas other teams chose to aim their vehicles for the summit collecting rubbish on the way. With the “all clear” signal from the marshals resounding at Checkpoint Two, the teams faced just over an hour of gruelling trash collecting on their way to Checkpoint Three at Pink Rock. The balance between picking up rubbish and trying to get to Checkpoint Three in time was something that was new for everyone. However, despite the teams
being supplied with four large trash bags, it soon became apparent that they were not enough for some teams; people stopped collecting bottles and cans and instead focused on collecting larger pieces of rubbish. An abundance of body panels ripped from lesser vehicles meant that the boots and truck beds of the participants’ vehicles were immediately filled with old tires, bumpers and even a tonneau cover! The teams’ true determination to clean the desert is evident in the way that most of them didn’t manage to get to Checkpoint Three and instead focused their attention on the bottom of the Al Faya dune. With this happening all around, the organisers chose not to include the timings for the last checkpoint. The final meeting point was at the 2nd December Cafeteria where everyone gathered to share stories of the events of the day and admired each other’s piles of rubbish. At the end of the day, the first place for collecting the most volume of rubbish went to the UAC 4X4 Club, whilst the winners for the heaviest amount of trash went to Xtreme 4X4. Ramy 4X4 is extremely pleased with the response to the new CleanDesertDrive movement. The task now is to continue with trash collection and raise awareness. For more information on how to follow this green initiative follow the #CleanDesertDrive hasthtag across social media.
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
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DIGITAL ONLINE 2015
EDA’s
underwater PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM COMPETITION
The Emirates Diving Association (EDA) held their Seventh Digital Online – Underwater Photography and Film Competition recently. The Awards and Exhibition night opening took place on the 27th of May, hosted for the second time around at the American University in Dubai, School of Architecture, Art and Design. The exhibition continues to be open to the public in the Rotunda Gallery, Building A which will run from the 28th of May through the 6th of June. The gallery is open for viewing from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays. Interested visitors are required to present identification at the University’s gate to gain entrance.
Digital Online’s main objectives are:
• To develop the human interaction within the underwater environment and highlight the beauty of its flora and fauna. • To gather information on the number of underwater photographers in the UAE (both professional and amateur). • To discover new promising underwater photographers in the UAE. Digital Online was realised in 2009 by Marcelo Mariozi, a professional underwater photographer who had previously been involved in the organisation and set up of underwater photography competitions in his native country of Brazil. As there were no underwater photography competitions existing in the UAE at the time, Digital Online was introduced by EDA for resident photographers to develop a relationship and human interaction with those unfamiliar with the underwater world and environment. The film category was introduced as an extension to the competition in 2012 to share the underwater world through motion pictures. The event; now in its seventh year, has seen 12
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UAE National Photography winner Mohamed Abdulla
a steady growth of underwater photography participation with the enthusiasm, and passion stepping up to another level. The event has attained equal successes in both the diving and non-diving community who came to support the participants at the Awards and Exhibition night. A stellar roster of judges was present during last Wednesday’s event which included Warren Baverstock, Jonathan Ali Khan, Christophe Chellapermal and Nuno Sá; who are all renowned photographers and filmmakers. The awarding ceremony was highlighted by the announcing of Overall Digital Online DSLR and MILC winner Mohamed Abdulla who garned an astounding 1,897 points. Abdulla is also the lucky winner to take home the prestigious UAE National Photography Award. This win was followed up by Overall Digital Online Compact winner Juraj Roka who took miraculously beautiful shots using only a compact digital camera. Other winners that night include Simone Caprodossi for the Wide Angle category, Iyad Suleyman for Macro, Ahmed Obaid Alnaqbi and Sijmon de Wall for Divers for the Environment. Khaled Sultani took home the top spot for the Video Category with his video giving justice to this season’s “Below the Surface” theme. A very special guest appearance was made by freelance Photojournalist, Andy Murch. Andy is the CEO and Expedition Leader at Big Fish Expeditions. Andy gave a short presenta-
tion showcasing some of his photography and shared the unique experiences behind them. Andy’s love affair with sharks and rays began once he learned to dive in early 2000. The more he discovered, the more he felt the need to document these moments through photography. As Andy found a lack of information available on the species he encountered, his frustration drew him to creating the website Elasmodiver.com in 2002 where he could share his personal database of aquatic creatures that he had put together and show their locations and best places to dive with them. Today his database contains more than 10,000 images between the Ray Field Guide and the Shark Picture Database. Andy then went on to become an accomplished and well respected writer and photographer within the diverse scuba press world. His shark photography has appeared in several prominent scuba diving magazines around the world as well as hundreds of book publications as well as appearing in various multimedia organizations such as the Discovery Channel and National Geographic. Commenting on what has transpired during the awarding ceremony, Mr Essa al Ghurair, Chairman of the EDA remarks: “We celebrate Digital Online’s seventh year and it continues to impress and delight our senses! We cannot thank the American University in Dubai enough for hosting our event for the second year. It is a great venue to be in - amongst the university students. I want to thank our generous prize sponsors who make this a very inspiring competition to take part in. The collections of images and videos on exhibition and presented on the screens are a reminder of the precious underwater life we must protect if we want the future generations to see the same treasures that we are fortunate to see today. In addition to starting the awards this year, our special guest, Andy Murch with his showcase of underwater photography was a highlight for aspiring photographers in our midst.” The event would not have been possible without the support of the following institutions: BFC Travel Management, Tourism Malaysia, Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara and Al Mahara Diving Center, Zaya Retreats on Nurai Island and Nurai Dive Centre, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort and Spa, Millennium Resort Mussanah and SeaOman Dive Centre, Canon Middle East, Lua Lua Diving and Adventure, The Dive Centre, Nomad Ocean Adventures, Freestyle Divers, Al Boom Diving, Blue Planet Diving, MTM Marine LLC, Pavilion Dive Centre, Divers Down, Dive Rite and Blue Sea Diving.
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
Mohamed Abdulla Overall Digital Online DSLR/MILC Winner and Second Place 100cm Horizontal, Macro
Juraj Roka Compact 1st Place Winner Divers for the Environment
Simone Caprodossi DSLR/MILC 1st Place Winners Wide Angle
Ahmed Obaid Alnaqbi First Place 120cm Horizontal
Sijmon de Waal First Place 120cm Horizontal Divers for the Environment
Iyad Suleyman First Place 120cm Vertical Macro
Eyhab al Sinan Compact 1st Place Winner and First Place 120cm Horizontal Macro
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
Noura Alfardan First Place 120cm Horizontal Best of UAE
Juraj Roka First Place 120cm Horizontal Wide Angle
Steven Board Second Place 100cm Horizontal Best of UAE
David Robinson Second Place 100cm Horizontal Divers for the Environment
Jan Wenger DSLR/MILC 2nd Place Winner Wide Angle Kathleen Ebuen Compact 2nd Place Winner Macro
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
Simon Croshaw Compact 2nd Place Winners Wide Angle
Yan Xiong Second Place 100cm Horizontal Best of UAE
Lynette Ferreira Second Place 100cm Horizontal Divers for the Environment
Michel Salsmans DSLR/MILC 3rd Place Winners Wide Angle
Stewart Clarke Third Place 80cm Horizontal Macro
Philippe Lecomte Third Place 80cm Horizontal Best of UAE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
Karen Croshaw Compact 3rd Place Winner Wide Angle
John Hager Compact 3rd Place Winners Best of UAE
Jayme Rush Third Place 80cm Vertical Divers for the Environment
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OUTDOORUAE
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Chris Combes Third Place 80cm Vertical Divers for the Environment
Mike Thirlwall Third Place 80cm Horizontal Macro
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
Run
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EVENT REPORT
Words By: Vanda Turcerova
We are a mixed breed of runners: two marathoners, one seasoned all-around athlete, one adult beginner and an eight-year-old kid who never ran more than half a kilometre in his life – a city boy. What we have in common is the will to explore and experience new challenges. That is exactly what this event was about. Arriving at the parking, we could already see disciplined rows of cars parked near the main area. We spilled out of our car and went to sign up and receive our packs and race numbers. You could feel the positive energy every time a new group of runners left their car and joined the common start area; excited adults and children running around, testing the ground and just being happy to be able to run in a new environment, fathers and mothers with their children, gearing up to run side by side, offer assistance to each other. A beautiful warm up to a magical run. As the start hour drew near, the briefing was held with Pascale from Urban Ultra / Phish Face, a runner herself. She explained the rules and particularities pertaining to running at night on a marked trail, and specifics about the trail we were about to explore. Geared up with a head torch, North Face running tee, flask with water (a must) and optional but recommended, basic first aid kit, energy grew amongst the crowd. Points were made about conservation of the environment we were about to scale so no plastic bottles were allowed and any trash we made on the way was on us to take back. The run started and so we said goodbye to two of our running buddies who opted to conquer the 10km run and had a 10 minute head start. The remaining three of us chose the sensible five kilometre run and
honestly, I was expecting a whole lot of complaining from my son and so I armed myself with plenty of negotiation tactics and motivational speeches. The start line was the last of light we would leave behind, apart from our flickering head torches now ready to go. Right before the whistle went off; a fellow runner asked me nicely if she could borrow one of my flasks as I was wearing a Nathan two-flask running belt and everyone had to carry a bottle. I gave her one of mine and wished her all the best, doubting I will ever find her at the finish line of close to 500 people. In the end, she did find me and gave the bottle back. Be nice and nice will come back to you. 8.05pm came and finally we set off to the cheers of the crowd we were leaving behind. We were the last group to go with the shortest distance. I wasn’t sure what is waiting for us ahead; the initial running pool needed spreading as we started pretty much all at once. A couple of minutes into the run the fast ones led the way and I comfortably settled with fellow parents and their kids in tow. It was interesting to adapt to the specifics of trail running - your head is down as you need the light to constantly scan where your foot will be placed next. At times, we had a nice flat stretch ahead and kids were challenging themselves, speeding up as only kids can; at times we were forced to slow down to almost a walk, so narrow and bouldered was the path ahead. My previous worry of possibly getting lost was instantly gone; reflective markers were everywhere and as most runners were on the 5km loop, it was impossible to trail off in this crowd. At the half-way turn, we refilled
our flasks and nibbled on banana and orange cuts to refuel before heading back down. My pep talk at this point consisted of “the only way is down” and mega cheers for reaching the half point. I was so proud of my little boy! A proper city kid and here he was, running off with another kid, leaving mommy behind to watch from a distance. Light breeze cooled us to a comfortable level on our way down and as some of us sped up we witnessed a few accidents too. I have seen a grown man somersault a couple of times before he landed, bravely declaring that everything is fine before limping off towards the finish line. You constantly have to watch your surroundings; one small misstep and you could be hopping on one leg with a twisted ankle towards your car. Trail running is not a race; it is the enjoyment of beautiful pristine nature and finding a way to marry your running style with it. As Marketka put it – it is the first time in her four years of running that she didn’t need headphones to keep her going. We all met at the finish line in the end; ankles aching and heart pounding, grinning like we just won the New York Marathon. In a way, we did. We came out here not really knowing what to expect but ready to give it a go and left stoked at completing the run, exploring new trails away from city and fostering the nature running spirit in our amateur runners. We didn’t stay long after that; the fires and barbeque setting the organizers put up for all participants were tempting but so was a hot bath and a cushy bed.
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DMX
The DMX Gala Evening Words By: Mark Ackerman Photos By: Supplied
DMX Motocross held its Gala and Prize Giving evening on the 7th May 2015 to honor all the riders, supporters, parents, sponsors and contributors to the 2014/15 season. It was a spectacular evening held in the Le Meridian hotel with members of all ages and nations in attendance. DMX is seeing a strong revival in member numbers, support for all ages and a general community which is tremendously helping in growing this healthy outdoor sport. The event honoured all the classes from youngest to oldest and everything inbetween with prizes going from the first to fifth placers in all classes. Special awards were presented to the following for exceptional performances and also competing and being part of the DMX Club. Jake Shipton accepted the award (in absentia) of Club Champion having scored the most points and championships for the season. The Most Improved Rider award was given to Ashley O’Connor for the best improvement in lap times from the beginning up to the end of the season. The “Dirk Donks” All-Rounder award, for best sportsmanship, personality and all round good guy went to Adam Ridgeway. Rider’s Rider was well earned by Nic Kefford who was a great sport admired by both the young and old this season for his flair and speed. Proud sponsor, Fluor (Global Engineering Construction Company) really went out of their way to support DMX and the sport in general this year. Besides sponsoring really awesome prizes for all the winners, Steve Hopkins was also there in person to donate a massive cheque (financially and literally) to the club which will go a long way to supporting the races for the new season. A massive amount of thanks goes out to Fluor for all the ongoing support! Closing out the successful evening, Scott Kefford, the DMX Club Chairman had the following to say: “First, I would like to thank our major
sponsors this season - Fluor Construction, KTM UAE, Organics Cafe and Portable Shade UAE. With local businesses supporting our club it gives us a strong sense of belonging to our community here in the UAE. DMX will once again welcome back our sponsors for the upcoming season as well as constantly seek further local support to bring motocross here in the Dubai to an international level.” The 2015/16 season kicks off on the 18th
of September with a registration day for all new and existing members. The club is also pleased to announce that a new ladies class will be debuting this season. Next year is looking at some major track changes, which will push the competitors and enhance their riding skills. If you would like to join the club here in Jebel Ali or for further information please follow DMX on their official Facebook page at DMX (Dubai Motocross).
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2014-2015 SEASON:
DMX DUBAI MOTOCROSS CLUB FINAL STANDINGS 50cc Class Juniors 1st 86 Myles Sexson 2nd 88 Mohammed Bin Laden 3rd 1 Gian Luca Holder 4th 7 Levi Sweil 5th 136 Jack Taylor 50cc Class Cadets Liam Sexson 1st 31 2nd 6 Craig Theron 3rd 13 Hayley O’Conner 4th 88 Salem Bin Laden 5th 76 Cedar Colvin 65cc Class 1st 1 2nd 174 3rd 99 4th 11 5th 26
341 308 301 238 230
85cc Class 1st 19 2nd 22 3rd 174 4th 18 5th 15
344 317 270 252 102
125cc Class 1st 5 2nd 73 3rd 22 4th 32 5th 6
Dean Jullien Darren Berry Nic Kefford Tiaan Nolan Harry Suddards
328 317 259 252 178
Clubman 1st 5 2nd 84 3rd 38 4th 218 5th 88
Clinton Wyngard Robert Winkler Ceirion Bray James Thomas Abdulaziz Bin Larden
334 248 236 213 194
UV Yurajsinh Kondedeshmukh 342 Ahmed Al Nuaimi 302 Joseph Mortada 257 Sigurd Johansson 202 Ashley O’Conner 200
Eugenio Barbaglia Nic Kefford Abdulla Al Nuaimi Jasim Al Kubaisi Hood Al Busaidi
332 320 292 225 207
Masters 1st 15 2nd 13 3rd 11 4th 8 5th 25
Mark Ackerman Shannon O’Conner Janne Tuorhino Ali Kubaisi Duncan Crerar
300 299 293 263 231
MX2 1st 555 2nd 1 3rd 23 4th 38 5th 82
Ryan Blair Ross Runnals Mohammed Jaffer Keegan Barnard Sultan Al Balooshi
317 303 274 235 176
MX1 1st 731 2nd 18 3rd 3 4th 1 5th 50
Jake Shipton Ben Menzies Dale Jullien Ross Runnals Jinan CD
350 269 267 247 230
Club Champion Jake Shipton
Most Improved Rider Ashley O’Conner
Dirt Donk Adam Ridgeway
Riders Rider Nic Kefford
We get in touch with Mr. Ravi Nair, Divisional Head of Liberty Kawasaki and ask him about his thoughts with regards this season of DMX. Congratulations on another successful DMX season! How does this year compare to the other ones? It was different in terms of challenges we faced as a team — this year, the team had to compete with 2015 model bikes while they had 2014 bikes that have been through a lot. So it was both a handicap as well as a challenge for our riders. What are some of the highlights for this season? One great highlight would be that despite, the condition of the bikes; the team did quite well to get podium positions in all categories - a unique feat for older model bikes that have been through wear and tear. Were there any difficulties for this season? How was it managed? Definitely having the older bikes – we were up against 2015 models which had several improvements over their 2014 models. What’s amazing is how the technical team managed to keep the bikes up and running against new bikes. In your opinion, how has Liberty Kawasaki fared this year? In majority of the categories we managed to get podium positions. So I think we did a great job – both the riders and the technical team. How has the team improved in terms of camaraderie and teamwork? We have a great fighting spirit. I would
have to say that the courage of the team showed. With this in mind, I could say that we have improved a lot especially in the midst of all the challenges we faced this year. The team has definitely become stronger because of this. What would you say is the inspiration for the team? The Kawasaki brand, and the faith and trust that our riders put in it. The entire world knows what a Kawasaki is capable of in terms of motocross and around the globe Kawasaki remains on top. So the confidence in the Kawasaki brand inspires the team to go further. Out of all the riders in the DMX, who showed the greatest improvement? And who do you see has the most potential for next year? Ross Runnals who is one of our best riders. Even though he was off to a slow start, he managed to secure top spots. Despite having an injury midway, he remained neck to neck with the other riders. Another big improvement worth of note comes from the 85 and 65cc riders. They have all matured in terms of skill and professionalism. I have very high hopes for Ross Runnals, Dale Jullien and Jinan CD, all of whom are great riders in their respective classes. Just a fearless forecast: How does Kawasaki plan on winning the next season of DMX? The new bikes for the team have arrived and all our riders will go through rigorous
training. The entire team will get full support from Liberty Kawasaki especially when it comes to the technicalities of the bikes. Now that the event has come to a close, what comes next for Liberty Kawasaki? The new season will commence September next year. That gives us some time to take a break and have a rest for awhile. Other than that, the team also has to practice on the new bikes and as time goes on, we hope to expand Liberty Kawasaki’s portfolio. What can people expect in next year’s DMX? They can expect Kawasaki to be number one next season.
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EVENT REPORT
GMC TriSeries Doha Qatar’s First Triathlon Series Words By: Eulogy van Dyk Photos By: Dow Photography
Yes, in Qatar we also love to swim, bike and run! While only in its second season, the GMC TriSeries in Doha sold out for all three of its events in no time! Organized by TriClub Doha and Aspire, the series drew over 200 participants competing in each of the three events this winter season. The series is primarily aimed at beginners and is a fantastic way to introduce the young and old to the awesome sport of triathlon! Hosted in the Aspire Zone in Doha, known for its top sport facilities and beautiful park, it creates the perfect backdrop to a wonderful series like this.
There are four race categories to choose from:
Kids (8-12yrs.) - 100m swim, 2.5km bike, 1.25km run; Junior (+13 yrs. & beginners) - 200m swim, 5km bike, 1.25km run and a TRY-Athlon category for +18 yrs. with distances of 250m swim, 10km bike, 2.5km run.
The normal Sprint Distance category for +18 yrs was comprised of a 500m swim, 20km bike, 5km run and can be entered as a individual or as team, which many of the more experienced triathletes entered to practice their racing or transition techniques for other bigger triathlons that they compete in around the region. The swim takes place in the Aspire Academy 50m pool, afterwards the athletes did a quick transition to hop on the bike for the cycling leg of the race where they did a number of 5km laps in the Aspire Zone(depending on the race category they entered). The run also consists of 1–1.5km laps, which took participants past some of the football fields in the Zone; so it is a real treat and a truly great environment to be able to participate on these grounds with its inspiring facilities and awesome surroundings! The series aims to include the whole family where almost anybody can participate due to the various distance options. It was a great way to get your feet wet (pun intended) in the culture of “swim, bike run” action. The route layout was also very spectator friendly so the whole family can join for the day and support the athletes as they come past, which for us as athletes, is definitely a bonus and creates a great atmosphere! We were fortunate to witness some great
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
performances from seasoned triathletes in this year’s GMC series. With participants ranging from young to old, with expats from many different nationalities represented and local Qataris competing as well, the series offers so much more than just a chance to compete. It created an atmosphere to share stories and training tips, to build friendships as well as confidence, and allow for a community to develop around the sport. The old adage is still true: in triathlon you are always racing against yourself. The GMC race series gives you exactly that opportunity to repeat the same race in the same conditions, which makes it easy to measure your progress and improvement. And even though we were comparing times and splits, it was still a wonderful sense of camaraderie and support from everyone competing. And with such exceptional organization by the Triclub Doha group, with marshals pointing out every bend in the route, it made the entire experience even more enjoyable. One of the definite highlights over the past two years has been the Junior category. With enthusiastic parents (some of them competing as well) encouraging the young ones on, everyone was inspired by the way these kids gave their all in each race. And the pure sense of enjoyment was there for
all to see, giving the adults a good boost and showcasing the sport of triathlon as a truly inclusive and superb activity for all to enjoy. The series enjoyed fantastic support from race sponsors, which includes Mannai Corporation through the GMC brand; Aspire Logistics (race facilities); Carbon Wheels Bike Shop (bike technicians); HMC (medical support & ambulances); Circle Qatar (exhibition set-up); Trinity (race marshals) & Dow Photography (race photos) ensuring
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every moment is captured. Without these event partners involved it would just not be the same, and their support has seen this competition rapidly expanding in just its second season. The third and final event took place on the 25th of April where afterwards, the overall winners for the series were announced at the season’s final prize giving awards on the 29th of May. Be inspired and get your training wheels ready for the 2015/2016 season!
Yabba-Dabba-Doo! Rock Republic’s Summer Boulder Bash Last Friday, the 29th of May witnessed the debut of Summer Boulder Bash which was held in Dubai’s Rock Republic – a place where expats and locals alike could immerse themselves in challenging wall climbing as the summer heat settles in on the Emirate. The first event of its kind in the region, eager participants of all ages and skill levels had to face the problems of taking on the bouldering walls of this facility. Each area presented a certain degree of challenge which was, despite being difficult, it was extremely enjoyable. Some seasoned mountaineers and climbers, others amateur enthusiasts were also seen measuring themselves up against themselves, promoting an environment of self-improvement during the event. Pete Aldwinckle, partner and manager of Rock Republic, explains: “Our facility is open to everyone and we are witnessing more and more beginners finding love for the “little mountains”, as we call boulders; of course experienced climbers are welcome too and we have
special challenges for them in store. As we approach summer and most outdoor events dry up, it was obvious this would be the best time to put together a series of events for our members and occasional climbers.” Guida Verschut, partner, adds: “We are very pleased with the turn-out and pleasantly surprised that a portion of our competitors were walk-ins. For a center opened a month short of two years, Rock Republic is getting a lot of buzz just by word of mouth and so we run our center as a neighborhood community-style place for everyone to not only pack in a good workout, but also to enjoy themselves, meet fellow climbers and find new friends and buddies as well as, naturally, to keep active.” Of the two hours allocated to the climbers, most time was spent on the walls, solving “problems” (color coded routes with different grades of difficulty) that were assigned certain points. Climbers were scoring themselves and had a choice of over 100 problems that are currently set up. “I came on the spur of the moment, really. I have minimal experience and climbed a couple of times in the past but have never signed up to anything like this. I should have felt intimidated by the power here; I mean some of these guys were pulling off gravity-defying moves! Instead, the guys of Rock Republic were really encouraging and supportive of everyone who came to the event. One of my friends even got a prize on the day. We left really stoked and happily tired” says one of the participants.
Summer Boulder Bash has four more events in the pipeline; June 12th, June 26th, July 10th and the final one July 24th 2015 (all Fridays, 11am to 13.30pm). Registraion is available online, in person or on the day of the events. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/ rock.republic.dubai
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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
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ACTIVITY REPORT
Eco-minded surfer and SUPer! Words By: Tati Coco
It’s hard to associate “ecofriendly” with anything related with the industry of surf. By factory in China, shipment by plane, boats are extremely polluting and noisy; the material used for shaping boards is highly toxic. So how can I be an ecofriendly surfer? There are a lot of kinds of surfers but I’ll choose only two for this writing to get my point across. “The root surfer” is this guy with a van and beard, he drinks, smokes, does barbecue and surf during the peak hours. At least he is less aggressive against the environment. The “mid-life-crisis” surfer on the other hand is just totally content with their life and then bam! The next day they feel worthless, they need to share up their lives and quick. So they head out, buy all of the kit, they are running across the beach daring David Hasselhoff to give them a run, they hit the water feeling awesome until reality hits them and they realize surfing is a lot harder than it looks. These kinds of people do not mind at all about environment but at the end they all have a common interest: surfing! Nowadays I think that people are well informed about recycling, alternative nontoxic materials and about the impact of pollution in our lives but they do not act or collaborate to reduce this very insane impact on earth. Fortunately in my life, I was always lulled in an eco-minded spirit at home, eating organic food, sorting out the garbage with organic, glass, paper and plastic and putting each material in the respective container for recycling. My mum used to buy non-toxic cleaning products and she made most of the clothes for my brother and me by hand. I remember that she used organic cotton for me as I had sensitive skin. Today I keep all that as much as I can and I try to perpetuate this value. At home I try to eat healthy, non-processed food and organic vegetables; I use bio-cleaning products; and walk or bike whenever I could instead
of taking the car. I know that it is not perfect but I choose to believe that I am doing my best to help Mother Earth with these little ways. As an individual, I am very proud of what I have done to contribute to the environment, but I would like to take it further – into my interests, surfing and SUP being examples of them. So I was overjoyed when I discovered two companies that are already moving towards eco-friendly materials for their surf gear; a great sign that sooner or later, majority of companies in the surf industry will join in on the movement as well! Read on and discover how to be an eco-friendly surfer like me. I spoke in France with a company who won the Eurosima Innovation Prize in 2011. This company called Notox uses greenOne and greenK technologies to produce boards and they have an innovative eco-friendly workshop with air cleaning and decontamination for the whole workspace, use of non hazardous cleaning products for all the tools, sorting, recycling and recovery of production waste. The boards are completely built with vegetable fibres meaning they are 100% recyclable. They replaced fibreglass with flax fibre and they re-used all the polystyrene waste during the process reducing the waste by two-thirds. Around the surf community, we have also the clothes and gear industry. Today lots of brands try to care more about the environment, and create an eco collection but just a few are 100% eco-friendly. Again in France I met a company called Lastage. They are a brand I used to wear since I met them as I love the spirit of the product. They respect the environment and fully embrace the eco-friendly concept. They only use organic cotton from Turkey, boxed in recycled and recyclable cardboard to provide a sustainable system of recycling. While these amazing developments are great, it has yet to reach the rest of the world. Every time I go to the beach for a walk or a surfing session, the quantity of
rubbish we can find on the sand or between the rocks is frightening. A few days ago I went trekking with a good friend and we discovered a nice secret spot that is very beautiful and quiet and beside it was the beach that looks like a big bin of rubbish with plastic bottles, bags, shoes, buckets, bottles of wine and beer all over. It was disgusting and it was very sad to see that just next to all this criminal scenery there was a baby seal swimming. I used to travel quite a lot around the world and I could say with confidence that there is no clean place even in the most pure of islands. You will always find some rubbish or trash from human presence. Nobody is perfect but we should help to be more conscientious and teach our kids, put it in our mind to preserve as much as we can of this beautiful treasure life gave us! Each time you go out to the beach bring with you some trash bags and put it in a container. You are helping a lot with such a small action!
ACTIVITY REPORT
The Son of the Desert Interview with Max Calderan, an Extreme Desert Explorer and Author of the book “La Forza Dentro” (soon in English and Arabic) Words By: Nico de Corato Photos By: Nico de Corato and supplied
Extreme desert explorer, defined son of the desert, Max Calderan has crossed the most insidious and impassable sands in the world, surviving in conditions that are beyond any known human limits. Among his several record explorations he has ran 90 hours without stopping, covering 437km in Oman following the ideal line of the Tropic of Cancer. He’s ran 360km in 75 hours across the United Arab Emirates in summer time with temperatures over 140 Fahrenheit. Max has pushed his limit over all scientific studies. Medicine is still unable to give a scientific explanation to his achievements. Max Calderan was born in Italy in Portogruaro, Venice on July 1, 1967. A lively child and attentive investigator, he undertook the path of young multi-talented athlete successfully, first from climbing and extreme skiing and reaching later recognised levels of performance in more than 15 sports.
In 1988 he began his career as a teacher trainer. He dedicated himself to the study of the mechanisms that regulate the reactions of the human body to external stimuli and developed over the years in collaboration with a leading genetics lab in Europe, a genomic test that today allows you to revolutionize the concept of prevention/obtaining results. His studies have led to his publication in the scientific journal “The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness.” Working for nearly twenty years covering managerial roles at major pharmaceutical companies, during this period he deepened his research in two areas that have always fascinated him: sleep deprivation and defense mechanisms that regulate the emotion of fear. Several years of experience in important business fields, the management and ownership of holdings in the United Arab Emirates, an epic sport career, the deviations from the so-called physical and mental limits, represent only a small part of the background of
the Extreme Desert Explorer, Max Calderan. We had chance to meet Max during the Spartan Race, in February, in a very funny way. On the flight to Dubai he had chance to read a copy of OutdoorUAE and he found himself absorbed in an article written by me and he saw my pictures. Two days after, at the Spartan Race, he recognized me and we stopped for a chat. After a while, knowing one of my dreams was to complete a full marathon in the desert, he proposed to spend a day together in the desert “Calderan style,” I accepted. During the two hour and 30 minute drive to Liwa, he had a chance for this interview. Nico de Corato: Max the first question is almost popular (I suppose) but also mandatory. How can a person decide to become an extreme runner? For most of the people marathon is already an extreme challenge. Ok you can add the idea of completing a full marathon in the desert (I like the idea for example). But you… exceed any imagination.
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Max Calderan: I always desired to do something no one else could do, something considered impossible. I look for a new limit, something new for everybody. And I found my way to do that, crossing deserts even during hot summers, deserts you cannot cross by any kind of vehicle. In such a way, I became an extreme desert explorer. NdC: Can you tell us more about the preparation for this kind of challenge? I mean it’s not only the mental and physical stress of a long run, but also the fight with an extreme environment: sun burn, dehydration, possibility of getting lost or seriously injured without any immediate medical assistance. MC: I don’t follow training tables or use a heart rate monitor; I don’t get any food supplement. When I’m in Italy, among my mountains, I run in shorts and shirtless while the temperatures are rated at -10 degrees and then I dive into the icy waters of the streams. You must have, first of all, a strong physical
condition, not only during your training, but also in everyday life. If you control your body in any situation, you can go further: the first real challenge is to overcome the burdens and superstructures that normally limit us. NdC: Which desert is your favourite? MC: There is no favorite desert, because each desert offers something new to be discovered. A lot can happen in various deserts. The experience can be different while in the Tropic of Cancer and the experience can also be different in deserts with dozens of dunes each of them 400 meters high. NdC: What’s your next extreme challenge? MC: Nobody went from North to South in the Lut Desert in Iran, so I trained myself for several years and now I am ready. It is, according to the NASA, the hottest surface all over the world (70 degrees during the summer seasons). So next summer, I will discover the meaning of 70 degrees Celsius This exploration also creates an opportunity for the Iranian cheetahs and other desert animals to be saved drawing the world’s attention to their endangered status. Desert exploring is an instrument that can be used to inform people to shed light on situations that will help us save our beautiful planet. There are only 70 to 80 Iranian cheetahs in the Lut desert, we should preserve and protect them. The record will be done in November. The final goal of this desert exploration will be hopefully in 2016 which is trying to cross the Empty Quarter desert along the midline (not along the borders). An area spanning 1000km of unexplored desert.
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NdC: Lastly, what advice would you give to runners who want to start venturing in the desert? MC: First of all, bear in mind that you are approaching an extreme environment, asking for respect. It’s not only a hard run; you need to use all your senses and body functions to achieve an exceptional performance. It’s not only about running, it’s about surviving.
Blogger, marathon runner and triathlete, diver and heli rescue swimmer with Bergamo Scuba Angels. You can read my blog www.dubayblog.com, contact me on social networks or via email at admin@dubaiblog.it for information about this article or just to say hello.
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ACTIVITY REPORT
Unity in Strength:
The Dubai Marlins Interview By: Keith Pereña Photos By: Supplied
Dragon boating is a unique sport in that it fosters camaraderie down to the single letter and like other team sports; the team is not only a team but also a family. It can be a melting pot of cultures or as a medium by which like-minded people could come together and share a mutual interest.
Summer in the UAE is in the same vein, a melting pot of water-related activities and it just so happens that we were down at the
Dubai Marina witnessing the Dubai Marlins doing their practice rounds. This was where we caught up with head coach Richelle Mallari, 38, and the rest of the team as they sat down for a short rest after an intense training session.
Where does the story of the Dubai Marlins begin?
It was the common passion of individual paddlers that formed the Dubai Marlins. It was our vision to promote the sport by means of developing the discipline through commitment, camaraderie and respect. The team has grown since we first established it in 2013 with only less than 10 members. Everyone persevered to be a strong paddler.
In your opinion, how has the team grown from before up to now?
I think the team has grown not just physically because of the hours that they dedicate in training but also emotionally. Dragon boating can be intense during races and one’s ability to focus and channel all their energy in a single heat can change a person.
How often do you train with the team? Any specific training methods?
We have Land Trainings every Mondays and Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. aimed at developing our physical fitness. Water Trainings are held every Friday and Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and it focuses on developing our form and synchronization techniques.
As a coach, what are the challenges that you encounter?
It would be maintaining a solid team. As we say “people come and go”, so having a solid team has been very difficult and challenging for me. This sport doesn’t only require a person to be physically strong but another essential aspect that is needed is having a strong bond.
How do you inspire the team to be their very best?
By showing my team the aspects I love about dragon boating. I think that anyone can do a lot of things but only a few would have the drive to be the best at what they do. It’s either you love the sport or not at all.
As a coach, what’s your secret for keeping the team/family bond intact?
I don’t think that this is a secret, all good leaders know this. It’s by respecting each
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What’s would be the most memorable moment of the team?
paddler and by being a good example to the team.
Lastly, what legacy do you wish to leave behind with the team?
If it ever comes to that, I would like to leave them with a fierce love for the sport. Dragon boating is a big part of my life and it has somehow changed me into the person that I am. I want my team to experience the same.
WORDS FROM THE TEAM In your opinion, how strong is the bond of the team?
Randy Cabrera: I think the bond of the team is solid. I say it is solid because we shared each other’s ups and downs, supporting and motivating each other to be one team. Roxy Tandoc: You cannot measure how strong the bond is, you can only guarantee that the bond is strong because of the leaders who make the whole team as one.
How does your team come together during the race day? Are there any specific mantras or routines that you do before the game begins?
Kathy Malinab: We come as one, we paddle as one and we race as one. The briefing and the exercises we do before the race helps us to be motivated and focus on one goal and that is to paddle with all our heart and paddle as if it’s our last race. RT: We all gather around and remind each of our paddlers the reason why we wake up early to train, the reason why we endure all the pain and instill in their memory that we have come prepared. RC: Before the race starts we always go to church to pray and give thanks for all the blessings and strength given to us and ask for guidance for all of us in our races and keep us safe. Our members have varied beliefs but we share each other’s thoughts in giving thanks before every race start.
How does the team support each other?
Cookie Duarte: I always believe in positive reinforcement, and with the right attitude, a team will overcome almost any difficulty to succeed in its goals.
Marj Soriso: We keep on motivating each other and treat each other with respect and integrity.
Teams are also synonymous with families. How does this resonate with you?
RT: Inside the boat you will forget everything in this world; all you have are the people inside the boat with you. These people are your family because at the end of the line, they will define you. In this sport, a family has one beat, one stroke and one heart. We aim for one goal and we all have to grab it together as a whole. Cheryl Po: Being in a 40-feet boat with 21 people you care about fosters a certain accountability that is quite unique to this sport. We experience commonality through the mental anguish, the physical pain, the triumph & loss. The Marlins have provided me with a sense of belonging that families are supposed to bring.
As a team, what elements/ attitudes do you promote?
MS: Being competitive, the willingness to improve our weakness and turn it into power. Race like it’s your last. KM: The eagerness to become better and develop self-confidence; To trust yourself and be able to trust and believe everyone. To have a strong heart! CP: Perseverance! There are times when you get so exhausted and feel that you can no longer paddle. When you get to that point, you have to push yourself to the limit because there are other people in the boat who are counting on you. Every stroke counts, so you better be determined to finish the race!
RT: Our team went outside the country to compete. All the other teams were looking down on us and were laughing because we are small. During the day of the competition, we never looked at our competitors while we were paddling. We paddled hard and our hunger for victory drove us to the finish line. We dominated the competition and gained all the other paddlers’ respect. It was memorable not because we were the best, but because we stood strong when the rest of the world was in doubt. Jobi Rafer: I think it would be when the Lady Marlins placed 2nd in the Creek race last 27th of March. For so long, the coaches have dreamed of having enough women to put together a team. Most of the members are new to paddling and the coaches told us to just have fun and take this as an experience. I think this triggered the women to do better to challenge and push themselves more.
How has being with the Dubai Marlins impact your life? MS: The Dubai Marlins or paddling somehow changed my way of looking at life. I quit certain habits and it developed my competitive edge. KM: Big time! The lifestyle I had before is contrary to who I am now - I am more productive, competitive and focused. And lastly, I gained so much friends that I can keep as long as I live. CP: I’ve had three major operations on my left knee following an ACL injury. I gained a lot of weight because I lacked the discipline to eat right and the motivation to get the proper exercise my body needed. That changed when I got hooked to paddling. I have now adapted a much healthier lifestyle, and my outlook on life has changed. Closing off this story is an adage that team captain Vanni Mallari, loves to quote: “In unity there is strength”.
ACTIVITY REPORT
First Tri Words By: Maria Conciecao Photos By: Saul Keens and Jorge Ferrari
Earlier this year I ran a marathon on all seven continents in 11 days, last year I ran an Ultra Marathon on all continents in six weeks. I’ve done all of this and more to raise funds and awareness for my charity foundation, The Maria Cristina Foundation who, for the last 10 years, has been providing education and support to families living in the slums. I can’t keep doing the same similar things for my charity because human nature dictates that people will lose interest, whereas my goal is to create new interest. Some people see me as an accomplished runner (trust me, I do not consider myself as an accomplished runner) so if I attempt another running challenge it might not get the attention I need. So, what’s next? To re-invent myself, again, I am venturing into triathlon, or Ironman to be more precise. This is a race consisting of a 3.8km swim followed by 180km cycle finishing with a full 42.2km marathon run. It’s a daunting task for anybody to take on, but especially if you can’t swim at all and can barely stay on a bicycle. That was my situation two months ago when I registered for the race. I now have three more months to be ready in Denmark on the 23rd of August. As soon as I started to get into the details of the sport, I regretted the whole thing. It seems so complicated. Running is simple, you need shoes, shorts and a T-shirt, and then you just put one foot in front of the other to start moving. For triathlon, you
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need a bike and a whole new set of gear: shoes, cycling apparel and a helmet are just the basic requirements. For the swimming part, besides goggles and a swimsuit I later found out that a wetsuit is mandatory for my Ironman race.
Luckily, the Tri community in Dubai is extremely friendly and helpful, particularly the people at Tri-Dubai (a group which I think consists of pretty much everybody in Dubai who does or is thinking about a triathlon). 2XU are supporting me with some fantastic triathlon gear, which I am so happy about as I have always been a huge fan of 2XU for sports clothing. Newton Running are helping me with their innovative running shoes, Silverback are supporting me with a competitive race bike. I have found a great swimming coach, Kevin Millerick, Head Coach at Total Immersion Middle East who has agreed to help me (poor guy, I am such a slow learner) and I have recently teamed up with Innerfight for their strength and endurance training (recommended by many triathletes). So there are some benefits to being a poor charity girl, you get help from some of the best resources available. The pieces are now falling into place and so the pressure has started to mount, I have no excuses; I have to put in the hard work and deliver results. I’m hoping that a successful Ironman race will lead to even
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
bigger adventures, maybe some swimming or cycling challenges so it’s a very important step for me. I have ridden a bike before, a slow, wobbly ride on a rental bike somewhere in Europe. I never had a bicycle as a child so even that experience was a major achievement. Now I suddenly have to deal with a super-light 22 speed racing bike, which is probably something similar to learning how to drive a Formula One race car. As if that wasn’t enough I was shocked to learn that my shoes had to be attached to the pedals with special cleats, why? This is even more terrifying! It means that every single time I have to stop there was a very high probability that my feet would remain attached to the pedals and I would fall sideways and body slam to the ground. Of course the first time I tried, that is exactly what happened, I managed to unclip one side only and then slowly timbered to the other. Any seasoned cyclist will tell you the countless benefits of these clipless (as opposed toe clips which were popular before) pedals, such as more efficient pedalling, more control etc. but it is hard to appreciate the relevance of it all when you’re lying on the floor and still attached to the pedals. Fortunately the only damage done was to my cycling ego. I was so nervous for my first swimming lesson, it usually takes me forever to get into any swimming pool and you would never get me near the sea. I have never been able to swim at all, not even float and if I get anywhere near chest height then sheer panic sets in. But the first swimming lesson with Kevin was much better than I expected, the pool wasn’t very deep which helped a lot and he had me floating face down, kicking and exhaling underwater in no time. That first lesson really filled me with a lot more confidence. By now you’re probably asking why on earth am I considering a triathlon, especially a full Ironman, when I am clearly so useless at cycling and swimming. Well, I had never ran before I started planning multiple marathon challenges and I had certainly never been near a mountain when I decided to summit Everest – but none of that means
that it’s not possible. I like to aim high, life is short and there is so much to do to keep the Foundation going. The training in general started a bit slowly, I was (and still am) learning to swim and cycle and so I was limited. But now since I have started to work with Neil at Innerfight, the intensity has started to ramp up a bit. Right now I have around nine hours of training per week but it’s increasing every week and could be 15-20 hours per week at its peak. It’s tiring, with swimming, cycling, running, strength and conditioning seemingly working every muscle in my body. With my work as well, I’m struggling to find enough energy at the moment, so maybe I need to look into my nutrition to give me better energy levels. If there were more hours in the day I would definitely sleep longer! I’m still not swimming any great distance or with a perfect technique but I am constantly improving, and I’ve been in the sea for a test swim which I am so proud of, it wasn’t so bad after all. The cycling still frightens me but I’m getting better and faster. To start with I was cycling at an average of 15kmh but now I’m up above 25 kmh most days. However this really depends on the conditions, if it’s too windy, or if there are any corners or other cyclists around then I return back to terrified mode. I guess it’s too much to ask for an Ironman race with one long straight road, no wind and no other people so I’ll just have to keep putting those miles in to build up confidence. I don’t even want to start thinking about the actual triathlons yet; it’s a whole new world and language. Planning and practice is required for the transitions from swim to bike (T1) then from bike to run (T2). Nutrition will be extremely important for such a long race (cut off time for this race is 15 hours which sounds a lot but is apparently much more difficult than it sounds). There are still many things I don’t understand but I’m sure that I’ll learn along the way. The ideal situation would have been to do a few shorter distance triathlons to build up to the Ironman but unfortunately I missed the UAE race season, so it’s looking
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like my first triathlon will be the full Ironman. I still have “brick” training to look forward to which is basically training two disciplines in the same session e.g. Swim/Bike or Bike/ Run. I’ve heard two definitions of the term “brick”, one is from the manner of stacking training disciplines on top of each other, like stacking bricks and the other is from the feeling you get in your legs being so heavy like a sack of bricks. Whatever the definition, it looks like my training is just going to get tougher and tougher. Bring it on!
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ACTIVITY REPORT
tales FROM THE stables Family riding in Wyoming
Words By: Cindy Stadelmann and Cosmo
Once it gets hot in Dubai and the official competition season wraps up, it is time to wind down at the stables and take some time off. It doesn’t mean that riding totally closes down here in the UAE and we don’t get a sniff of hot summer air but we definitely get some time to stretch. We still do some basic work throughout the summer but as for any athlete it is good to let the muscles relax for some time. Many riders choose to go abroad for a period of time in the summer. Some even take their horses along with them (yes, this happens). Others choose to leave their beloved creatures behind in the hands of their stable managers and explore a different continent on…horseback. The amount of choice and number of companies on the internet that offer horse related vacations is vast and gives you a totally new perspective on horse riding. First of all, individuals can go down the track to improve their riding skills or even begin to learn horse-riding by going to a stable that offers specific training courses ranging from learning the basics to advanced skills such as dressage, cross country or jumping skills. The other path you can go, is just to have a good time on the back of a horse with or without friends and explore the flora and fauna of a region or country. Sounds like a nice summer vacation idea? It definitely is. I, Cosmo’s owner, have gone down both tracks in the past years and I want to share
Learn new skills
with you some insights and my enthusiasm for this type of vacation. Once you start digging there is just so much choice!
How to decide
A few summers ago I decided to enhance my riding skills in order to return to Dubai as a better dressage rider and also allow Cosmo to learn some new moves. So where to go? Europe is known for good dressage skills. So, I started exploring there. Good weather was important for me, in addition to a reasonable price. Going south, I looked at stables in Spain and Portugal and there was a lot of choice. Many stables offer clinics with one to two sessions per day giving you lessons in your selected riding-discipline Escaping the summer heat in Dubai
tailored to your experience. I found that there is classical dressage and then dressage using Andalusian and Lusitano horses that are famous for that area and which you can see during bullfights. For me, classical dressage was the one I wanted to focus on. So, I narrowed my search down. Looking at various stables, it is important also to do some research on the experience of the instructors. Often, the same stable advertises through different internet agencies and gives varying details on the different websites. Do the trainers have credentials? Yes. Do they look like they are 20 years old and almost as many years of riding experience? Not good. Besides the horses and trainers, assess what else the facility has to offer and also with which climate you will be dealing with. Not all rides are offered year round and some only offer certain set weeks in the year. This can often be a very frustrating factor and unfortunately, you should avoid being too fixed on a certain date range, as this will limit your search. There is a bit of flexibility needed when you are looking for a specific program and at times spontaneity helps. Maybe your dream was to go to France but considering somewhere like Greece or Portugal might offer you just the right opportunity.
Portugal
My choice in the end was a small stable in the middle of nowhere in Alentejo in southern Portugal. It was beautiful! They provided two lessons per day on Lusitanos and other cross-breeds, theory sessions after lunch, a pool and amazing scenery. There was not much more time for anything else but ride, eat, sleep and relax. It was a great experience to get out, learn with other horses and meet new people from all over the world with same interest. I left with what I had set out to accomplish: enhance my skills and have some time off from the hustle-andbustle of Dubai.
Get inspired by riding new landscapes
This was one way of approaching a vacation on the back of a horse; now to the other; exploring the outdoors with your passion for horses is another way of spending your vacation. Ever thought of riding though Kruger Park, the Mongolian Desert, the wine trails in France or cattle driving in Montana? Some stables offer different hacks during which you are based at a lodge and ride out every day from the same location. Others offer trail rides with lunch breaks in cafes or picnics, reaching a new destination later in the day, and finishing up sitting around a camp fire or a nice restaurant with local cuisine. There are tours that offer horse riding with wine tasting. There are plenty of pleasures to choose from. Often you are required to take care of your steed during the day: grooming, tacking up, and feeding - a great way to bond with your holiday partner. In case you want to travel with your two legged significant other who cannot ride there are options too. Look out for offers that incorporate programs in parallel to the ride for a non-riding party. Some stables offer sightseeing tours, pools, gym and arrange transportation for your partner to commute from location to location to join you for the non-riding sections of your trip.
Preparation
Trail rides can take up to six hours per day, so I recommend some level of endurance training before you go on the trip, especially if you are a beginner. One day of sitting all day in a saddle might work but if you pursue those kinds of sessions over a few days, I can promise fatigued legs (and hinds). Also, ensure you have well-fitting riding breeches and underwear. You do not want to have sores developing from creased jeans or pants on day one. Bring your favorite riding pants (and a few more), sunscreen and a rain coat. Most stables offer riding helmets but since helmets are an essential item and need to fit, make space in your luggage to bring your own. Any good event organiser will send you a list of items you should bring or give you details on their website. If they do not, I would consider this a bad sign and question their organizational skills. Certainly, you should be able to pack the basic necessities for riding for a few days or weeks on your own accord but a well-organized agency should give you a list guiding you on what to bring. Enquiring about six day trail ride in the Australian mountains two years ago, I received a funny
Riding in different environments is stimulating
list that recommended not to bring any hair dryers but rather to get used to having greasy hair. Sleeping bags, air mattresses, wet wipes, tooth brush, spare shirt and pants; that’ll do in the wilderness.
Vermont
Besides dressage holidays, I have also vacationed in Vermont a few years ago, trail riding in the woods in the hopes of seeing some moose. The stable had a hotel on the premises with beautiful views down into a valley that filled up with fog in the evening. On the first day, the stable manager assessed our skills based on a questionnaire we had been asked to fill and further questions at the stable. Here it was interesting to see that riders, normally used to riding in a closed ring and potentially super confident and highly skilled turn into very insecure people when in a different environment. Riding out in the open is very different. The horses are fired up and keen to go. Any fear shown by the rider is recognized by the horse. It is best to consider your experience with horses in the outdoors and ask for a horse in accordance to that. If you do your daily rides from one location, you can mostly swap horses over the days to come. If you are unsure, better to start off with something easier-going and work yourself up. I was matched with a fun little black and white pony that was zippy and an absolute pleasure to ride. We were split up in
different ability groups and team leaders took us out on different paths in the forest and hills. Come rain and hail, these horses went anywhere: over rocky terrain, water and slopes. Normally, I like guiding my boy, Cosmo, and helping him where to step, choosing the easiest path for him. But these horses knew what they were doing. They cruised up slippery rocks, where I didn’t even want to walk. It was best to leave them alone and enjoy the ride. Throughout the stay, I learned that to avoid any bruising at the bottom of the hoofs the farrier had put plastic plates between the soles and shoes that ensured no sharp corners of bigger rocks could do damage. Any horse with bruised soles will be lame for a while, in pain and out of business for some weeks. These kind of riding vacations are definitely something you will never forget and will probably make you look for other adventures on horseback. The number of offers is growing year by year. A riding holiday can be suitable for all levels of riding abilities and might even allow a spouse to get a sneak peek into the pleasures of riding. Plus it’s a great way to explore another country whilst getting out of Dubai’s summer heat. During these trips it is certainly fun to go with a group of friends if not with family. Going on your own will also be exciting and enjoyable and you get to meet new, likeminded people. But above all you will spend time with one of your favourite and loveable creatures.
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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
TRAVEL + ADVENTURE
Adventures from the sky Long-haul Words By: Monica Antal
The life of an aircrew will revolve around long haul flights. Some love it and some hate it. 14 hour flights through the middle of the night. Endless layovers, disorientation and your body not knowing what time it is. However, long haul flights with Etihad do allow me to explore some amazing places around the world. This month I have been to South America, London, Canada, and Kuala Lumpur, in fact towards all corners of the planet. What is it about long haul that inspires fear in passengers and crew alike? Is it simply the time frame that gets passengers worried? Are they anxious about being at 41,000 feet in a pressurized metallic tube for such a long time? For the cabin crew it is not only a claustrophobic reaction, or the long period spent in the air, it is also the effect that flying has over the body. Your body while flying goes through many changes. Many times, after a flight I might feel bloated, dehydrated, and my body enters a state of fatigue that you can’t explain no matter how many hours of sleep you get in-flight.
Bloating
Whenever you fly, the liquids and gases in your body expand as the cabin is pressurized at a maximum of 2400m (8000 feet). As a result of cabin pressure, the first sign will be the fact that on an ultra-long haul flight you might have to loosen your belt. It is certainly not the aircraft food, or the myth that circulates about it, that this food will make Buenos Aires
Machu Picchu
you fat. It is simply, the difference of altitude that your body reacts to. There is no immediate solution to prevent that from happening, but the good news is that even if you feel bloated after landing, that feeling will disappear within 24 hours. The only thing you can do to reduce this symptom and try to maintain your tummy in a feel-good state is avoiding fizzy drinks. Although champagne, beer, soda water etc. is readily available it will produce a sensation of discomfort if consumed systematically. So avoid it on long haul flights.
Dehydration
Even if you are not thirsty, don’t forget to drink. Fluids are essential. You will notice that your lips get dry and so does your skin. Thus, my recommendation for any traveller is to hydrate internally and externally. Drink as much water as possible, and also use some moisturizing products for your skin. Moisturizing facial sprays are extremely useful on long haul flights, but as an alternative you can wet a towel and leave it over your face for couple of minutes. You can avoid dehydration by keeping the consumption of caffeine and alcoholic drinks to a bare minimum. Caffeine will dehydrate you, and alcohol will alter your perception of the quantity of fluids that your body needs. If you are consuming alcohol in-flight, bear in mind that your body will react differently, and if it usually takes you two bottles to get tipsy, you might get the same effect after having just one. So remember, whenever you have a glass of wine, ask also for a glass of water or two.
Fatigue
On a long haul you might get the regular quantity of sleep you are used to but still wake up feeling lethargic and slow. This is again the effect of cabin pressurization and the fact that oxygen saturation in-flight is dropped by up to 25%. That is still a safe level for your body and mind to function in, if you are not flying ultra-long haul flights regularly. There are some health concerns for crew related with overspending time at altitude, but studies focus more on radiation levels rather than hypoxia (induced by the lack of oxygen). To combat fatigue in-flight, you need preflight rest, so try to catch couple of hours of it before you fly. Unless you are travelling on
a private jet, you never know who might be seated next to you, and how loud they could snore. If you feel fatigue or restlessness throughout your whole body, take a walk, or do some stretch exercises in the plane. Even rotating your ankles slowly a couple of times will help. At your destination you might have to cope with jet-lag. The time difference between one place and another might be the most fatiguing factor of your trip. My advice: Balance your level of excitement of being on a holiday and your rest time. For any difference in time zones greater than 4 hours, your body needs a minimum adaptation of 3-4 days. To combat fatigue at your destination and maintain an optimal level of energy, try to consume fruits and vegetables, and also include in your diet the base products from your daily diet. Indulge gradually in the cuisine of each country and give your body the opportunity to adapt to change. Enjoy your trip, be safe and energetic; wishing you the most wonderful memories, straight from the sky.
Peru
Monica Antal is originally from Romania and has been living in Abu Dhabi for 5 years. She currently works as aircrew for Etihad Airways. The UAE is a world hub for the aviation industry. These are her adventures from around the world as nights and days merge into one and she seeks out adventure in the UAE and far flung places.
TRAVEL + ADVENTURE
Overnight dive trip to Musandam, Oman Words By: Richard Steward
In April this year, I was privileged to be invited to an overnight diving trip along the Musandam Peninsula in Oman. The Musandam Peninsula is absolutely stunning. The contrast between the overwhelming mountains that seem to drop and disappear into the stunning blue sea is breathtaking. We drove from the UAE to Dibba, Oman where we boarded a traditional dhow boat. From there we cruised up the peninsula to our first dive spot called Octopus Rock. It is named after an octopus because the rock formation looks like octopus legs underwater, you may need to use your imagination here. From what I’ve been told however, is that this is one of the best dive sites in the area, and it lived up to expectations. There were so many colourful reef fish that didn’t take any heed of us and literally swam all around us. This
was the first time I’d seen so many lionfish swimming in the open water. Near the end of the dive my crazy and super fun dive partner, Felicitas and I, saw a huge stingray, without a doubt the biggest one I’ve seen to date. That afternoon our skipper anchored close to shore and allowed us some chill out time where we jumped off the boat, some of us pin dropping, others back-flipping and one person, in particular, face planting not once, but twice! In the evening, we had a braai (BBQ) on the beach with some well deserved cold drinks and some roasted marshmallows around a bonfire. We all ended the day in perfect fashion, sleeping under the stars on the top deck of the boat. The next morning after a very fresh morning swim to wake up, we geared up for our second dive at a site called Ras Marouvi another beautiful dive location with a plethora of reef fish and multi-coloured coral. It was on this dive that my dive partner, again Felicitas showed me the joy of diving upside down. Yes, you read right. She spent most of the
dive upside down while she observed the coral and fish below. I still do not know to this day how she does not get a head rush but admittedly, after trying it, I got quite addicted to swimming upside down too. Our third and last dive was at a site called Ras Sanout. This was a drift dive, and although the current was fairly strong it was very enjoyable. I quite enjoy drift dives as you don’t need to put much effort in, just relax and go with the current. My weekend diving was capped off when we saw a turtle, a sea horse, and two large squid. Our trip was organised by one of the funniest guys I’ve met, Julio Corredor. This was the first time I have met him, but I’m sure it won’t be the last! Julio is a member of the Rotaract Club Jumeirah Dubai, and part of our fee to come along on the trip was donated to three employees of Le Meridien Hotel Fujairah who, unfortunately, lost their homes in the recent earthquake. So once again, thank you, Julio, for arranging such an incredible trip and at the same time organising to help others in need.
TRAVEL + ADVENTURE
The Honey Badger Episode 14: The End of the World Destination: Kaokoland, Namibia
Diaries
Words + Photos By: James and Mira Raley
We left the Cunene River Lodge with an adventurous route planned, and followed the river westwards towards Epupa Falls. It was a slow, occasionally challenging and scenic drive, and having left our campsite in the afternoon we had to find a place to camp for the night after a few hours. There were Himba villages dotted along the riverbank every few kilometres and we were not surprised to see the children galloping towards the car shouting “Sweety!” and “Money!” The Himba are a fascinating tribe. They seem largely unaffected by the rest of their country’s development, and continue to live in mud huts covering themselves in Okra clay and living off subsistent farming and to a lesser extent, tourism. They reminded us of the many tribes around Lake Turkana in Kenya, but were a lot friendlier and we did not see a single firearm, which was novel. We stopped to say hello to a few of the children along the track and Mira offered them pancakes which were left over from our breakfast. They had never seen pancakes before and we had to show the children that they were food. Some were more impressed than others. On one occasion we were giving some sweets to young two girls when their father came running over. We considered jumping in the car and running off, but decided to stay to see what he wanted. He asked us to take a look at his son’s badly cut foot so James pulled out the first aid kit to see if he could help. We could not do much more
than clean the wound and give them some disinfectant. Trying to explain that he should keep it clean and apply disinfectant twice a day was an amusing challenge, but they were delighted and invited us to stay the night. It was a privilege to spend the night with a Himba family, and it was good to feel entirely safe and undisturbed amidst a local tribe. Mira helped the girls collect some water, and we showed them a few toys on the car before settling down for the evening. The next day we said our goodbyes and thanked the family with a photo from our little printer before heading to Epupa Falls. We arrived at the falls at midday and found a campsite directly overlooking the main cascade. The spray cooled us down and the view was tremendous. We found a guide to take us around the falls and discovered that they continue for some distance downstream
with a number of subsidiary falls on the Angolan side. Whilst not as big as Victoria Falls, we found them equally impressive and there were far fewer tourists competing for the best views. Realising that we had some distance to cover before the next fuel stop we decided to buy a jerry can from a very helpful local guide. At $45 for 20 litres it was not cheap, but it was necessary for the adventures that were to come. We also stopped at a local school to top up on water from their borehole. Our next stop was Van Zyl’s Pass, which is one of the more notorious 4X4 routes in Namibia. It is far off the beaten track and links the Marienfluss Valley with the rather flatter central planes of the country. It gets its name from the Dutch explorer who weaved his way through the mountains in the 1920s with a few hundred Himba and a Model T Ford.
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
We were glad to have a Land Cruiser to get us over the rocks, as the views into the Marienfluss were awe-inspiring. Some sections of the pass were extraordinarily steep, but the car bounced along quite happily in low range first gear. It took us just over two hours to get through 10 or 15 km, but it was great fun. The pass ends at a yellow oil drum where we added our stone to the cairn which marks the finish. With five hours of daylight left, we decided to traverse Marienfluss and explore Hartmann’s Valley. It was remarkably similar to the valleys in Oman’s Hajar Mountains, but a little greener. The Marienfluss is best known for its fairy circles which were featured in David Attenborough’s Africa series. No one knows for sure why they exist, although the local Himba believe that it is due to the ants sheltering from the floods in these areas during the rainy season. Unfortunately due to the poor rains this year they were difficult for us to spot. Nevertheless, the view over the valley as we dropped in from Hartman’s Valley was breathtaking. We ended the day sharing a bottle of spirits with the Swiss couple Ryan and Sarah who run the delightful Camp Synco next to the Cunene River. Be sure to take a bottle of Ardbeck with you if you ever visit and you can be certain of a warm reception from the friendly couple!
At this stage we had gone as far north as possible and were starting to run low on fuel and food. Ryan and Sarah kindly gave us an Oryx steak to keep us going and we prepared to leave in high spirits. Until, inevitably, we noticed that the front diff was leaking again. Worse still, as James tried to top it up he threaded the filler cap, so we had to settle for whatever oil was left inside it. We headed south bordering the Skeleton Coast National Park and James could not resist a little dip into the park. We followed the Khumib River towards the Atlantic Ocean and it took a few minutes before Mira realized that we had deviated from our planned route. After a brief dispute we continued until we saw the sea having sighted numerous oryx and a couple of cheetahs along the way. We had a wonderful lunch in the cooling sea breeze before returning to the reality of a leaking diff and empty fuel tank light. We finally made it to Purros where we planned to buy another jerry can of fuel. On arrival at the community campsite we met a group of tired looking men. They had walked 16km from the car which was stuck in the Hoarusib River to the South. After they kindly offered to provide some fuel James agreed to go and see if he could help. It turned out that the group were the crew from a wellknown Afrikaans TV Programme called Leef Jou Reis with Gerrie Pretorius. It was clear that they knew their stuff when it came to 4X4 adventures and they were tackling some of Namibia’s more challenging 4X4 routes as part of their new series on responsible overlanding. The river still had a lot of water for this time of year and they had been caught in thick mud in one of the crossings. After pulling them out with the winch James politely obliged by also getting stuck in the same place as we progressed upstream (although I am sure that they would have a different story). We walked all the
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other crossings amidst the lion spoors which dotted the riverbed. Despite our fairly thorough exploration of the Himba’s homeland, Mira was disappointed not to have found an Ekori. An Ekori is a type of leather veil which Himba brides wear on their wedding day. We had seen one at Epupa Falls and decided to try to buy one. However, whilst the Himba are only too glad to sell necklaces and bracelets, they are understandably less inclined to part with their Ekoris. Therefore, with a full tank of fuel from Sesfontein, we took a significant detour back up to Opuwo in search of this rare piece of jewellery. Whilst Opuwo was disappointing, we continued north until we found another friendly Himba village. After a few hours sitting and talking to the women and children, they eventually agreed to sell us one. So, with a delighted Mira, we started the journey south again towards the public section of the Skeleton Coast. A key part of Mira and James’ trip is fundraising and volunteer work and they are currently teaching nursery school children in Zanzibar. If you are interested in helping them to achieve their target and make a difference to African communities and wildlife, please spread the word or donate using the following links: To donate: www.gofundme.com/ thehoneybadgerdiaries If you would like to follow their journey through Africa and see more photos, recordings and videos: Website: www.thehoneybadgerdiaries.com Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ pages/Honey-Badger-Diaries Instagram: @thehoneybadgerdiaries
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TRAVEL + ADVENTURE
Words + Photos By: Darryl MacDonald
Five hundred and fifty kilometres off the coast of Costa Rica lies a small island that is literally the stuff of legends. Cocos Island, a National park and UNESCO World Heritage Site is steeped in pirate history. If the stories are true, some of the most famous pirates in history have used this remote land mass to hide their bounty. With over 200 waterfalls pouring out beside the coconut palms and over the sheer, volcanically forged cliff faces, it is believed that this ancient looking place inspired Michael Crichton’s book, Jurassic Park, and has also been suggested to be the inspiration behind Robert Louis Stevenson’s book, Treasure Island. But Cocos also has another secret. The waters surrounding the island are rich in nutrients fed by deep water counter currents. These nutrients provide an environment which attracts a broad spectrum of pelagic species including rays, dolphins, whales
and, the reason most people go, sharks! On assignment in December, I spent seven days aboard the Undersea Hunter dive boat exploring this underwater lost world. The entire trip was one exciting and memorable moment after another leaving me wanting for more. However, there are two dives in particular that still remain clear in my mind and are telling examples of how wild Cocos still is. On day four of our trip, we visited Alcyone,
an underwater sea mount discovered by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. We were told by our guide that this was one of Cousteau’s favourite sites, and we quickly discovered why. Upon arriving at the site the mooring buoy was found to be several meters underwater, pushed diagonally by the ripping current that passed through the area. Descending down the line, I was reminded of images from various television shows where the character is holding on to a telephone pole in a hurricane with their body blown perpendicular to the ground, flapping in the wind like a piece of cloth. I was quite certain that if I released the line, I wouldn’t be able to swim fast enough to reach it again. Hand over hand; we pulled ourselves down the 27 metre drop until we reached the top of the underwater sea mount. At the bottom, we slowly moved into the current towards the edge of the mountain top to get a better view. What I witnessed next was perhaps one of my most memorable dives in over 20 years of diving (3000+ dives). I heard the dolphins before I saw them, a pod of about eight to 10 bottlenose dolphins working in unison to corral a massive shoal of bait fish directly over us. It began slowly with several passes but quickly turned into a full-on assault. The noise and commotion caused by the bait ball quickly
attracted a large school of hammerhead sharks to the area. The hammerheads joined in the hunt only for a brief period before being frightened off by an even larger school of oceanic black tip sharks. This was the first time I had seen this particular shark up close and was memorized by their speed and agility. I have known since I was young that sharks were one of the oldest and most efficient predators on the planet but watching this scene unfold in front of me left no doubt in my mind. As the bait ball began to shrink several other participants showed to finish off the lingering shoal. A few bulky Galapagos sharks, some of the hammerheads that could be seen in the distance rejoined the hunt, the odd silky shark and many of the white tip reef sharks that were previously lounging on top of the sea mount were enticed to join the hunt. Looking at my dive computer, I realized it was already time to begin our ascent. In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, the dive was over and we headed reluctantly back to the boat still buzzing with the excitement over the spectacular scene we had just witnessed. Our night dive was another unique experience that only the rich, pelagic environment around Cocos could offer. Upon arriving at the dive site on our first night dive, the moon had yet to come over the horizon so we were surrounded by sheer darkness. Like me, several others on the boat had a fair bit of experience in shark diving and were comfortable in the waters here. But it seemed that when it came to night diving, we were all a little reluctant to be the first ones in the water. So after a few minutes of hesitation, I
pushed myself towards the edge of the boat, waited for the captain’s permission and rolled back into the black water below. Arriving near the sandy bottom, I could see several white tip reef sharks and large trevally cruising intently in and out of the coral patches looking for their next meal. Several small fish could also be seen tucked away, hiding motionless under the overhangs in the coral in fear of being spotted. As the rest of the group arrived, it appeared — the sharks were attracted to the lights and soon there were several hundred reef sharks swarming the coral below us. Occasionally one would find a meal and the swarm would turn into a frenzied ball with loud snapping and crunching sounds as the sharks tried to pile into the reef to get a, piece of the action. We followed on top of them watching the hunt. I moved away from the group in order to have less light interfering with my photos and planted myself in a spot with a good vantage point where I could capture the sharks as they filed through the reef. One of the reef sharks managed to capture a parrot fish and again the frenzy began but this time something else appeared out of the darkness. The first thing I noticed was the size. This shark was at least three times the size of the other reef sharks, and then I noticed the distinctive stripe pattern across the animals back. Tiger Shark! It came in quickly and circled once before moving off again into the darkness. I hastily headed back to the group in order to make our guide aware of what I just witnessed. Several others in the group saw me making the sign for tiger shark, and soon the majority were scanning the surroundings
paying little attention to the hunting reef sharks below. Our group quickly became a tight formation as we searched for the animal I had just seen. Suddenly, a larger Galapagos shark very casually swam past us from behind and headed into the crowds of reef sharks. It quickly became obvious that this animal was looking for a meal and the reef sharks were on the menu. Within less than a minute of his arrival all of the reef sharks disappeared and our guide motioned that it might be a good time to end the dive. As we completed our safety stop, all lights were on the bottom watching the Galapagos shark circle, looking for a snack. When we surfaced, we were all once again thrilled and amazed with what had just witnessed but it was also obvious that we were all a little reluctant to be the last person in the water either. Cocos doesn’t have much for coral, the surface is generally quite rough and it rains more often than not. Underwater the visibility usually isn’t spectacular and the currents can be strong, even treacherous at times and the diving is difficult but it still remains as one of my favourite dive destinations. There are few places left in the world as wild as Cocos which give me a greater appreciation for what it is and what it represents.
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LIFESTYLE
Ever wanted to be an author? Words By: Sean James
For many, being an adventure or travel journalist would be a dream job. Travelling the world, writing about exotic places, suspicious characters, exciting adventures and then finally returning home to show some amazing pictures in a sold out evening presentation. But is it all that glamorous? And is it all that easy? Nearly everyone who reads this magazine has had an adventure or wants to be involved in one. If you are reading this magazine it is likely that you are pretty obsessed with the outdoors and adventure. But what happens when your passion and obsession turns into something that could also provide a living? Does the creativity still flow when you have deadlines? Is the way that you experience your own adventures still the same when you know that you will have to document and write about it in the future? This month we are going to challenge you to share in words your own adventures in the form of a short story. There are no prizes or awards, simply the reward of being able to share your adventure or travel experience with others. No one style is correct and we
don’t claim to be literary masters, so to help you, we have sought out some advice to provide a framework for your writing. Your piece can be about anything and we will publish online what we consider outstanding. Subjects could be anything from overseas, events, competitions, challenges, adventures involving auto, water, mountains, and desert. The list is endless. There are many excellent short stories and the modern short story structure emerged from oral storytelling traditions. Many short stories formats are versions of narratives, parables and fables. Very short stories are often called flash fiction and can be as little as 300 words. Probably one of the best is Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 collection entitled “The Jungle Book” it is a collection of short stories using animals to impart moral lessons to its readers; Ernest Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” is a perfect example of a short story, being only a few pages long. Short stories are unique and different in that they have to stand alone. If you plan your writing ahead they can even come together into a collection of stories that could have even more range and depth than a novel. While there are no hard and fast rules for writing a great short story, here are a few suggestions that can help give your writing that extra flourish. Write about making new friends
Tintin and his adventures
Planning
• Consider the genre that you want to use. This could be a novel, fiction, non-fiction, romance, comedy, tragedy, epic, satire. Concentrating on one style may be easier and less confusing for the reader and writer. • Think of a strong title.This can be one of the most difficult parts of the process. Often the title appears from nowhere at the end or part way through your writing. However an eye catching or provocative title will make people continue to read. • If you are looking for ideas stick to what you know and have experienced. At the start of your writing, use past adventures and the knowledge you have built up. • Every story has a beginning, middle, and end. Plan this ahead - write down ideas, characters, plots, conclusions etc. in the form of brainstorming cloud diagrams. • There are many ways to structure your story. A linear structure starts with a beginning, climax, and resolution. However, there are many other ways to structure a story. One such example is William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” which begins with the end and ends with the beginning. • In a narrative that is called “in medias res”, the story opens with the dramatic action and can contain flashbacks to previous events. It usually starts at the height of the action. You
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Use verbs for motion and action
Use an experience to write a short story
stick in your memory. Spend some time looking for quotes that inspire you. • Read other people’s work a lot and try to identify what makes it special for you. Jot down their techniques and try to use some. Describe flavors with adjectives
can use this technique based on how you want to proceed with your story. • Keep focused. Consider what your motivations and core message are for producing this piece and don’t overload your plot with other distractions. Short stories are less complicated than novels and this is the refreshing thing about writing them. Often you start to write a short story and find that you have drifted away. Cut out and save the additional, unnecessary material for another time. • Decide what viewpoint you are writing from. There are a number of points of view that you can choose to write from. Sometimes a unique, unexpected voice can provide the most compelling, focused experience of the central story.
Starting to write
• One of the most difficult things about writing is actually getting started. So just write as much as you can think of and in whatever order. Computers allow easy editing and formatting of text so you can come back to it often and re-order thoughts and text. • For a short story, start as close to the climax as possible to draw people into reading further. A longer novel can spend a longer time developing characters and plots but a short story must pack an immediate punch. • There are a number of ways to give yourself inspiration. If you are someone who has many ideas and struggle to write them down quick enough that’s great, but sometimes we need a little extra help and inspiration. Next time you go out hiking, climbing, biking or kayaking in the outdoors keep a journal. Write down things that you notice or that inspire you. Take it everywhere you go or fill it in immediately after you have finished. Any format of note taking could lead to ideas later. • If you don’t like carrying a notebook, some people take a camera or their phone to record special moments or points in the narrative that can jog their memory later when they come to write. Revisiting these pictures or searching for images on the internet can put you in the writing state of mind. • Think about what people have said to you and the conversations that you have had that
Advanced writing
Once you have got into the swing of writing you will want to look close at the actual structure and composition and grammar. Here are a few points to take note of that could really give your writing a flourish. • Verbs really make a sentence come alive and carry the action to the reader. Verbs such as “did”, “went”, “saw” or “felt” are a bit dull. Try to add some vigor to your piece with a variety of verbs such as “accomplished”, “skipped”, “gazed” or “experienced”. Don’t overdo it and make sure they fit into the tone of the piece. Online thesauruses are good but don’t get carried away. • Active or passive? Most sentences are active and the person or thing doing the action is the subject of the sentence. For example. “The boys loaded their kayaks onto the Jeep.” The boys are the subject and doing the action. In a passive sentence “the kayaks were tossed around by the waves”, the waves are the subject and doing the action. • Adjectives also add spice to writing. Don’t overuse or go crazy with the thesaurus again. But try to use a variety and look for different ones. Don’t feel like there is a need to include an adjective before every noun. Sometimes, adjectives are redundant and only use them if them if they are understandable and add something. • Figurative language can be used occasionally for effect. Metaphor and simile are examples and can focus attention on something specific. “The moon shone over the Empty Quarter like a bright, new diamond”. • Don’t over or under-use punctuation.
Tell the story of your weekend hike
Punctuation is very powerful and can change the meaning of a sentence, intentionally or unintentionally. Try not to have more colons, semicolons, dashes and exclamation marks than actual words. Use exclamation points sparingly and not more than two or three per 100,000 words. Most people don’t talk like that. • Grammar is difficult and complex. Don’t get too worried about it as most writers break the rules anyway. As your experience grows don’t be afraid to even push your boundaries and play with the rules. But know why you’re breaking the rule in the first place. So this month when you go out on your adventure in the UAE, try to look at it with the eye of a writer. Each time you do something, write a short 300 word piece and come back to it at the end of the month. See what you like, edit it and send it in. We would love to hear about it and so would our readers. Short stories really have no fixed length but keep your story to approximately 1000 words and email to sean@outdooruae.com. If you are really talented, try a flash story and tell us your adventure in 300 words or less!
Conversations can be used as a narrative in a story
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LIFESTYLE
Health Words By: Ivana Chiles
Powerhouse
This month I have been away from Dubai and regenerating my energies in the United States. A break is always welcome and to combine a vacation with my husband with lessons from California, exploring Highway 1, discovering the latest discoveries in holistic health and learning how your wishes and positive attitude can be powerful is the perfect getaway. I was overjoyed when I finally got a confirmation, that my 10-day holiday request had been approved. I was travelling to California, the Golden State with a purpose - to explore the area between San Francisco and Los Angeles, hiking and running. The highlight would be the Longevity Conference, a threeday seminar at the end. The organiser, David Wolfe, is one of America’s most recognised raw food experts and biggest superfood specialist. This is his signature event. I have been keen to meet him in person for the last two years and have been a follower of his teachings all the time. David’s bubbly personality and passion for what he is doing is simply contagious and I have been buying recordings from his previous conferences to extend my knowledge with valuable information not accessible anywhere else. This was going to be awesome! Everything is big in America. Driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles on Highway 1 reminds me of Cornwall – a land with a magnificent and beautiful coastline stretching for hundreds of kilometres which we explored in the next few days. The Monterey pines with rounded tops competing for sunlight, tall cypresses that smell divine, varieties of coastal shrubs, grassy meadows and an incredible wildlife where deer was not uncommon. This was an amazing road trip and I hoped to experience a lot — a welcome break from the approaching summer in Dubai. We were quite happy to just drive through and sleep in Capitola, which was a very friendly and Baby avocadoes from food stall along the road
Stunning coastline outside San Francisco
Trail run in Los Padres National Forest
peaceful locale. Somehow everything is bigger than what we are used to. This included the food portions. We ordered our first dinner and very quickly realised, that from then on, we will happily share the starter portion and it will feed us both comfortably. A young American couple sitting close by to us did not seem to have a problem consuming their individual extra-large portions of supersized steak with chips and a creamy pasta dish. No wonder they are three times bigger than us! Apparently not everything in California is “au natural”. The hiking is magnificent here. We started off with a visit to the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, because missing out connecting with the huge redwood sequoias was just Californian artichokes
out of question. The devastating earthquake which had swept away some parts of this area away still seemed evident, so are the extensive fires that plagued California almost two years ago. Yet there is good news; nature nearly always finds a way to recover and looking at those thick green young trees finding their way up towards the sky, was extremely refreshing. We ended up hiking a 20km loop, and in order to save time we found ourselves running down most of the return trip. It was a stunning and winding downhill path that was both steep and slippery (surely it is not a coincidence that they call it the Big Slide Trail). It was utter paradise for my trail running husband who skipped his way down it. Our energy was renewed by the new scenery. Then it was time to drive to
Abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables
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Carmel Valley Lodge where we had hopefully booked a very serene and quiet room amongst the vineyards. This really was a total break from the UAE. We fell in love with this place from the very first moment we walked into the beautiful, boutique style hotel. Perhaps it was not coincidence that we were told, that the owner, Mr. Kim, will be personally preparing our raw vegan breakfast the next morning. It was almost like they knew that the purpose of this journey was to get to LA for the Longevity Conference. Strangely, while booking this place, we never noticed anything mentioned about raw or vegan food. We could not wait to meet Mr. Kim. This cheerful 71-years old man greeted us with a warm smile and a youthful energy. We clicked instantly. Over breakfast we had a leisurely conversation about raw food, its benefits to our health, juicing and blending and of course, exchanged our opinions. Mr. Kim who is also an amazing writer and we were both given copies of his poetry collection. When David Wolfe took the stage a few days later at the opening of the conference he spoke with the same language and enthusiasm. Why do we always think it is too late to start something new, blaming it on our age? Mr. Kim had given us the same message. We were left with our mouths open when this man started talking about his future plans to extend the hotel, organise retreats and his efforts to teach his clients to change their lifestyle and eating habits. Perhaps we should all rethink our lives, stop, take a deep breath and follow our passion. His passion was hard work and food. As you know, I believe food is the most powerful tool to change our health and life and this was being reinforced even more strongly to me in California. We left this place feeling content and satisfied and ready to explore more of California and enjoy more “coincidences”. Further along the coast, we did another delightful drive, stopping for a short hike in Point Lobos State Natural Reserve to enjoy the seals and otters. We were instantly drawn to some orange velvety stuff on the rocks and trees along the trail. It was green algae and its orange colour comes from carotene, a pigment which also occurs in carrots.
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Truly inspiring breakfast with raw foodist Mr. Kim who is over 70 years old
Coincidentally, David Wolfe later gave a long session on colour pigments in nature and life. I finally figured out why Americans tend to be so loud and you can hear them approaching from a long way off. Here is the explanation. We have noticed that many of the parks here have mountain lions or cougars. Encounters can be an unpleasant experience, therefore there are signs all over Californian parks encouraging hikers to make lots of noise and not to surprise mountains lions who could attack. It makes me rethink my solo adventures in other parts of California, when I always hike alone and respect the nature by being quiet. Although going alone might also be the reason why I tend to come across rattlesnakes all the time. Bixby Bridge is one of the tallest single span concrete bridges in the world and our next short stop. San Simeon welcomed us with an incredibly suffocating smell of mating elephant seals. Hundreds of these creatures line up along the coast and their growling is unmistakable. They have a habit of tossing sand on their bodies with their flippers which was entertaining. Despite the smell, we spent almost half an hour watching them trying to find their way to the ocean while making others angry. Occasional fights and injuries are common at this time of the year. Moonstone Beach is simply pure magic and was next on the list. A short walk on the shore hoping to find some moonstones,
accompanied by curious pelicans did not go too well. We were forced to run back to hotel as the weather changed and it was freezing cold. The Paso Robles vineyards in San Luis Obismo was another beautiful trail run and we are all happy again. We went for a short stop for a healthy lunch in Apple Pie farm where we stocked up on stylish souvenirs and had a chat with a lovely waiter whose wife is coincidentally, Czech like me. Solvang with its charming European architecture, Los Olivos, San Ynez and rolling hills is a wine country and is simply magic. We were enjoying our drive with the roof down and I know that these moments will stay in my heart forever. A short visit to yet another gorgeous vineyard in Fess Parker and we are ready to take a rest in our hotel. That evening we headed for the healthiest and most delightful dinner of organic produce on this trip yet. I am instantly connected with this place as I am reading the chef’s motto on the wall: “I aim to find the best ingredients and try not to spoil them”. While California certainly does not lack fast food chains, it lacks good quality restaurants. I was glad, that we had used every opportunity to buy freshly picked baby avocados, tomatoes, peppers and even giant artichokes. Strawberry self-picking is something we loved about California and the range of produce is outstanding. We spent our last day of outdoor adventures before the conference in Los Padres National Forest it played host to dramatic mountains with sweeping views across Santa Ynez Mountains and Santa Barbara from Gaviota Peak and it made us feel sad for a moment having to leave land of plenty. But at the same time excited about the conference, starting the following day.
The Longevity Conference
For the next three days, we were left speechless after each talk that we attended. Each session was full of incredible information. Happiness, love, positive thinking and the incredible amount of energy shared among 2000 people is hard to describe. It is something you have to experience yourself.
Earthing Theory Elephant seals in San Simeon
The founder of the Earthing theory, Clint Ober, had grounded (pun intended) most of the chairs in the room. A few years ago Clint
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Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, running in the forest among the trees fast recovering from a devastating fire two years ago
addressed one of the planet’s most neglected healing energies and explained his theory of how disconnection from the earth affects our health. Being grounded improves sleep, decreased stress levels, faster healing and improved overall health. Grounding refers to connecting to the earth electrically. The earth is a massive reservoir of negatively charged electrons. Without a connection to this reservoir, the cells in our body are unable to balance the positive charge. The simplest way to get grounded is to go outside and walk bare feet, touch the ground with your hands (gardening) or simply buy a set of Clint’s grounding pillow covers or bed sheets. Miraculously, I won a set of silver grounding pillows in the raffle. Luck is still with us as my husband, Darryl wins a Berrybreeze ozonator a few minutes later and the whole audience is shocked. This machine, which you place on the top of the shelf in your fridge, kills pesticides, fungus, germs, mold and harmful bacteria living on your fruits and vegetables. I swear it works and my only regret is, that I did not buy this little thing for the whole family and all friends as a Christmas present!
Hair colour and fillings
When I was checking out my hair in the mirror during our drive here, I thought I needed to colour my hair. A few hours later I was introduced to the latest discovery in hair dyes. Hair colour so natural and pure, that it is actually considered treatment. It has the power of restoring your grey hair to the original color you were born with. Eight ingredients mixed together, no ammonium; in fact you can lick the excess off your fingers. I am left impressed and at the same time absolutely thrilled, that the problem of the most toxic ingredient we release into our environment - hair dyes, has finally been solved! When I came to proudly show my new hairdo to the inventor next day, the green chemist Dr. Warner was so impressed that he wants me on the stage the next day! David Wolfe held several sessions on colour pigments. He claims that they are much more powerful than any minerals or vitamins. We were introduced to a rainbow of colours and learned how to naturally 42
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recognize how to heal ourselves. There was also information on stem cells - the future of the medicine. Although illegal in most countries until now, the stem cells from your own bone marrow can be injected into your blood stream in order to regenerate and repair ill cells. There are hardly any risks involved, as you are using your cells and there is no danger. If there was, they would not be accepted by your body. We also learned about holistic dental care presented by Nadine Artemis. I am having a free mercury test done, as I still have few amalgam fillings. The first thing I will do in Dubai after coming back is have all of my fillings removed. My conventional dentist is shaking his head, but my decision is final. I was convinced by the evidence in California. Dave Asprey, the founder of Bulletproof Coffee and Diet claims, that drinking his Bulletproof Coffee mixed with MCT, a coconut oil derivative and grassed unsalted butter will free you from food cravings and increase your energy and mental focus. Sounds interesting and we are currently giving it a try. We learned about detoxifying the toxins and chemicals we are exposed to with infrared sauna. It breaks up and neutralizes toxins and acids, even removes heavy metals, kills bacteria and parasites. As appealing as it may sound, we are not ready to carry a sauna on the plane back to Dubai. Ron Teeguarden, America’s top Chinese herbalist gave an impressive talk and it left a deep impact on me. I was patiently waiting in a queue to have a 10-minute chat with this gentleman. He is in demand and devotes time to every individual interested. I left with a bag full of precious products, including Reishi Mushrooms. I will be taking them religiously hoping to awaken my inner power naturally. Dr. Lissa Rankin presented one of the most powerful speeches and her best-selling book, “Mind Over Medicine” is something we should all read. Her latest book, “The Fear Cure” reveals how to cure your body by overcoming your own fears. I feel a strong connection with this humble lady as she is signing her book for me insisting, that she knows me.
I left the Longevity Conference loaded with information, which will change my life. We simply need to slow down and reconnect with our body and mind and listen to it. Don’t ignore any signs, because they are there for a reason. A healthy lifestyle is a long process and does not happen overnight. It should be a fun way of life and have nothing to do with pain and suffering. We just need to be open to it and willing to try. As I sit on the plane to Dubai 2 days later, I look forward to making my own green juice and home cooked meals, where I take control of all ingredients and know where they come from. I appreciate the fact that Dubai gives us choices and that we have access to quality food and ingredients, if shopping consciously. I found that very hard in America. The land of plenty has far too few people on a healthy path and I very much hope, that it will change before it is too late.
Beautiful garden shop and restaurant. Full of inspiration for my garden in Dubai
You can find some more tips and links on my website www.ivanahph.com or follow me on my Health Powerhouse Facebook page for some more gardening tips, delicious recipes and natural cosmetics. Ivana Chiles has been living in the UAE for almost 15 years. Her passions are nutrition, healthy cooking and gardening. Ivana is a certified health coach, member of American Association of Drugless Practitioners and also a keen outdoor enthusiast.
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Habitually healthy 10 Workout Tips to Maintain During the Month of Ramadan Words By: Sam Sayadan
Soon Ramadan starts for more than a billion people in the world and many of them are workout enthusiasts. Here are some ways to observe Ramadan without compromising your fitness goals! 1. Don’t Stop Working Out
The first and most important tip comes right at the beginning: don’t stop working out. Your body maintains muscle mass as long as it feels it’s needed. When you stop exercising, it will slowly build back what it feels is unnecessary luggage costing extra energy. Even though you may not make gains in muscle mass during Ramadan, you can at least preserve what you have if you keep your schedule up.
2. Adjust Intensity
In your regular schedule you are able to do huge amounts of weight when you do bench presses. You can handle 90lbs curls without batting an eye. But if you usually do your workouts in the late afternoons and then try the same intensity during Ramadan it won’t work. On a typical Ramadan day you have fasted for eight to 10 hours and a busy day is behind you. Under those circumstances pulling off your usual intensity is very hard to do. There is nothing wrong with you here: your carbohydrate reserves are depleted and carbohydrates are what let you work out intensely. So go a bit lower with your intensity. What you want to do is either adjust the weights you are using or the number of reps. If you want to stay with the weights you normally train with, do fewer repetitions and lower the weight. If you want to lower the weight right from the beginning, then pick one that under the circumstances of the fast allows you a maximum of 12 – 15 reps.
3. Protein Timing
If you normally follow the rule of having several small doses of protein over the day, you of course can’t do that during Ramadan. But if you manage to have a meal in the mornings, before fajr and of course the larger ones in the evening and have some protein in both, you will at least somewhat made up for it. Protein in food is absorbed much slower than protein from powders and will stay with you for quite a bit of time.
4. Carbohydrates in the Morning
Another reason for a morning meal is that you can not only have some protein at that time, but also carbohydrates. And as carbs let you work out with intensity, as we said above, loading up some of them in the mornings
should counter a lack of carbs during the day. If you are used to having a pre-workout meal, this won’t make up entirely for it, but it should help tide you over.
even 14 hours, but do exercise some selfcontrol. In the evenings, get that protein we talked about, but keep an eye on the calories you consume.
5. Adjust Workout Times
9. Ramadan Is Tougher In Summer
This should work especially well if you can adjust to having your workouts within a couple of hours of this morning meal, as your carbohydrate reserves will then be quite high. If your workouts take place after a long day of fasting, you might feel rather drained.
6. Workout When it Feels Best
However, many people of course can’t simply go and do their workouts when they would be most beneficial, especially during Ramadan. A bit of flexibility might help: Instead of doing your workouts during your normal times, do them when you have time and feel energetic. A workout done when you feel you have the energy and can do it with intensity is better than a workout you squeeze in and do hurriedly, just because in theory your energy reserves would be better.
7. Get Enough Fluids
When talking about nutrition, we also shouldn’t forget about getting enough fluids. However, during Ramadan you can’t drink when you are thirsty. Therefore Ramadan is one of the few times where the advice is to load up on fluids pre-emptively, before thirst takes place. Especially for us living in hot climates this is rather important; even more so, when you want to do a workout during the day.
8. Don’t Go All Out in The Evenings Strangely enough, despite Ramadan being a month of fasting, a good number of Muslims actually gain weight during that month. Because as part of the spirit of Ramadan, large spreads are served in the evenings and more than makes up for what was lacking during the day. Of course, it’s rather easy to overeat when you went without food for 10, 12 or
Finally, don’t forget that Ramadan is more difficult to follow in summer than winter, because during summer daylight lasts much longer, you will have less time to eat and drink and also get less sleep. Therefore, during the years where Ramadan takes place during summer, as this year, be prepared that you may not be able to put out the same workout performances you get when Ramadan takes place in winter.
10. For Those Who Don’t Fast During Ramadan
Please remember that many people around you are devout to their faith and Ramadan is a great test for them and their families to continue what may be a regular work and life routine for you. We encourage everyone to be more vigilant of our habits of eating, drinking, smoking and of course the level of expectation we have from those that are observing their fast. Actually the month of Ramadan is a great opportunity for many to reflect on their own habits and use the time to optimize their routines. During the Holy Month of Ramadan, The Cycle Bistro will offer paleo take-away meals from 2:00 p.m. and will be joining in on the evening Iftar with dinner after sundown until 10:00 p.m. daily. For more information visit facebook.com/thecyclebistro. The Cycle Bistro GPS location: Latitude: N 25° 02.792 Longitude: E 055° 14.384 Phone: 04 425 6555
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Dive Listings 2015 For the June issue of OutdoorUAE, we’ve put together a comprehensive list of diving centres and shops based in the UAE and beyond for you to look at. aquatic life and combination of fish and coral reefs will delight all underwater photographers and marine naturalists.
DIVE MUSANDAM The true treasures of Oman lie hidden beneath the surface, where the vast panorama explodes into a complex symphony of colors and corals. The warm water draws large schools of manta rays, whale sharks, seahorses, turtles and shoals of tropical fish darting amongst huge coral reef gardens. This wealth of
Dive into the waters of Dubai, Oman and beyond to discover a whole other world of sunken shipwrecks and exotic sea creatures. From scuba diving for beginners, right the way through to courses for professional dive instructors, The Pavilion Dive Centre at Jumeirah Beach Hotel has the expertise to make sure your experience is everything you hoped. Diving Courses The Pavilion Dive Centre is the first PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) 5 Star Career Development Centre in the United Arab Emirates. Tel: +971 4 406 8828 Email: divecentre@jumeirah.com 44
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Oman contains some of the most biologically productive seas in the world, it lies at the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula between latitudes 16ْ and 27ْ n. It is in the middle of three different seas; the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf opening onto the Indian Ocean. It enjoys a tropical climate with water temperatures between 20ْ c in winter and 35ْ c in summer and has an amazing variety of aquatic life. With over 100 dive sites to choose from around Musandam alone, there is something to offer everyone, from the beginner to the more experienced diver. Even the non-diver can experience close encounters with reef fish, turtles, dolphins and whale sharks, so no one goes home disappointed. World class diving, superb scenery, great
Our company Scuba Marine Marine Equipment has accomplished in establishing itself strongly across the UAE by providing top-notch marine equipment and a reliable service to our valued customers. Also we as a diving equipment providing company market a wide range of marine products which content our customers. Tel: +971 2 6446211 www.scubamarine.ae
entertainment and international resort facilities - Oman has all the right ingredients for a perfect diving holiday. Ocean Boats Diving Centre will provide you with the finest services available in one of the top ten dive destinations of the world. Tel: (+968) 99558488 Email: divemusandam@gmail.com www.divemusandam.com
Sheesa Beach Dive Centre is your marine expert in the Musandam. We specialise in private and sharing day and overnight diving and pleasure safaris, PADI dive courses and all from our fleet of eight dhows. Beat the heat in summer on our air conditioned, catered live aboards and relax in the cooler months on our double deck dhows. Our customised speedboats will transport you to the furthest reaches of the Musandam as well as the more local sites quickly and efficiently. Tel: +971 50 3336046 www.sheesabeach.com
Under the Wave:
The Pavilion Dive Center at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel
With its striking wave-like design, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel is one of Dubai’s most instantly recognisable structures, sitting next door to the iconic Burj Al Arab and in the heart of the coastline. As a five star family resort, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel is famed for its sheer wealth of facilities, including over 19 restaurants and bars, floodlit tennis courts, five swimming pools, Sinbad’s Kids Club, Wild Wadi Waterpark and a beautiful private marina. The Pavilion Dive Center
The Pavilion Marina at Jumeirah Beach Hotel offers an aquatic environment and perfect setting for the resorts Pavilion Dive Center. The Dive center, which was the first of its kind in Dubai, offers scuba diving and snorkeling classes for beginners, all the way through to courses for professional dive instructors. Offering unmatched experiences, the Pavilion Dive Center allows clients the chance to discover a whole new world of sunken shipwrecks and exotic sea creatures within the waters of Dubai, Oman and beyond.
Diving Courses
The Pavilion Dive Centre is the only PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) 5 Star Career Development Centre in the UAE. PADI certifications are recognised worldwide and give access to diving adventures all over the planet. From entry-level and children’s diving courses to professional dive instructor training, the Pavilion Dive Centre has over 30 PADI courses to choose from. To make things even easier, the center also has dedicated instructors who train in English, German, French, Russian, Arabic and more. The center also has PADI e-Learning courses,
helping clients develop their diving knowledge wherever and whenever suits them, and enables them to take the plunge to open waters as quickly as possible.
About PADI
PADI certifications are recognised worldwide and in most countries will allow the holder access to dive with free will. With PADI’s revolutionary diver e-learning system, becoming a diver has never been so easy. As the world’s most popular entry level certification and best recognised, the PADI Open Water Course offers a quick and easy way to learn new diving skills. Once certified as a PADI diver enthusiasts can develop their qualifications by enrolling on an additional 30 PADI courses. PADI courses consist of knowledge development, skill development and practical application. Gaining a PADI certification is fun, safe, flexible and extremely rewarding. All courses can be scheduled to meet busy lifestyles or fit into leisurely beach holidays. Never before has it been so convenient to learn to dive.
Discover Scuba Experience
A fast and easy way to get started as a Scuba Diver is to take part in Jumeirah Beach Hotel’s Pavilion Dive Centers PADI Discover Scuba Diving experience. The center’s diving professionals will introduce you to the basics of scuba diving in a safe and controlled environment within the hotels extraordinary range of facilities. During the experience you may dive directly into the sea from Jumeirah Beach Hotel’s beach in shallow, clear water or begin in the hotels choice of pools. The center has a wide range of courses as well as collaborations with disabled divers international, Jumeirah Tawasul and Rescue courses.
Scuba Shopping
For all your gear, the Pavilion Dive Centre also has an official retail boutique with SCUBAPRO diving equipment, accessories, snorkels, diving computers and more.
For more information, please contact us: Friday to Monday: 08:00 to 18:00 Tuesday to Thursday: 08:00 to 22:00 Telephone: +971 4 406 8828 Email: divecentre@jumeirah.com
Dive Listings 2015 BLUE PLANET DIVING • Dive trips • Kids programs • PADI courses • EFR and other safety training • PADI certification programs • Equipment sale • Special events • Annual group trips • Water sports Founded in 2004, Blue Planet Diving started out as a small dive centre in Ajman. Since 2008, we have been based in Dibba, at the Holiday Beach Motel. Let us help you discover the beauty of the ocean, its inhabitants and its mystery. From classes and excursions to special events hosted by our experts, we’re here to connect you with the sea. Our Instructors can teach and give you
Daily dive trips to Fujairah, Musandam, Dubai wrecks and World Islands plus Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo with centralised bookings office. Three fully stocked dive shops with equipment from Aqua Lung, Apeks and much more. Dedicated workshop catering to most well known brands. Five Watersports centers. Tel: +971 4 3422993 Email: abdiving@emirates.net.ae www.alboomdiving.com
lessons in English, Russian, Polish and Arabic languages. Never been to the ocean? Don’t worry! Blue Planet Diving works with new divers and swimmers, and clients of all ages. We’ve taken families on full snorkel trips to Dibba Rock, and also helped certify couples in SCUBA before they left for their honeymoons. Let us help you prepare to enjoy an adventure like no other. We’re outfitted to help you make a splash. At Blue Planet Diving, we know about the amazing connection that can occur when man goes underwater and explore a whole new world. Let us guide you in that amazing journey.
The UAE’s first dedicated technical dive center. Coastal Technical Divers focuses primarily on technical training in both open circuit, side mount and rebreathers. We offer courses by UTD, IANTD and TDI. the world’s leading technical dive agencies. Located at the Fujairah International Marina and Yacht Club Latitide 25° 7’ 39.7” (25.1277°) north Longitude 56° 21’ 30.5” (56.3585°). Tel: 97150 8696707 www.coastaltechnicaldivers.com
Our staff of certified PADI instructors can help you move from novice to advanced skills, keeping you safe all along the way.Sign up today. Learn to SCUBA dive with us! Tel: +971 50 1652280 www.blue-planetdiving.com
Located on the RAK border to the Musandam, Oman, Al Jeer Port offers the latest marina facility in RAK. The complex consists of a 266 berth marina for sailing yachts, large luxury yachts and private leisure vessels. The port also handles general cargo and livestock. As a modern port, we are committed to continual investment in the quality of our facilities and the sustainability of our services for future generations. Contact us to become part of this thriving port environment. Tel: +971 7 2682333 www.aljeerport.ae
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Dive Listings 2015 Gulf Marine Sports is one of the oldest shops in UAE. Established in 1998 and based in Abu Dhabi we distribute a wide range of snorkeling & diving equipment. G.M.S offers an extensive range of diving equipment and professional services, and is considered one of the best freediving shops & spearfishing equipment in UAE. We carry a wide range of the most reputable and leading brand names. In addition to all above, G.M.S is a PADI Swim School Instructor Center, Padi Emergency First Respond Center, and Life Guard Training Center.
The dive centre located in Dubai at DIMC and also THE Dive Centre, Sandy Beach. PADI 5 Star IDC Centres. We offer the full range of PADI Courses from learning to dive, to becoming a PADI Instructor. A dive centre that prides itself on the quality of our Instructors, the quality of the training. But more importantly you will feel part of the dive family the moment you walk into THE Dive Centre. Tel: +971 55 9985806 Email: jason@thedivecentre.ae www.thedivecentre.ae
Our facility includes: • Hydro test for tanks • Tank rental • Tank filling • Padi materials Supply • Equipment service • Scuba Gear sales • Under water Spearfishing Products • Diving Mask Prescriptions Lenses • Free Diving courses • Swimming instructor courses Contact: Tel: +971 2 6710017 Mobile : +97150 4467956 Email: info@gulfmarinesports.com www.gulfmarinesports.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi Outlet, P.O. BOX 32945
BSAC 406 is a diving club based at the Sharjah Wanderers Sports Club, affiliated to the British Sub-Aqua Club and catering mainly for expats. We run dives on most weekends to various local wreck sites with occasional trips over to the east coast. Our diving is mostly self-sufficient and we meet Tuesday evenings to plan our next trip. Tel: +971 50 7840830 www.bsac406.com
Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters have over two decades of experience on the Arabian Peninsula. We offer a “One Stop Shop”with “On Site” facilities, and PADI P.I.R.R.A Resort. We do daily Sightseeing Boat Charters, Big Game Sportfishing, Scuba Diving and Snorkeling Charters. Our marina chandlery retails Scuba Diving, Sportfishing and Boat Equipment. Tel : +971 50 6146931 www.fishabudhabi.com
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CONQUER NEW TERRITORY
The all-round dive computer comes out in two new editions
Suunto was born in 1936 when Finnish orienteer and engineer Tuomas Vohlonen invented the mass production method for the liquid-filled compass. Since then, Suunto has been at the forefront of design and innovation for sports watches, dive computers and sports instruments used by adventurers all over the globe. From the highest mountains to the deepest oceans, Suunto physically and mentally equips outdoor adventurers to conquer new territory. Suunto’s headquarters and manufacturing plant is in Vantaa, Finland. Employing more than 400 people worldwide, Suunto products are sold in over 100 countries. The company is a subsidiary of Amer Sports Corporation along with its sister brands Salomon, Arc’teryx, Atomic, Wilson, Precor, Mavic and Nikita. 48
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The Suunto D4i is now available in two new colors to guide divers on their underwater adventures. With four dive modes – including freediving – Suunto RGBM algorithm, and the option of wireless integration, the Suunto D4i is the dive computer of choice for all divers looking for a lightweight, reliable and stylish dive computer. With the pink edition, it gets a splash of color. It’s the perfect fit, whether blending in with a coral reef or your style out of the water. The gray Suunto D4i makes for a modern and streetwise alternative to black. The Suunto D4i is already available in black, white, blue and lime. It features a soft silicone strap, ensuring maximum comfort as well as a superb fit and is designed to suit the needs of everyday divers for every diving occasion.
Suunto D4i Novo
Suunto EON Steel
The redesigned Suunto D4i comes in a range of fresh colors and with an all-new soft, comfortable silicone strap for that perfect fit. Lightweight and packed with handy features like freedive mode and optional wireless air integration, it’s got everything you need – wherever your diving may take you.
Suunto introduces its next generation dive computer. The intuitive Suunto EON Steel combines advanced technology with customizable features and display to clearly show what you need. With heavyduty housing, a stainless steel bezel, and user updatable software, The Suunto EON Steel will dive with you for years to come. • Customize With Features And Suunto Customdisplaytm • Wide-Angle Suunto Brightseetm Color Screen • User-Updatable Software
The Great All-Round Dive Computer 2,645.00 AED
• 4 Modes Incl. Freediving • Light Weight • Optional Wireless Air Integration
Suunto Tank Pod
Wireless Tank Pressure Transmitter For Suunto Eon Steel 1,395.00 AED • Easy Pairing • Multiple Tank Pressure Readings • Robust Digital Communications Technology The Suunto Tank POD is a wireless tank pressure transmitter that allows you to view current tank pressure with just a glance at your wrist. The robust digital communications technology brings not only improved stability but also new features such as multiple tank pressure readings.
Explore More - Full Customization 4,850.00 AED
Suunto DX Silver Titanium
The Ultimate Watch-Sized Dive Computer 5,995.00 AED The Suunto DX, built on the award-winning Suunto D9tx, is the ultimate tool for open-circuit and rebreather divers. It’s the very first of its kind to feature CCR compatibility. The premium design and materials, combined with the new superior Suunto Fused™ RGBM, make it the must-have instrument for your dive missions and everyday adventures. Are you ready to conquer new territory? • For Rebreather And Open Circuit Diving Incl. Trimix • Titanium Case With Sapphire Crystal Glass • Suunto Fused™ RGBM
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MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
PRODUCTS A ROUND-UP OF QUALITY PRODUCTS AVAILABLE RIGHT HERE IN THE UAE
Jobe Impress Comp Vest (2 in 1) Price: 495 AED | Now: 395 AED
Available only at Al Yousuf Motors Across UAE Specification: This comp vest boasts added flex panel, making it feel like you’re barely wearing a vest! AND it’s reversible, so it’s like 2 vests for the price of 1! Wear it grey on one side or orange on the other! Choices, choices…
PARA’KITO protection roll-on
89 AED
Available at Adventure HQ, Go Sport, Golf House and many more retailers (store locator at www.mapyr.com) Number 1 natural prevention against mosquito bites, PARA’KITO protection roll-on offers a very unique combination: natural ingredients, patented technology, with an extremely easy use. Formulated for infested areas, it is delivered in a roll-on, enabling fast and precise application on body and face, without spreading. On top of being dermatologically tested, its efficacy was proven to be up to 5 hours against tiger mosquito. PARA’KITO is the solution to stay protected from insect bites when doing outdoor activities.
Suunto DX Silver Titanium
The Ultimate Watch-Sized Dive Computer 5,995 AED Available at Adventure HQ, Stadium, Modell’s, GO Sport and Al Boom Diving The Suunto DX, built on the award-winning Suunto D9tx, is the ultimate tool for open-circuit and rebreather divers. It’s the very first of its kind to feature CCR compatibility. The premium design and materials, combined with the new superior Suunto FusedTM RGBM, make it the must-have instrument for your dive missions and everyday adventures. Are you ready to conquer new territory? • For rebreather and open circuit diving incl. trimix • Titanium case with sapphire crystal glass • Suunto FusedTM RGBM
Ohana - Men 195 AED
Available at GO Sport, The Dubai Mall Our wet sand principle “A bare foot sinks slowly into wet sand. All at once it cups the heels and fills the arch while the toes splay out. In this brief moment an entire design philosophy is born. This is the inspiration for unparalleled fit from OluKai.” VEGAN FRIENDLY Our vegan friendly footwear offers the durability, traction and support you expect from OluKai while using 100% high quality synthetic materials, 0% animal products. WATER RESISTANT Lightweight, quick drying, breathable and durable materials built for in and around water.”
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OLUKAI FLIP FLOP Words By: Rachael Bruford
Flip flops, sandals, thongs, slippers...whatever you call them, there’s no denying that this popular footwear is ideal for life in the UAE. Their versatility means that they are as much at home on the beach as they are at the mall. I know I’ve had my fair share of moments when I’ve been grateful that I’m in my trusty flip flops as I’ve unintentionally had to cross a patch of rubble or sand whilst trying to navigate my way on foot around parts of Dubai. As somebody who struggles to walk on even the smallest of kitten heels, I practically live in flip flops when I’m not barefoot or in my running gear. They’re the ideal footwear to take with you when travelling to warm climates, being lightweight and flexible, and a perfect complement to most casual outfits. Having said all of this, buying the correct pair is important. I’ve gone through many in my time, from expensive designer brands to incredibly cheap replicas. All of them have met with a sticky end after a while; one pair floated down the Nam Song River in Laos, never to be seen again, whilst another pair were stolen only to be rescued and lost hours later. Most of them have gradually worn away or fallen apart in the street, leading to some very embarrassing hopping round Business Bay on one
occasion. Having never heard of the OluKai brand, I was intrigued by the fact that this Hawaiian based company had tested their flip flops on 450 lifeguards from the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association. Furthermore, the “wet sand principle”, that OluKai has developed, was something I was keen to try out. A luxury lifestyle brand that promotes its footwear through an “Anywhere Aloha™” campaign, OluKai places an emphasis on quality materials and handcrafted details - something that cannot be claimed by most flip flops. Taking my coral and black Ohana pair out of the box, I could tell immediately that this brand was already a step up from my usual choice. Straight away I noticed the thicker sole with arch support, and the durability of the materials. The upper consisted of soft leather with a neoprene backer, meaning that the top of my foot was not chafed when the first tentative steps I took in them turned into a 40 minute walk. Similarly, the area between my toes was not irritated at all. In the past I’ve always been concerned about how flat this type of footwear is. There’s usually no support whatsoever, particularly on the arch of the foot and the heel. A fairly thin piece of foam does not offer much protection, and I was becoming concerned that years of wearing something unsupported might have started to affect my feet and gait. With these flip flops, I
finally feel that I have found something that allows me to be relaxed and light on my feet whilst receiving that all important cushioning and support. After a while of walking with the Ohana, I realised that these OluKai pairs delivered on their promises — my heel felt properly protected in the heel cup, which cradles the foot and minimises side to side movement. The anatomical arch support system combined with the soft material felt comfortable that you could almost imagine the massaging sensation of wet sand under your feet. It was actually therapeutic to walk in them, and having been to Hawaii a couple of years ago, I definitely had that Anywhere Aloha feeling. The shoes are lightweight, quick drying and built for being around water, which is perfect for people in the region who enjoy an active lifestyle. The outsole consists of non-marking rubber and edges that provide grip on wet surfaces. I can certainly imagine them being reliable on boat ramps at the marina. It’s easy to see why OluKai is the official footwear brand for Hawaiian lifeguards. Not only are they comfortable, they are also stylish and durable when taking part in a range of activities. Even more impressive, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the shoes goes to support the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association’s junior program. I adore my Ohanas and plan on wearing them for a long time to come, whether I’m camping, getting ready to SUP or even just nipping to the supermarket.
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PRODUCTS Ohana – Women 195 AED
Available at GO Sport, The Dubai Mall The classic ‘Ohana is your go-to choice for simple everyday style. UPPER Water-resistant synthetic nubuck leather with an ultra soft, quick-drying jersey knit lining and neoprene backer. FOOTBED Anatomical compression moulded EVA midsole with a soft ICEVA drop-in foot bed for both comfort and support. OUTSOLE Non-marking rubber or gum rubber outsole with razor swiped edges for grip on wet surfaces. FEATURES Soft nylon toe post and a laser-etched logo. Style supports our Ohana Giveback Program. WATER RESISTANT Lightweight, quick drying, breathable and durable materials built for in and around water.
Mexico Sunset Seakiss Reversible Bottom Surf Bikini 290 AED
Seakiss surf protection hamsa beads 80 AED
Available at www.seakiss.me The Mexico Sunset Surf Bikini is inspired by the dramatic intensely coloured sunsets in Mexico. With a mix of bright pink and orange, this bikini will get you noticed both on the beach and in the water. It offers practical support with a crossover design at back to take the tension off the neck, built in bottoms that reverse to a bold bright orange block colour for a mix and match look with non-removable padding, bottoms with drawstring for a secure fit and reverse to a bold bright orange block colour for a mix and match look. Seakiss Swimwear is designed in Dubai and made for all water sports by an Australian female surfer. Designed to stay on and avoid bikini malfunctions in either high intensity water sport or just partaking in simple beach leisure activities: Seakiss has you covered!
Spare Air
Seadoo Seascooter Dolphin
Available at all stores of Adventure HQ
Available at all stores of Adventure HQ
The preferred choice of Recreational Divers • 3 cubic feet of air • Tank finish in Neon Yellow for safety • Easily refills from your own SCUBA tank with included refill adapter (patented) • Easily attaches to your BCD, including holster and safety leash • Small, hands-free, nearly neutrally buoyant • Breathe on demand regulator No complicated instructions • Completely redundant back-up miniature SCUBA system • Faster than buddy breathing and easier than an octopus
For family fun in the pool, at a very attractive price, the SEADOO® SEASCOOTER™ DOLPHIN packs thrust for a speed of up to 2mph/3.2kmh in a very compact, lightweight design. With safety features including protective grilles, auto shut-off, dual trigger control and positive buoyancy, the DOLPHIN is a must for every child, or child at heart.
1,300 AED
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1,500 AED
• Extremely lightweight and compact design, weighing only 12 lbs/5.4kg • Safety features including safety grille, positive buoyancy, auto shut-off, and dual trigger operation. • Up to 1.5 hours of runtime with normal use • Fully waterproof construction
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Hydrating on a hike with Aqualyte
Words By: Sean James
One of the benefits of living in a connected society is that we are provided with a huge amount of information that allows us to make sensible decisions on aspects of our lives. Often it seems there are too many. Theories based around nutrition and hydration in the sporting world are no exception. There are just so many and with so many different opinions and suggestions how do we make sense of it all? What is undeniable is that to enjoy an active lifestyle you must consider what you fuel your body with and also when. Good nutrition and hydration will enhance your performance in the outdoors. Even more so now we are entering the extreme period of a UAE summer. The last few months I have been testing three products in extreme conditions; Aqualyte, MuleBar and GU. I was lucky enough in April and May to be climbing Everest and to take a range of these products with me. Now in June and being thrown straight back into the sandpit they are helping me to get back into my regular training schedule of cycling around Al Qudra and running along Beach Road. So what follows is a brief summary of all 3.
Aqualyte (made in Australia)
Dehydration will effect anyone who participates in exercise over 60 minutes of a high intensity or in warm conditions. Drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise is very important. Water is a suitable drink, but adding a low sugar, HYPOTONIC fluid and electrolyte replacement like Aqualyte has distinct advantages. Apart from the great taste, which is all created by natural flavours, it is easy on the stomach and because of its unique composition it is rapidly absorbed by the body. There is no feeling of bloating as it doesn’t stay in the stomach as long as other drinks. Gastrointestinal problems are common if you participate in endurance events and Aqualyte has fewer calories and is less acidic than many making it a healthier alternative. Additionally
it is gluten-free, has no artificial sweeteners and has appropriate levels of glucose to sustain your energy levels.
Follow AqualyteSolution on Facebook
flavours. Apple Strudel was awesome. Within the bar there is a mix of carbohydrates mainly derived from brown rice syrup that ensures increased energy absorption and improved endurance. Other ingredients are composed of a mixture of high, medium and low GI ingredients so that energy is released gradually rather than in a big burst.
@MuleBar
GU (made in the USA) Product testing high in Nepal
MuleBar (made in the UK)
Whether you are kayaking, doing a yoga session or hiking outdoors in the UAE, the main sources of energy that are used in your body are fat and carbohydrate. The problem with our carbohydrate stores are that they are limited and need replacing constantly. Hiring a SUP and paddling around the Burj Al Arab for 90 minutes will significantly deplete your glycogen reserves. To feel on top of the world it’s important to refuel, before during and after any activity outdoors. On Everest I took a selection of two types of MuleBar. The Energy bars, for use during hiking and the Protein bars with 20% protein to have at the end of the day. All MuleBar products are 100% natural, organic & they taste great. The Energy bar has seven
GU was the original energy gel and started back in 1992 so they have a long history of innovation and research. Their mission has always been to provide products that deliver benefits to hydration, energy and recovery. This is done via complex and simple carbohydrates, essential amino acids, lactic acid buffers, and antioxidants. The GU range includes gels, drink mixes and tablets, chews, and electrolyte capsules but my favourite is the GU Roctane gels as they contain extra amino acids. During a long training session or a race they feel like rocket fuel in your body.
@guenergylabs #guforit I’ve found that by using a combination of these products, the worry and decision making about what was is going to work for me, improve my performance and also what is going to be kind to my body has been removed. I can simply concentrate on enjoying being outdoors whether in the UAE or further afield. These products are available from all major retailers and sports stores across the UAE.
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
PRODUCTS Multiday Pack UBIC 40 - Women
Multiday Pack UBIC 60+10 - Men
Available at all GO Sport Stores
Available at all GO Sport Stores
Modern mountaineering backpack for women, designed for adventure and innovative function and design.
Modern mountaineering backpack for men, designed for adventure and innovative function and design.
Characteristics: • Two buckle lid, storm collar, compression straps, two zipped pockets, external gear holders • Zipped front pocket • Side stretch pocket • Side zipped cargo pocket • Extra net pockets • Variloop SystemTM compatible with carrying all alpine and base camp equipment • Rain cover • Zipped pack-base compartment • Extra straps • Lady Foam LighterTM Thermo-moulded back with stretch fabric and 3D mesh
Characteristics: • Removable, expandable two buckle lid and access zip, storm collar, compression straps, two zipped pockets, external gear holders • Zipped front pocket • Side stretch pocket • Side zipped cargo pocket • Net pockets • Variloop SystemTM compatible with carrying all alpine and base camp equipment • Rain cover • Zipped pack-base compartment • Extra straps • Adjustable Foam LighterTM Thermoformed back with stretch fabric and 3D mesh
Size and Weight: 40L 1.280kg
Size and Weight: Height: 43 / 53cm 60 + 10L 1.8kg
Switch Low GTX - Women
Switch Low GTX – Men
Available at all GO Sport Stores
Available at all GO Sport Stores
Modern women’s boot designed for fast hiking and rapid elevation change in the mountains.
Modern men’s boot designed for fast hiking and rapid elevation change in the mountains.
• High-traction, lightweight, breathable and fluid • Millet A.F.C.TM wraparound structure • Low-cut upper in structured 3D mesh • Totally waterproof, breathable, GORE-TEX® membrane • Precise lacing: eyelets + straps • Reinforced stone guard • EVA midsole with arch stabilizer and dual-density damping • Memory-shape hygiene insole with heel hold cup • Vibram® Alpine LTK outsole • LADY ALPINE LTK FIT / LTK FLEX
• High-traction, lightweight, breathable and fluid • Millet A.F.C.TM wraparound structure • Low-cut upper in structured 3D mesh • Totally waterproof, breathable, GORE-TEX® membrane • Precise lacing: eyelets + straps • Reinforced stone guard • EVA midsole with arch stabilizer and dual-density damping • Memory-shape hygiene insole with heel hold cup • Vibram® Alpine LTK outsole • ALPINE LTK FIT / LTK FLEX
Weight: 335g
Weight: 380g
595 AED/QAR 64.700 OMR
849 AED/QAR 92.300 OMR
54
OUTDOORUAE
775 AED/QAR 84.200 OMR
849 AED/QAR 92.300 OMR
Available at Instagram: @almekshah Facebook: www.facebook.com/almekshah Mobile:+971 55 4005441
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Nite Watches, 100 luxurious MX10s have been created to commemorate this historic event. These MX10s carry the same features as the famous watch but with elegant lines all over.
Only 100 pieces of this model have been created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Nite Watches.
Night View
Luxuriously styled with a highly polished Black, Gold and Steel PVD cases and individually engraved with a unique serial number, these outstanding Limited Edition models have been produced to commemorate this important milestone, allowing loyal customers to purchase a special piece of Nite Watches history. The original MX10-001 has outstanding military heritage and was issued to British Special Forces, carrying its own prestigious NATO stock number. After ten years of proven reliability and development, the MX10 is worn by thousands of discerning watch enthusiasts around the globe and is widely recognised as our signature watch.
MX10-100B
#nitewatchesuae
Night View
Night View
MX10-100G
MX10-100S
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
OUR EXPERTS
The 4 soft plastic rigs I use most often
Weightless soft plastics can be useful when you are fishing very shallow water, it is one of my go to rigs when the fish are very skittish.
Words By: Kit Belen
I recently spoke to a few guys that
were very interested in soft plastics but were clueless on how to start going about them. I was a little bit confused because there is practically no way to fish soft plastics the wrong way. However, I do understand that the soft plastic jungle is not an easy place to navigate; there are thousands of designs, shapes, scents, sizes and come in a few thousand color combinations. How to rig them is also another headache, there are jig heads and special hooks that fit one lure type but are too big or too small, there are weighted hooks and how about rigging the odd shaped ones like the Berkley Gulp Alive Crab? There are people who express their frustration because they have been using it for some time and have not caught anything yet, and gave it up because “they don’t work” or say “it’s all hype”. There are those that say soft plastics are only for shallow water, and that if they could find a way to fish them in deeper water, it would be such a cool thing to try out.
Things to remember
• Don’t give up. If you find yourself not catching fish, chances are, you are not fishing the right place, or targeting the right fish. • Take the time to go on YouTube and learn how to put the lure on the hook straight. • There are three predominant tail types, the curly tail, paddle tail and straight tail – the curly tail is used for slow speed presentations, the paddle tail for medium speeds and the straight tail for fast presentations. • Use the lightest weight you can to get to the bottom. • Using braid as your main line enables you to cast farther and get down deeper and because of the reduced stretch that braid gives you, you tend to feel even the slightest takes. • Scented soft baits like the Berkley Gulp baits
Soft plastics can be a bit overwhelming to the uninitiated and how to get them to work properly is a common challenge.
I stopped using jigheads for my swimbaits and favor these weighted hooks as I feel that they make swimbaits move a bit more naturally
Probably one of the most under utilised rigs in saltwater soft plastic rigging, the sliding sinker rig is your ticket to fishing deep and casting far.
can be fished like non-scented plastics or fished off the bottom like live or dead baits.
The Rigs: Jig head
Using a jig head has become the standard rigging used in saltwater fishing. There are a number of styles and sizes; all of them share the basic design and function. It makes casting easier and gives the soft plastic a very natural motion. The weight is at the “head” of the lure, which gives it a diving action when worked through the water column. When you jerk the rod tip, the jig head gives the soft plastic a darting motion. Most, if not all, soft plastics can be rigged with a jig head. The size of the jig head dictates the distance you can cast as well as the depth you can reach – I have used nearweightless jig heads for very shallow presentations (for bream and grunter) and heads as heavy as 4oz (113 grams) for tuna and dorado.
Weighted swimbait hook
In more recent years, swimbaits have become popular and there was a need to present a soft plastic swimbait with a more realistic swimming action on the fall, this means the time when you let your reeling stop and let the bait freefall (a move that usually triggers a strike from a following fish). With a weighted swimbait hook, the lure has a more lifelike, forward sliding movement than one rigged with a jig head which seems to just plummet down immediately. This matters a lot on pressured fish that are almost always very finicky. When the lure slides down and forward, it also has a nice subtle wobble to it, much like an injured fish trying to head down to the bottom. This rig is perfect for swimbaits, but will also work well for long and slim lures such as jerk shads.
These are just some of the instances where a weightless rig would outperform any other rig. I remember finding a place recently, where the breams are hugging close to shore and were very alert of the surroundings, the splash of the weighted jig landing even at 10 metres away spooked them enough to stop them from hunting the shallows and they immediately went on a beeline to the safety of deeper water. After a few hours of trying to figure out how to coax them to bite, I finally found the solution with a Gulp Alive Crab weightless rig.
Sliding sinker rig
This is another rig that sees a lot of use in freshwater but don’t seem to get a lot of attention from the saltwater crowd – big oversight. The sliding sinker rig is probably one of the most versatile rigs there is for soft plastics. If you need to cast far or fish deep, this is the ticket. You can go fancy and use a bullet sinker and make a weedless “Texas rig” or add a swivel and a long leader to make it a “Carolina rig”. I mostly use a round sinker and it works well for me. These rigs are what I mostly use with the Berkley Gulp Alive soft plastics. I fish it almost like I fish natural baits – I just cast them out and reel it in slowly with very long pauses in between. This enables me to cover a lot of ground in the process. As I mentioned earlier on, there is hardly a wrong way of using soft plastics, in fact, they work as soon as they hit the water, and I have caught a lot of fish that way – a fish intercepting the lure on the drop, just after the lure lands – their tails start moving as soon as they hit the water! The list of fish that can be caught on soft plastics is exhaustive. Basically, any fish that would eat bait would almost always bite a soft plastic as well. The main thing to remember when using lures is quite straightforward – they won’t catch fish if you keep them in your box, you have to tie them at the end of your line and use them. Till next tide change,
Kit
Weightless rig
There are a few instances that require the use of a weightless rig. There are times when you don’t need to cast far and the fish are feeding on top, there are also times when you are fishing in shallow areas where the fish are more likely to get spooked with a weighted lure. There are quite a few rigging options for soft plastics - I favor the simple ones that have worked for me over the years
I rig straight tails and curl tails on the old stand by - the Jig head.
Our fishing pro who shares his experiences and erpertise with OutdoorUAE through his regular column. thefishingkit@gmail.com
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
OUR EXPERTS
The Day that Three Swam Around a Tree Words By: Trace Rogers
To call Kieran Ballard-Tremeer an accomplished musician would be an understatement of note (pun intended). She has played with the most famous in the world – something that for most of us would always remain a lofty dream. It therefore comes as no surprise that she would take on that which most of us would never dream of: completing a 14.5km swim around the Palm Jumeirah. The Inspiration: Kieran wanted to do something to raise awareness of water safety. Sadly, far too many (and mostly) children die from
Tobias, Kieran and Mitch
drowning in the UAE and in all these cases it would be avoided if they could swim. This swim was a recce for future events that will raise funds to change that. Nakheel – the company behind the Palm development were quick to back Kieran and her fellow swimmers with this venture. They ensured that they got all safety support that they would need. The more personal motivation for Kieran to attempt this is quite bizarre. Kieran is an amazing swimmer yet she is terrified of swimming in the open water. Doing this meant moving way beyond her comfort zone. The Swimmers: Kieran was joined by two other swimmers – Tobias Frenz and Mitch Kennedy. Tobias comes from an amazing endurance background and used this swim as practice for his Arc to Arc challenge which involves swimming the English Channel. It also includes a 139km run and a 289km bike ride. I will give you a minute (as I needed a few myself) to digest that. Mitch is 18 years old and a very strong swimmer. Completing this swim makes him the youngest person to have achieved this.
Kieran in action
His motivation is simply “Life is short and you only get one shot. So make it worth it and look back knowing you took every opportunity that came up and had fun”. The Experience: It took the swimmers between four hours and 20 minutes and four hours and 50 minutes to complete the swim. They swam some of Dubai’s most prestigious and iconic hotels. During the swim, they were accompanied by dolphins and cormorants – something Kieran was grateful to find out after the time. The Highlights: This experience has taught Kieran that it is possible that what you fear the most can become your passion and that it is important to plan for your future but live life one moment at a time. She was also greatly overwhelmed by the amazing support from volunteers, friends and family. Now that the ground (or more accurately — water) has been broken, Kieran will take this to the next level of creating events to support her water safety campaign. Watch this space to see how you can get involved!
GET OUT AND RIDE ! AIR
Photo: F . Berthuot
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Learn more at naishsup.com
Ocean Sports FZE: +971 (0) 55 935 2735 - enquiries@kitesurfsup.com - kitesurfsup.com
QATAR EXPLORER
Capture Qatar’s underwater treasures on camera
Khaled Zaki with his professional underwater camera
Underwater photography specialisation course Words By: Eulogy van Dyk Photos By: Khaled Zaki
Scuba Diving is a fast growing sport all around the world! It is social, adventurous as well as an educational activity. More and more people treat it as a lifestyle where they can go out explore nature and relax under the water. Just think about the time you spend underwater with no traffic, no mobile phones, just you, bubbles and the beautiful marine life! Nudibranch
Khaled Zaki, a Master Instructor, underwater photographer, film-maker and marine consultant has been an active diving expert in the country for over 15 years says, “What you can see underwater in just 10 minutes is more than you can see by spending 10 days in a forest!”
Qatar Scuba Diving in a Nutshell:
The country might not be listed under the top 10 scuba dive sites in the world but this small nation can definitely offer you a great scuba diving experience. Be it starting your scuba diving adventure here by getting certified or further your development in the sport by doing advanced or specialty courses, Qatar will have something special for you. One must remember that the peninsula is surrounded by the heavy saline waters of the Arabian Gulf, which makes the marine life and activity vary to some extent compared to other countries that are directly connected to the Indian, Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. Good weather conditions such as sunny skies, tranquil waters with great temperatures and very little current ensure that the reefs are easy accessible, which makes it a user friendly experience. Dark Butterfly Fish
Mimic Bleny Fish
Qatar scuba diving sites are mainly manmade wrecks or shipwreck dives with some natural reef in the inland sea and offshore. The best time of year for scuba diving is March, April and May. During the hot summer months the rising water temperatures attracts jellyfish, which make it not ideal but still possible to scuba. October is marked as the start of the season, which lasts until February and you will also find many westerners visiting Qatar for a scuba diving experience to escape their cold winter months back home.
Learn How to Capture it on Camera!
If you love spending the time under water with the fish in the sea, you might also Pale colored gulf dotty-back
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
Starfish
like the idea to learn how to capture these moments so it can last for a lifetime! This is possible by completing an underwater specialty course (combined with lots of practice), and where would a more suitable place be than right here in Qatar with its favourable weather conditions. There are three main types of underwater shooting namely, Sports & Recreational, Environmental and Military or Industrial. To start this experience you need to learn how to dive, complete a specialty course, buy equipment and gain experience. The digital underwater photography course consists of theory and practical sessions with the practical sessions being the most important. You will also need to have a few open water dives under your belt to ensure you are comfortable underwater and ready to take the next step to dive with a camera in your hands. The practical sessions, done in a swimming pool, are the key ingredient for success because you will soon notice that objects underwater appear much closer and bigger than above, an important factor that you need to take into consideration from the start. This affects the equipment you plan to use; for example, the type of lens and lights. The colours of objects also start to change when you submerge under the water depending on the depth you are at, the subject distance, the weather and surface conditions and adding a filter to your lens can help you overcome this problem.
As a diver you need to have:
Good buoyancy and airway control is essential as mentioned above it comes with experience. Exceptional navigational skills – you need to know your way underwater. Yes, you do still have to dive in a group, but one obviously wants to
Two divers around a wreck in the golden beach, Qatar
avoid all the unnecessary bubbles around you and you naturally tend to wander off when captured in the moment (pun intended). Knowledge of fish behaviour – with repetitive practice but also doing some research on certain species you will soon realize what to do and not to do when approaching or finding that special underwater creature. Also, take note that the bubbles that form when breathing out play a role when doing that snap shot! Practice makes perfect! Dive a lot, but remember, “Take only photos, leave only bubbles” to ensure we conserve the environment. There are various options for underwater photography equipment and it all depends on your budget and what is your goal or reason for photography is. Will it just be a hobby or do you want to start a business and sell pictures? It is possible to use something as simple as a GoPro and nowadays they even have underwater casings for your iPhone. However, to really take this specialty further you need to think about and do research on different cameras, light systems and strobes. There are also other advanced equipment that can improve underwater photography such as silent rebreathers MK6/MK7 and DPV Underwater Scooters.
Khaled Zaki is an underwater photographer & filmmaker recently conducted an underwater photography workshop at the Katara Culture Village for the Qatar Photography Society, showcasing the dream-like underwater world that makes this unique activity so popular — courses such as these help create further interest not only in diving and photography, but also creates environmental awareness and oceanic conservationism. Combining his unique skills as a qualified dive instructor, as well as exceptional underwater photographer, Khaled has developed a distinctive course that will be a wonderful next adventure for the underwater enthusiast. If you’re feeling ready to add something extra to your diving experience, then this might be just what you are looking for.
Taking a #selfie under water
OUTDOORUAE
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OUR EXPERTS
Singing Sands and Slip Faces Words By: Marina Bruce Photos By: Marina Bruce, Amro Abu Kuhail and Mark Bromfield
Here in the UAE, the prevailing wind is from the North, meaning our dunes are formed mostly in an east-west configuration, some to over a hundred metres in height. The point where the build-up stops and loose particles of sand start to flow over the top is called a slipface. Love them or hate them, high slip faces are a common feature in the dunes of the UAE, particularly in Liwa, so if you are a budding offroader it’s important to learn how to navigate them carefully and under control. I always suggest to offroaders that you go over the top as slowly as possible – you can always speed up on the way down. • Unless you are an advanced driver with many slip faces under your belt, it is best to go straight down - the reason being that the weight of your engine will pull the car to the foot of the slip face. • It can be tempting to jam on the brakes once over the top but this is not advised– when you press the brake pedal, your front brakes are applied a split-second before the
rear ones, causing your front wheels to dig into the sand. In extreme cases this kneejerk reaction could even cause your car to roll head over heels. • If you must slow down, then gently tap the brake pedal. Or, if you need to come to a full stop quickly then pull on the handbrake – this will apply the brakes to the rear wheels only. It does tend to shorten the life of your handbrake cable but that’s a small price to pay if it prevents a mishap! • If you feel the rear of your car kick-out to the side, which is common with short wheelbase cars, you should never apply the brake as this exacerbates the situation – if your car ends up at 90 degrees to the bottom of the slip face there is a high chance of a rollover! • The best way to correct a rear slide is to gently tap the accelerator – the tiny burst of power will pull your car back on to a straight line. On your first few slip faces this is counter-intuitive but with a little practice you will soon master the manoeuvre. • When navigating a slip face, your car is effectively riding an avalanche of sand; if you come to halt near the bottom, the river of sand will bypass you! • If you are the leading car try to work out what will meet you at the foot – is it sabkhah, soft sand or a gravel mound? Is the run-off gentle or is it a sharp angle? Gentle run-offs on a sabkhah can be met with more speed than if you hit a gravel mound. At the top, if you are aligned with a tree, a lake or a huge pile of stones, it may be worth asking the next car to give you a pull-back. I’m often asked “how do you know what’s over that crest” and I have to tell my passengers, “I don’t – it’s a surprise!”
In “Arabian Sands,” explorer and author Sir Wilfred Thesiger writes about the singing sands. These can be set off by a camel or even a man walking but the best effect can be had when a few 4X4s hit a high and dry slip face. The singing sands are not particularly tuneful but they really roar when a car triggers them and you can feel the vibration of tons and tons of sand as it makes its way to the bottom. Not every desert has this phenomenon, but it is commonly heard in Liwa where the particle size and sand composition create perfect conditions. Definitely one for the UAE bucket list! The largest slip faces can be found in Liwa, where they are up to a 110 metres from top to bottom – lots of brochures talk about drops of 300 metres in the UAE but this is not the case; the top of many dunes are 300 meters above sea level but the ground below is 170-200 metres above sea level too. Practice on small slip faces first – the theory is the same but the consequences will be less severe if you get it wrong. Our team always take new drivers out to Al Hayer or Sweihan before heading to Liwa.
Guide Book
OUT NOW!
2nd Edition Advanced Off-Road Adventure Routes The Second Edition of Mike Nott's Off-road Adventure Routes UAE & Oman is a further expansion of the initial book and provides a bird's eye view of off-roading in both the UAE and Oman. The second edition comes with expert technical advice chapters for both novices and veterans as well as five additional routes and updates on eight original tracks for a total of 21 routes! This thorough examination of UAE and Omani off-roading comes at a competitive price of only 99 AED, other than that, it also comes with a CD that contains GPX route files which can then be uploaded on your personal GPS. Both convenient and informative - This is the ultimate guide for going offroad not only in the UAE and Oman but also across the Middle East.
You can order the book online now for
99.00 AED + free shipping ( within UAE only ) www.outdooruae.com/guidebook
PEOPLE
Christophe “Mowgli” Tack Occupation: Full-time Kiteboarder Nationality: Belgian Age: 22
The summer season has began and residents of the UAE are coming up with unique escape plans to beat the heat that the country is known for. Be it the easy way of travelling to another country, or taking a plunge deep along the Middle Eastern coastline, it is a season where people get creative just to stay away from the heat.
This is where kiteboarding comes in; and what better way to kickstart kiteboarding in the region than with a master class with renowned kiteboarder Christophe “Mowgli” Tack who hosted a kiteboarding workshop in Abu Dhabi last month. We catch up with him and learn more about this spirited millennial. How did you first get into the sport? I got into the sport thanks to my two older brothers. We were always into skateboarding and slowly moved to surfing and then to kiteboarding. They are the ones who introduced kiteboarding to me. It must have been around 2003. How would compare yourself to when you were just starting to where you are now? It’s been a long road to the top. I’m definitely not the same person I was 10 years ago. One thing didn’t change - and that is my inner drive to succeed. How often do you train? Off the water, I train about half an hour, focusing on training muscles I don’t often use and strengthen the parts of my body that get loads of impact (knees and shoulders) I also stretch, every day twice. On the water I just try to do all my tricks and then
I focus on perfecting some tricks or making my lesser tricks better. On the water I ride about 1.5 hours every day . Are there any other sports that you are involved with? I really love wakeboarding and cable. Also surfing makes me smile a lot! I’d love to get involved in paragliding one day! Interesting nickname, could you share with us its provenance? I used to be the youngest kiteboarder at my local beach - skinny, long arms and always had long hair. They started naming me Mowgli from The Jungle Book and it just stayed... Now most people call me Mowgli [laughs]. In your opinion, how is the UAE kiteboarding scene and what can be done to improve it? The scene is there and way bigger than I imagined. I had a lot of fun riding with all the locals. They made the best out of the little wind we have and I love that. I heard there is a kiteboarding federation starting up in UAE and that’s great news. Hopefully the federation will start with more competitions and events, as well as safety guidelines. It would help the sport get to new grounds! What do you love most about your sport? Being completely free — you can do whatever you want with kiteboarding. Jump high, go fast, make nice turns, do some unhooked tricks like wakeboarding… I think it’s about the freedom and the many options kiteboarding has. What’s your most challenging kitesurf to date? The most challenging thing I tried in kiteboarding was the Red Bull Ragnarok. It’s a race over 100km with snowkiting (which is on snow instead of water). The wind dropped so I couldn’t continue but the 20km I did was already very challenging, loved it!
Do you see yourself continuing in the sport years from now? Absolutely! I’ve been passionate about the sport since I was 12 years old. I’m more and more on the business side of kiteboarding too (With an online shop and a kiteboarding school in my hometown). So hopefully I can make it grow into a full size business one day. What comes next for you? Are there any other events that you are preparing for? I’m currently in the US, practicing for the Triple S invitational event. It is my first time here and I’m very excited! It will be a competition on features (rails and kickers). Similar to cable competition or snowboarding competition but something completely new and exciting! Lastly, where do you dream of kitesurfing? I’d love to go kite in Alaska. I’ve seen some pictures and they looked absolutely amazing. I would love to have this experience once in my life. It would not be to train freestyle, but just to cruise around and enjoy!
LOCATIONS
Get outdoors in the middle east Hiking – A series of articles to help you start or gain progress your hiking in the region
A week in Musandam Words By: Sean James and Andy McNae
Staycations are more and more popular now. A staycation is where you actually choose to spend your holiday time closer to home. Nowhere is a staycation more suitable than the Arabian Peninsula and particularly the Musandam area. We spend tens and thousand of dirhams flying to South America in search of something or braving the pesky Australian flies to find a big lump of rock in the middle of a desert when in reality you could just pack the Jeep with camping gear and head out into the some of the best wilderness areas in the world right at your doorstep Dubai and the Middle East, especially over the winter, is perfect for adventures and a week is never going to be enough to cover everything in this region. There are so many adventure activities to take part in that you will be wondering why there are not more people here... Over the next couple of months we will look at the opportunities available in both Musandam, Northern Oman and further south in the Hajar Mountains near Muscat. We will even give you an example Taking a boat to play with dolphins
Around every headland is a surprise village
itinerary; a fun, adventure-packed seven days that will rival any adventure holiday that you have ever had.
Musandam
Musandam, or the “Norway of Arabia” as it is called, is one of the great unspoilt destinations of the Middle East. This remote part of Oman is characterised by rugged, inhospitable mountains reaching up to 2000m. They drop steeply into the sea where the bays or khors are as clear as crystals with pristine blue ocean waters lapping these Middle East-
ern coastal fjords. The dramatic landscape contrasts hugely with the surrounding desert regions of Musandam’s oil-rich neighbours such as the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain. Similarly, development here is well behind that of the fancy glittering cities of the modern Gulf, reflecting a refreshingly simple existence for the people who make this part of Oman their home. From Khasab’s impressive fort, the dolphins and spectacular marine life to the Bedouin trails, wild climbs and narrow roads carved into the mountains, there is a sense of how unique this remote part of Arabia really Stop your boat anywhere for lunch
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
is and how steeped in the local history it is. Musandam is a wild place where hidden khors are guarded by stark ridges, where dolphins play beside the dhows as they drift over busy reefs, where ospreys circle overhead, and where history is etched into every disputed channel and distant island. For anyone looking for adventure in a far off land or even close to home this is the place for you. The unique landscape of Musandam could have been made with adventure in mind. In the sea and in the mountains, world class activities come together in an amazing setting.
Musandam Adventure Safari
This is an example of a tour that could be done over seven days. Obviously it could take longer. It is suitable for anyone and no experience or particular skills are necessary. Some fitness might be helpful as it will allow you to experience a fantastic variety of adventure activities. It also exposes you to the very special culture and history of Oman and to relax in splendid surroundings. Day One: Arrive in Khasab and explore the town and Old Fort. Khasab does have an airport with regular flights but most people will drive their own vehicles. If you are coming from Dubai, expect four hours and a border
Google Earth screenshot of the route You can download the GPS files from our website www.outdooruae.com in the downloads section
crossing with passport control. After the border the spectacular road hugs the coast passing deserted, golden sandy beaches and small villages before cresting the high headland at Al Harf and dropping down to Khasab. The few hotels here get fully booked at weekends and some have spectacular
Cliff jumping
Old map showing the khors in Musandam and Telegraph Island
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locations overlooking the bay. Alternatively take a right turn onto the trails and find a wonderful camping spot on the Al Harf Plateau. From here you can see the whole of the Musandam Peninsula and even Iran on a clear day. Khasab has all the basic amenities including a large supermarket so you can stock up here. Day Two: Because of the lack of development here and no artificial light sources you will see a huge sky full of stars and planets during the night. Today is a good day to explore further out into the peninsula by taking a traditional Arab dhow. Musandam’s fjords, known locally as khors are unique and special and packed full of wildlife. Khor Ash Shamm is only an hour from Khasab Port and here you can snorkel amongst the fantastic corals, kayak lazily around the dhow and wonder at the swooping birds around Telegraph Island. After a lunch of fresh fruit, hummus and flatbread aboard the dhow, the captain drops us at the foot of a rocky climb. 15 minutes later we have reached the lowest point in the peninsula and are staring out at the other side and a completely different body of water. To finish the day, we are dropped at a
Stunning wildlife
remote beach camp site where we will spend the night under those stars after enjoying a beach BBQ. Day Three: At first light, the embers of the fire are raked over and the flames ignite again. Coffee and breakfast is taken in the early light with a million dollar view. Just behind the beach there is a trail that leads upwards for a couple of hours for a spectacular view over the landscape. It is the perfect hike before the planned rendezvous with the boatman and a return to Khasab and your vehicle. Day Four: There is no time to spare and after stocking up on provisions and maybe a fresh juice or smoothie the next stop is the Mountain Road. This steep and winding 4X4 trail passes a fascinating variety of old villages and mountain huts before reaching the green oasis village of Al Sayah. Al Sayah has the dramatic backdrop of Jebel Harim, Musandam’s highest mountain complete with a military observation station on top. Continuing up the road to the Jebel Harim plateau, the altitude touches 1600m and the evenings are cooler. The views are stunning and camping is the best option to experience both sun setting and rising on the landscape below. There are several hikes and mountain bike trails from here — even one that takes you to the village at the top of the Stairway to Heaven. Peering down the steep cliff you can
see the UAE at the bottom and wonder where the route goes. Day Five: The day starts slowly as we wake amongst the mountains to perfect silence. The valleys and peaks appear as the sun rises and the next drive is equally spectacular to the once sea-locked coastal town of Lima. Only recently has the track been built through the mountains. A rugged car, confidence and belief are required to tackle this testing drive. Down on a good track from the Harim plateau and onwards to the Rowdah Bowl, passing the infamous checkpoint at Wadi Beih that blocks the transit of expats to Ras al Khaimah and even Dibba. After Rowdah, the new trail climbs before dropping suddenly through a steep valley and the flat bay of Lima. On route, stop at some of the pullouts for short hikes up to rocky summits close to the track
Sea and mountains
for even wilder views. Lima is another oasis with a beautiful bay in which to swim and kayak. A mountain bike is a good option to get around the widespread village. Facilities are few but that is the appeal. A local restaurant serves biryani when it’s not prayer time. The beachfront curves around boarded by golden sands as the palm and mountains peek form behind. You will feel blessed as you set up your tent for the night whilst the tourists on the dhows pass by on the way back to Dibba and Dubai. Day Six: It is the penultimate day but we still have some exploring to do; a day in the mountains or a day at sea? A boat along the east coast is ideal, pausing to visit the white rocks and Sanaat Cave whilst looking out for the dolphins that frequent this coast. At times we jumped in and swam, clambered or climbed along the coast checking the rock pools and cliff jumps. All day, there are local fishing villages hidden from civilization from which boats power out of in search of the daily catch. We ended up at the back of a stunning khor on a wide sandy beach with probably the best view in the area. After exploring the village and taking tea we trekked along the beach, passing abandoned houses, a mosque and a graveyard until we are looking back at the village from a rocky headland. Here we enjoyed lunch before dipping in the waters and heading back to the boat for the ride back to Lima. It is difficult to imagine that we were just over the ridge in Khasab a few days ago when the adventure started. Day Seven: The final day and we have to head back slowly. It is time to return to Dubai. There is so much to do in Musandam that a second and third trip is necessary to fill in the gaps. Maybe a long weekend will help.
A hike for June
Quick checklist route planning Start point
26°12’9.02”N56°15’20.67”E
Off-road driving required?
No
Distance and time from Mirdif to start
180km 150min + time to cross the UAE / Oman border
Navigation on hike
Easy route finding with a limitless number of possibilities
Time required for hike
2 - 3 hours
Distance
4.1km
Elevation gain on hike
275m
High point
149m
Grocery / water on hike
No
Possible to encounter a vehicle on trail?
No
Suitable for all the family?
The start and end can be a little steep for very small children
This hike takes you to the beautiful area overlooking Khasab, Musandam, Oman and the stunning headland towards the Peninsula. It’s a 20 minute scramble to get up the initial slope but from then on, its stunning walking near the coast and the old villages. You could combine this hike with your seven days in Musandam.
If you are not confident going or starting hikes alone or you just want to have an expert or a group of nice people with you, OutdoorArabia is offering hikes lead by our expert Sean James. outdoorarabia.com/regional-trips
If you would like to join a guided hike with OutdoorUAE please contact us.
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TIPS & TRICKS
Get in the zone
Words By: Sean James
In this series of articles looking at how you can get stronger on your mountain bike we take a peek at different zones; heart rate or training zones to be precise. In this series we look at core strengthening and major muscle exercises for you to follow. Roadies will tell you how much their lives have changed after spending 6000 AED on a power metre and following strictly, religious routines when they go out riding. Have you ever asked a rider who has a power metre attached to their bike if they want to go for a ride? Before they commit to hitting the trails with you, they need to know how long the ride is, how much ascent, how fast and then they need to go and check if it’s ok with their coach. They might have a big race in a couple of months and don’t want to overdo it. On the whole mountain bikers are a bit more relaxed and just tend to go out and ride. Sometimes the ride takes a bit longer and you come back smashed. Sometimes it’s a bit shorter and you manage to get back in before midday and the sun toasts you
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because you have an important brunch back in Dubai. If you go out mountain biking with someone stronger, you try to keep up. If you’re in a big group of mixed ability in the mountains and on the trails, you might end up taking a lot of pictures or chatting a bit more. However there are advantages to using a systematic approach and it is important to understand the basics of fitness and how to improve it. Power metres are great and provide benefits, but for the general mountain bike rider the technology is not completely there yet. So this month we shed some light on how to adapt an approach into your off-road riding that is considered a bit old school and a bit out of date.
Heart Rate Zones VS Power Metres
Using heart rate zones to improve your mountain biking is possible and although on the whole superseded by power metre training, it can still be relevant, cheaper and a less fussy. Power metres are notoriously difficult to get for mountain bikes. Once you have one, you have to keep it correctly calibrated and protected against the constant knocking and bumping on a mountain bike. You also have to understand the key to improvement is analyzing and collecting the vast amount of
data they produce. Power metres are available for mountain bikes but if you can’t afford one, understanding the subject matter below will also help you become a better rider. So this is not an article about whether heart rate or power metres are best for mountain biking but rather to offer a simple training plan for those who are interested in discovering a bit more about how to improve on their mountain bikes
Key terms Maximum Heart Rate
All the zones that you will exercise in are based on your maximum heart rate. Once you have calculated your own, everything else will fall into place. Maximum heart rate can be effected by many things, such as sickness, the weather etc. which is why power metres have become more popular and reliable. Producing around 350 watts of power is the same on any day of the week.
To measure your Resting Heart Rate
Take your heart rate first thing in the morning lying in bed before you get up. You can do this either with an electronic device and chest strap or manually with your fingers. Do this
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every day for a week and record it. It’s important to ensure that you’re well rested and not ill or under any stress when recording. At the end of the week you can calculate your resting HR average. As you get fitter it should drop.
To measure your Maximum Heart Rate
Many people calculate their maximum HR by using the formula of 220 minus their age. It can be close but not completely accurate and is really too general. For example all 44 year olds will not have the same max HR. So to be as accurate as possible, there is a physiological test that you can do yourself. You should be reasonably fit and capable before doing this test. It is ok to do this test on a section of road rather than a dirt trail. Warm up thoroughly for at least 15 minutes. On a long, steady hill, like the start of the Roadsters Hatta ride. Start off fairly briskly and increase your effort every minute. Stay seated and keep increasing the speed until you can’t go any faster. At this point get out of the saddle and sprint as hard as you can for 15 seconds. At the end of the 15 seconds you will have your max HR. If your electronic device has recorded it automatically that’s great, if not do a manual check immediately. A point to note is that your max HR on a bike will be much lower than it is when you’re running because the bike is taking some of your weight. Also it is worth rechecking your max HR every few months to see any differences.
The Zones
So now that you have your max HR, all the training zones can be calculated automatically. Get out to your calculator (or search the internet) Zone One (60-65% of Max HR): For long, easy rides, to improve the combustion and storage of fats. Zone Two (65-75% of Max HR): The basic base training zone. Longer rides of medium stress. Zone Three (75-82% of Max HR): For development of aerobic capacity and endurance with moderate volume at very controlled intensity. Zone Four (82-89% of Max HR): For simulating pace when tapering for a race. Zone Five (89-94% of Max HR): For raising anaerobic threshold. Good sessions for 10 and 25-mile time-trials. Zone Six (94-100% of Max HR): For highintensity interval training to increase maximum power and speed
How to use these zones
Now you know what zones are unique to you, you can go about planning a personal schedule. To be rigorous and stick to an individual plan requires complete discipline which is where you see riders constantly watching their data. If you do, you will probably see very fast results but most of your riding will be alone. When you do a mountain bike ride it’s important to look at the overall results from that ride as well as the detail. Many websites will allow you to upload the data if you have recorded it. From this you can see not only what your average heart rate was but also any peaks and troughs. For example if you intend to do a two hour ride in Zone Two and want to keep the average heart rate the same throughout, you need to find a trail without any hills or steep sections that might produce spikes or dips.
Some simple training sessions
These are examples of typical sessions that you could follow on your mountain bike. You will need to have calculated your max HR and then the relevant percent.
Fat burning slow and easy
One of the benefits of mountain biking is that your body shape will change and your body fat percentage will drop naturally. You can encourage quicker results by staying in the zone that optimizes fat burning. Surprisingly it is fairly low and you must stick to it.
Three hours at Zone Two
Fat burning fast and hard
HIIT or high intensity interval training has become very popular recently as it can be done in a short period of time and because it hurts, it feels like you are progressing. These sessions will build fast twitch muscles, speed and burn incredible amounts of body
fat during and after. A typical session will take less than an hour.
15 minute warm up 4-6 max effort sprints (Zone Six) of 30 seconds with a 4 -5 minute recovery between each sprint 10 minute warm down
Build endurance
In mountain biking, endurance is the ability to keep going. Normally, any ride that is over two hours and where you need to eat could be considered as requiring endurance. You may have heard people talk about LSD or long steady distance. To build your endurance it is good to do two endurance sessions a week if you have time such as these below.
3-4 hours at Zone Two 2 hours at Zone Three If you get bored riding for three to four hours at the same heart rate, you could give a 10 minute burst at Zones Three to Four every hour.
Recovery ride
A recovery ride is really what is says. Nearly everyone overtrains and can suffer plateaus in performance and injuries. Keep in mind to make your hard days very hard and the easy days very easy. Using this principle, make sure you have at least one rest day per week and another day that is a really slow recovery ride.
1 hour at Zone 1 Don’t forget that most importantly you should enjoy your mountain biking. Mix the different types of sessions above to give you variety and see which ones you like the most. There are many different approaches and training plans. Keep trying and changing. The 80/20 is a simple one. 80% of your riding should be easy (around 77% of max HR) and 20% at high intensities. Maybe you will discover hidden talents within your mountain biking. If it’s all too confusing, nearly everyone has an opinion on different training methodology. Talk to friends, read internet discussion forums and seek out advice from an expert you trust or is qualified. The more you talk about it, the more you will understand and be able to make your own decisions and be a stronger rider.
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Fitness for Mountaineering Words By: Mark Poolan Photos By: Jung Francisco
Mountaineering is not just about getting up and down a mountain. Being a mountaineer you are considered to be an endurance athlete. With this being said, you must have the endurance (heart and lungs) and motor fitness (strength and balance) to trail all day at different intensities and different surfaces to get you to the peak. Without this, your body will struggle to make it and you will not enjoy the mountaineering experience. Building endurance, strength and balance within your body will make the journey a lot more pleasurable and you can enjoy the experience and the amazing views you will get during the trek. These are six fundamental exercises which will help you achieve greater strength and endurance.
Exercise 3: Polling Pull Downs
Polling is a huge part of mountaineering as they support you both up and down the hike. In this exercise we are going to mimic the movement pattern of polling on two different planes using resistance bands. Start with your knees bent and in an upright position. Activating your latissimus dorsi, Pull the resisted bands down by your side hold at the bottom for two seconds then return to the starting point. Repeat this same process but come to the left and right hand side of the body. This will make you strong in multiple planes.
Exercise 4: Body Weight Squat
Exercise 1: 20min Cardio at 70% Max Heart Rate (Hill with Weighted Backpack)
This is essential for mountaineering. Working at 70% of your maximum heart rate will improve your cardiovascular fitness. Put the treadmill on incline/gradient level 10 and walk for 20min. Also when doing this exercise, remember to add 25/30% of your body weight into a back pack; by doing this, it will make it a lot harder but more functional to mountaineering.
Put your feet shoulder width apart with your toes pointing out slightly. Initiate the movement from the hips and drop down with your bum ensuring your weight is kept through the heels and your knees don’t go past your toes. Go as deep as possible to ensure that good form is kept throughout and return to the starting position pushing through your heels.
Exercise 6: Single Leg Balance with Ball Rotation
Exercise 2: Prone Cobras
Lie prone with your forehead touching the floor and your palms facing the floor. Activate your erector spinae and bring your chest and shoulders off the floor until maximum range of motion is achieved. During this motion twist your hands out so that your thumbs are pointing towards the ceiling. By doing this, this will also activate your trapezius and rhomboids. Hold at the top for 3 seconds and return to starting point.This great way to strengthen your back muscles.
Exercise 5: Lunge onto BOSU
Start in an upright position. Put one foot onto the BOSU and drop the back leg so it just touches the floor. The key in this is that you do not lunge over your toes and the actual movement is in the trailing leg. Just remember: STEP onto the bosu, STOP the forward leg lunging and DROP the trailing knee — STEP, STOP and DROP. This exercise is great for strength, endurance and stability of the hips, knees and ankles.
Simply stand on one leg and raise your hanging leg to 45 degrees from your torso. Add a weighted ball and rotate this clockwise under and around your leg. Single-leg balance training teaches you to isolate and strengthen specific balance muscles while improving your reaction time. This exercise will also help in foot and ankle alignment MARK POOLAN and lower the risk of Fitness Manager Fitness First Al Manzil injury.
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TIPS & TRICKS
Sea kayak skills
Basic turning strokes Words By: Steven Bennett
Last month we looked at the forward paddling stroke and why it is important to develop an effective technique. This month we are looking at two basic turning techniques namely, edging the boat and the sweep stroke. Firstly we need to look at the turning characteristics of different boats. All kayaks will want to turn and this turning ability is dependent on the design of the boat. Essentially, the longer and narrower the boat, the better the tracking ability, this is the ability for the boat to stay on a straight line, and the harder it will be to turn. The shorter and wider the boat the worse the tracking ability but the easier it will be to turn. Another factor to consider is the rocker of the hull. This is the curve of the hull from the highest point in the bow and stern to the point in the hull where it is flat. The greater the rocker the more manoeuvrable the boat will be. Sit on tops and many touring kayaks will therefore be more manoeuvrable due to them being generally shorter and wider and possibly a greater rocker. True sea kayaks will have better tracking ability but will also have reduce manoeuvrability due to them being longer and narrower with possibly a reduced rocker. Now let’s take a look at turning with edging first. The hull of a sea kayak is symmetrical along the long axis. This is to enable the boat to travel in a straight line. Edging the kayak, tilting the kayak to one side, changes the shape of the hull in the water and this change in shape alters the flow of water around the hull. The result is the kayak will turn to one side. Edging the boat to the right and it will turn to the left. Edging the boat to the left and it will turn to the right.
Edging: Notice that the torso is still upright.
In practice it works like this. To edge your boat to the right raise your left knee whilst lowering the right. This will raise the left side of the boat and lower the right. During this process, arch the midsection of the body to the left to allow the torso to remain upright. This will enable you to remain in balance. The kayak will now want to turn to the left. Edging the boat to the left will have the opposite effect. Edging can be done whilst conducting a normal forward paddling stroke and can produce a long, graceful turn. It can also be done to enable the kayak to remain on course. However, doing this for long periods of time can be tiring, which is where a skeg or a rudder becomes desirable. Edging is not possible using sit-on-tops as they have
Sweep stroke 1: The boat is edged and the blade is immersed fully level with the feet.
no cockpit to grip with your knees. For a tighter, more aggressive turn we can use the edging technique with another basic turning stroke, the sweep stroke. The sweep stroke is where the paddle is swept out in a semicircle to one side of the boat. The effect is to turn the boat to the opposite side of the stroke. Like a great many paddling strokes the power for the stroke comes from the torso and not the arms. To begin, the torso is rotated and the paddle is placed forward level with your feet. Keeping your hands low, and with a slight bend in the lower arm, the body begins to unwind and the paddle is arched out away from the boat in a semi-circle with the paddle extending as far from the boat as is comfortable. The body continues to unwind until the blade is about six inches away from the rear of the boat. Ensure that you stop the stroke at this point because if the blade touches the hull at the rear it can capsize the kayak. During the turn the boat is edged on the same side as the stroke. To bring the paddle back to the starting point, the torso is rotated back and the rear of the blade skims the surface of the water for support and balance. Once you have completed the turn, level out the boat and continue. These are the two most common turning strokes used in sea kayaking and like all strokes they take time to master, so get out and practice.
Happy paddling.
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Adventure tours and desert safaris
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+971 43889666, www.elitepearlcharter.com Gulf Craft, Ajman, +971 67406060, www.gulfcraftinc.com Distributors and Dealers Art Marine, Shed Nr. 31, Jaddaf, Dubai, UAE, +971 4324061, www.artmarine.ae / www.artmarinechandley.com Azure Marine, Dubai, +971 43404343, www.azuremarine.net Luxury Sea Boats, Dubai, +971 505589319, www.luxuryseaboats.com Macky Marine LLC, Dubai, +971 505518317, www.mackymarine.com Nautilus Yachts, Sharjah, +971 65576818, www.nautilusyachts.com The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae UAE Boats 4 Sale, Dubai Marina, +971 44471501, www.uaeboats4sale.com Western Marine, Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43039744 Equipment Ali Khalifah Moh Al Fuqaei, Deira, Dubai, +971 42263220 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 / +971 553899995, info@bluewatersmarine.com, www.bluewatersmarine.com Extreme Marine, Dubai, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me.com Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 559299111, +971 42828255, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Rineh Emirates Trading LLC, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, www. rinehemiratesme.com Repairs and Maintenance Extreme Marine, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 43992995, www.extrememarine-me. com Rineh Emirates, Sheikha Sana Warehouse 1, Al Quoz, +971 43391512, info@rinehemiratesme.com, www.rinehemirates.com SNS Marine, JAFZA Techno Park, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 501405058, info@snsmarine.ae, www.snsmarine.ae The Boat House, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43405152, www.theboathouse.ae Cruise Operators Al Bateen Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 26665491, www.marinaalbateenresort. com Al Marsa Travel & Tourism, Dibba, Musandam, +968 26836550, +971 65441232 Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek opposite the British Embassy, +971 43994994 Bristol Middle East, Dubai Marina, +971 44309941, www.bristol-middleeast.com Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Delma Industrial Supply and Marine Services, Al Bateen Jetty, Abu Dhabi, +971 26668153, www.delmamarine.net Eden Yachting, Dubai Marina, +971 504586171, www.edenyachting.com Emirates Yachting, Dubai, +971 42826683 El Mundo, Dubai, +971 505517406, www.elmundodubai.com Four Star Travel and Tourism, Dubai, +971 42737779, www.fourstartravels.net 4 Yacht Arabia, Shop No. 5, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, 800 92248, www.4yachtarabia.ae Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Ghantoot Marina & Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 529933153, www.ghantootmarina.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com JPS Yachts and Charter, Room 225, Emarat Atrium building, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43437734, www.jpsyachts.com Khasab Divers, Oman, +971 567255889, khasab.diver2@gmail.com Khasab Musandam Travel & Tours, PO Box 411, Khasab, Musandam, +968 93350703, info@tourkhasab.com Khour Shem Tourism, Oman, +968 26731919, www.khourshemtours.com LY Catamaran, Dubai, +971 505869746, +971 566506683, www.lycatamaran.com Marine Concept, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com
Jumeirah Beach Hotel, +971 44068800 The Pearl–Qatar Marinas, Doha, Qatar, +974 4965801, www.ronauticame.com Umm Al Quwaim Marine Sports Club, Umm Al Quwaim, +971 67666644, www.uaqmarineclub.com Dragon Boat Groups Dubai Dawn Patrol Dragon Boating, Dubai, +971 508795645 (Michael), www.dubaidawnpatrol.org Dubai Diggers, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, pier next to 360, Dubai, +971 501547175 (Nick Hando), www.dubai-diggers.com UAE Dragon Boat Association, +971 507634008, www.dubaidragonboat.com
YAS
Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.ae RAK Marine LLC, Ras Al Khaimah City Hilton Marina, +971 504912696, +971 72066410 Sea Hunters Passenger Yachts & Boats Rental, Dubai Marina, +971 42951011 Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Smoke Dragon Of London Yacht, Abu Dhabi International Marine & Sports Club, +971 507011958 / +971 504546617 Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084 The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com The Yellow Boats LLC, Dubai Marina Walk – opposite Spinneys, Intercontinental Hotel Marina, +8008044, www.theyellowboats.com Marinas Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club, Abu Dhabi, Breakwater, +971 26815566, www.adimsc.com Abu Dhabi Marina, Abu Dhabi, Tourist Club Area, +971 26440300 Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam +971 72682333 / +971 504873185 www.aljeerport.ae Al Mouj Marina, Muscat, Oman, +968 24534554, www.almoujmarina.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +971 42394760-61, www.cruiseindubai.com Dubai Creek Marina, Deira, Dubai, +971 43801234, www.dubaigolf.com Dubai International Marine Sports Club, Dubai Marina, +971 43995777, www.dimc.ae Dubai Marina Yacht Club, Dubai, +971 43627900, www.dubaimarinayachtclub.com Dubai Maritime City Harbour Marina, Dubai, +971 43455545 Dubai Offshore Sailing Club, Dubai, +971 43941669, www.dosc.ae Emirates Palace Marina, Abu Dhabi, +971 43388955 Four Seasons Marina, Doha, Qatar, +974 44948899, www.mourjanmarinas.com Fujairah International Marine Club, Fujairah, +971 92221166, www.fimc.ae Intercontinental Abu Dhabi Marina, Al Bateen, Intercontinental Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26666888, www.intercontinental.com Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa Marina, Jebel Ali, Dubai, +971 48145555/5029, www.jebelali-international.com Lusail Marina, Lusail City, Qatar, +974 55843282, www.mourjan-lusailmarina. com Marina Bandar Al Rowdha, Muscat, Oman, +968 24737286 (ext 215), www.marinaoman. net Pavilion Marina, Dubai,
Camping & Hiking
Equipment Blingmytruck.com, +971 505548255, www.blingmytruck.com Gulf Camping, Dubai, UAE, www.gulfcamping.com Jack Wolfskin, Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, +971 24437802 Picnico General Trading, near Sharaf DG Metro Station, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43951113 Tresspass, 2nd floor above ice rink, The Dubai Mall, +971 43398801 Tour Operators Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959428, www.arabiatours.com Libra, +971 559228362, www.libra-uae.com Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com Sheesa Beach, Musandam, Dibba, +971 50336046, www.sheesabeach.com
Caving
Mountain High Middle East, Dubai, +971 43480214, www.mountainhighme.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +968 24543002, www.holiday-in-oman.com Oman World Tourism, Oman, +968 99431333, www.omanworldtourism.com
Climbing
Equipment Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com
OUTDOORUAE
71
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Road, +971 43394453, www.wbs.ae Operator Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, +971 506259165, www.adventure.ae, info@adventure.ae Clubs Abu Dhabi Tri Club, www.abudhabitriclub.com Cycle Safe Dubai, Dubai Autodrome www.cyclechallenge.ae Dubai Roadsters, www.dubairoadsters.com
Diving
Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Jack Wolfskin Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi +971 24437802 Services Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Dorell Sports Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, +971 43065061, www.climbingdubai.com E-Sports UAE, Dubai, +971 42824540, www.esportsuae.com The Club, Abu Dhabi, +971 26731111, www.the-club.com Information UAE Climbing, +971 506456491, www.uaeclimbing.com
Mountain Biking & Cycling
Equipment/Dealers Bikers JLT, Unit H6, Cluster H, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, UAE, +971 526221888, products@allbikers.net Cycle Sports, Shop No. 1, Al Waleed Bldg., Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 43415415, www.cyclesportsuae.com Fun Ride Sports, 301, 3rd floor, Mushrif Mall, Abu Dhabi, Rm. 4, Mezzanine floor, C-13 Bldg., Khalifa City A, Abu Dhabi, info@funridesports.com, www.funridesports.com Micah’s Bike Shop, Warehouse no.4 6th St. Al Quoz 3, Dubai, +971 43805228 Peak Performance, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Mall, Dubai, +971 43413056 / +971 43308023 Probike, Dubai, Al Barsha 1, +971 43255705, www.probike.ae Rage Shop, Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai Festival City, +971 43369007, www.rage-shop.com Revolution Cycles, Shop G05, Apex Atrium, Motor City, Dubai, +971 43697441, www.rcdxb.com Ride Bike Shop, Dubai Mall, Festival City, Oasis Centre, Mirdif City Centre, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43750231, www.ridebikeshop.com Sportz Unlimited, Sheikh Zayed Road & Jebel Ali, Dubai, + 971 43388644 Tamreen Sports LLC, Khalifa Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26222525, www.tamreensports.com The Cycle Hub, Motor City, Dubai, +971 505528872, www.thecyclehub.com Trek Bicycle Store, Seih Al Salam, Al Qudra Road, Dubai, +971 48327377, www.trekbikes.ae Trikke uPT, Dubai, +971 45081202, +971 556096757, www.trikkeme.net Wolfi’s Bike Shop, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed
72
OUTDOORUAE
Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, Dubai www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Blue Waters Marine, +971 42232189, Dubai, www.bluewatersmarine.com Gulf Marine Sports, Abu Dhabi, +971 26710017, www.gulfmarinesports.com Premiers for Equipment, Abu Dhabi, Sh. Zayed 1st. Road, +971 26665226, www.premiers-uae.com Scuba Dubai, Al Barsha, Al Khail Road, Dubai, +97143414940, info@scubadubai.com Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Diving Centres Al Boom Diving (equipment), Dubai, Al Wasl Rd, +971 43422993, www.alboomdiving.com Al Jeer Marina, RAK Border, Musandam, +971 72682333, www.aljeerport.ae Al Mahara Dive Center, near Muroor St across from main bus terminal, +971 26437377, info@divemahara.com, www.divemahara.com Arabian Diver, Hilton Marine, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72226628, +971 502428128 www.arabiandiver.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Coastal Technical Divers, glenn@coastaltechnicaldivers.com, www.coastaltechnicaldivers.com Deep Blue Sea Diving, International City, Dubai, +971 44308246, www.diveindubai.com Desert Islands, Sir Bani YAs Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 28015400, www.divemahara.com Divers Down, Fujairah, Rotana Al Aqah Hotel Resort & Spa, +971 92370299, www.diversdown-uae.com Emirates Divers Centre, Abu Dhabi, near Meena Fish Market, +97126432444, www.edc-ad.ae Euro-Divers Oman, Muscat, Oman, +968 95035815, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Ziggy Bay, Oman, Musandam, +968 26735555, www.extradivers.info Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Freestyle Divers, Dubai, Al Wasl & Dibba, Royal Beach Hotel, +971 43944275, www.freestyledivers.com Fujairah Rotana Resort & Spa - Al Aqah Beach, Al Aqah Beach, Fujairah, +971 92449888, www.rotana.com Global Scuba Dive Center, Civil Aviation Club, Oman, +968 99317518, www.global-scuba.com Khasab Divers, Oman, www.khasabdiver.com Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Moonlight Dive Center, Madinat Qaboos, Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Muscat Diving & Adventure Centre, Oman, +971 503289642, www.holiday-in-oman.com Neptune Diving, +971 504347902, www.neptunedivingcentre.com Nomad Ocean Adventures, www.discovernomad.com, +971 508853238, Dibba, Oman Oman Dive Center, Muscat, Oman, +968 24284240, www.omadivecenter.com Pavilion Dive Centre (equipment), Dubai,
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
+971 44068828 Scuba Oman, Oman, +968 99558488, www.scubaoman.com Scuba 2000, Al Bidiya Beach, Fujairah, +971 92388477, www.scuba-2000.com Scuba UAE.com, +971 502053922, www.scubauae.com 7 Seas Diving Center, Khorfakkan, +971 92387400, www.7seasdivers.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 50784 0830, www.bsac406.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Sky &Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com The Dive Shop, 34G, European Center, Green Community, Dubai, UAE, +971 48135474, www.thediveshopdubai.com Clubs Atlantis Underwater Photography Club, Dubai, +971 44263000 Desert Sports Diving Club, Dubai, www.desertsportsdivingclub.net Emirates Diving Association, Diving Village, Al Shindagha, Dubai, +971 43939390, www.emiratesdiving.com Filipino SCUBA Divers Club (FSDC), Dubai, UAE, +971 566952421, www.thefilipinoscubadivers.com Freediving UAE, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, contactus@freedivinguae.com, www.freedivinguae.com Sharjah Wanderers Dive Club, Sharjah, +971 507840830, www.bsac406.com
Fishing & Kayaking
Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Hamur Marine and Sports Equipment, Jumeirah Beach Road, Dubai, +971 43444468 Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Barracuda Fishing and Outdoor, Dubai, Street 13A 1, Al Safa 1, +971 43466558, www.barracudadubai.com Blue Waters Marine, Shop 11, The Curve Bldg., Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43808616 / +971 553899995, www.bluewatersmarine.com Challenging Adventure, Wadi Al Bih Ras Al Khaimah, +971 561060798, contactus@challengingadventure.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai, +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Operators Absolute Adventure, Dubai, +971 43459900, www.adventure.ae Al Boom Diving, Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach
Summer Boulder BaSh 5 EvEnt LEaguE 29 th May 12th June Round 3 - 26th June Round 4 - 10 th July Round 5 - 24th July
Round 1 -
Round 2 -
FuRthER dEtaiLs and REgistRation inFo coming soon
Resort, Fujairah, +971 43422993 Al Hamra Marina and Yacht Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah, +971 72434540, www.alhamramarina.com Al Mahara Dive Center, Downtown Abu Dhabi, +971 501118125, www.divemahara.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing, Airport Road, Al Qwais Bldg., Off. 207, Dubai, UAE, +974 4 2394760-61, www.cruiseindubai.com Al Shaheen Adventure, Abu Dhabi, +971 26429995, www.alshaheenme.com Al Wasl Charter & Fishing (Al Wasl Passenger Yachts and Boats Rental LLC), Airport Road, Al Owais Building, Dubai, +971 42394761, www.cruiseindubai.com Arabian Divers and Sportfishing Charters, Al Bateen Marina Resort, +971 506146931, www.fishabudhabi.com Arabia Outdoors, Dubai, +971 559556209, www.arabiaoutdoors.com Barracuda Diving Centre, Fujairah International Marine Club, +971 9222558 Belevari Marine, Abu Dhabi, +971 26594144 Captain Tony’s, Yas Marina, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, +971 26507175, www.captaintonys.ae Fun Beach Water Sports, Dubai, +971 53244550, www.funbeachsports.com Happy Days Sea Cruising LLC, Dubai, +971 558961276, +971 503960202, www.happydaysdubai.com Hiltonia Beach Club, Hilton Abu Dhabi Hotel, Abu Dhabi, +971 26811900 Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Dibba Road, Fujairah, +971 92449000, www.lemeridien-alaqah.com Nautica 1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Noukhada Adventure Company, Villa 332/7, Al Meena Street, Abu Dhabi, +971 26503600, www.noukhada.ae Ocean Active, Dubai, Garden Centre, +971 502898713, www.oceanactive.com Sheesa Beach, Dibba, Musandam, +971 503336046, www.sheesabeach.com Soolyman Sports Fishing, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 508866227, www.soolymansportsfishing.com Summertime Marine Sports, Dubai, +971 42573084, www.summertimemarine. com Xclusive Yachts, Dubai, Dubai Marina, +971 44327233, www.xclusiveyachts.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Camping, Fishing & Kayaking Club, mohamed.almahrouky@gmail.com Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club, Kitesurfers’ Beach, Umm Suqeim 1, Dubai, +971 554986280, www.dskc.hu
General Sports Equipment Distributors
Adventure HQ, Dubai Times Square Center, Sheikh Zayed Rd, Toll free: 800-ADVENTURE, www.adventurehq.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha 800 Sport, Al Quoz, Dubai +971 43467751, www.800sport.ae Flip Flop Arabia, flipme@flipfloparabia.com, www.flipfloparabia.com Global Climbing Trading LLC, Dubai Investment Park 1, Dubai +971 48829361, www.globalclimbing.com Goal Zero, +971 509128353, www.goalzero. ae Highbury Trading, Dubai, UAE, www.highburytrading.ae Jack Wolfskin Mirdif City Centre Dubai, +971 42840228; Al Wahda Mall Abu Dhabi, +971 44437802 Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com PORTABLE SHADE UAE, Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.portable-shade. net Sakeen General Trading, +971 47094224, www.sakeen.ae Sport in Life Distribution, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@sportinlife.ae, www.sportinlife.ae Tresspass, The Dubai Mall 2nd floor above ice rink, +971 43398801
Horse Riding
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Equipment Al Asifa Horse Equestrian & Requisites Trading, Al Khawaneej 1, Dubai, +971 554733110, www.asifa.ae Black Horse LLC, Abu Dhabi, +971 26422237, www.blackhorseuae.com
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Bonjour Equestrian Supplies, Nad Al Hammar Rd., Ras Al Kho, Dubai, UAE, +971 42896001, +971 42896002, info@bonjourequestrian.com, www.bonjourequestrian.com Cavalos Equine Care and Supplies, 16th Street, Al Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi, +917 22222433, www.cavalosuae.com Emirta Horse Requirement Centre, Sheik Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43437475, www.emirtahorse.com Equestrian Clubs/Centres Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Al Ahli Riding School, Al Amman Street, Dubai-Sharjah Rd., +971 42988408, www.alahliclub.info Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Al Jiyad Stables, Behind Dubai International Endurance City, Dubai, +971 505995866, info@aljiyad.com, www.aljiyad.com Al Sahra Desert Resort Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 44274055, equestrian.centre@alsahra.com Desert Equestrian Club, Mirdif, Dubai, +971 503099770 / +971 501978888 Desert Palm Riding School, Near Al Awir Road (going to Hatta-Oman), Dubai, +971 43238010, www.desertpalm.peraquum.com Dubai Polo Academy, Dubai, +971 508879847, www.dubaipoloacademy.com Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, Arabian Ranches, +971 43618111, www.poloclubdubai.com Emirates Equestrian Centre, Dubai, +971 505587656, www.emiratesequestriancentre.com Ghantoot Polo & Racing Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Golden Stables Equestrian Club, Al Khawaneej, Dubai, (Nouri) +971 555528182, www.goldenstables.ae HoofbeatZ, located just inside the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club, Dubai, +971 501810401, www.hoofbeatz.com Mushrif Equestrian and Polo Club, Mushrif Park, Al Khawaneej Road, Dubai, +971 42571256, www.mushrifec.com Qudraland Community, info@qudraland.com, www.qudraland.com Rahal Ranch, Al Wathba Racing Area, Abu Dhabi, +971 566127914, www.rahalranch.com Riding for the Disabled, Dubai, lessons@rdad.ae, www.rdad.ae, Sharjah Equestrian & Racing Club, Sharjah, Al Dhaid Road, +971 65311188, www.serc.ae Racecourses Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, Al Mushrif, Abu Dhabi, +971 24455500, www.adec-web.com Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, Exit 399, Abu Dhabi/ Dubai Highway, Abu Dhabi, +971 25629050, www.grpc.ae Jebel Ali Racecourse, off the main Abu Dhabi - Dubai Highway (Sheikh Zayed road) beside the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, +971 43474914 Meydan Grandstand and Racecourse, Al
Meydan Road, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 43270000, www.meydan.ae Sharjah Racecourse, Al Dhaid Road, Sharjah, +971 65311155, www.serc.ae
Jet Ski Dealers
Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Japan Marine General Trading, Al Garhoud Road, Liberty Building, Dubai, +971 559299111 / +971 42828255, uday@japanmarine.jp, www.japanmarine.co Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com
Motocross & ATV’s
Dealers Al Badayer Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, +971 507842020, www.albadayerrental.com Al Shaali Moto, Ras Al Khor, +971 43200009, sales@alshaalimoto.com. www.alshaalimoto.com Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Golden Desert Motorcycles Rental (Rental), Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 551532550, www.goldendesert-dubai.com Just Gas It, Hatta Rd., Al Aweer, Dubai, UAE, +971 509192394, www.JustGasIt.net KTM, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, exit 42, +971 4323151, www.ktm.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange 4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43419341, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE (atv’s), Ras Al Khor, Nad al Hamar Road, Al Ghandi Complex, Dubai, +971 42896100, M4, Sector 13, 10th Street, Mussafah Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 25555144, www.polarisuae.com Sebsports, Al Quoz Industrial Area 1 Dubai, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai, +971 48321050, www. wildx.ae Equipment Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Sandstorm Motorcycles (Rental), Al Quoz, Dubai, +971 43470270, www.sandstorm-motorcycles.com Sebsports, Dubai, Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, +971 43393399, www.sebsports.com 2XWheeler, Motorcity Dubai, +971 44548388, www.2xwheeler.com Wild X, Dubai, Um Al Ramoul Industrial Area, +971 42852200, www. wildx.ae Workshops and Services Moto-X and Quad, PO Box 476214, Dubai, UAE, +971 50 6169727, www.gasgasmotos. me
Motorcycling
Distributors and Dealers Al Yousuf Motors, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Rd, www.aym.ae/yamaha Ducati, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25535771, info2@ducati.ae, www.ducati.ae Duseja Motorcycles, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43476712, www.dusejamoto.com Harley-Davidson, Mussafah 4, Street 10, Abu Dhabi, +971 25540667, hd.auh@harley-davidson.ae, www.harley-davidson-abu-dhabi.com Liberty Kawasaki, Dubai, Interchange4, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 42822144, www.libertykawasaki.com Polaris UAE, Al Ghandi Complex, Nad al Hamar Road, Ras Al Khor, +971 42896100, www.polarisuae.com Tristar Motorcycles, +971 43330659, www.tristaruae.com Workshops and Services Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan.com Dubai Autodrome, Dubai, +971 43678700 www.dubaiautodrome.com Emirates Motorplex, Umm Al Quwain, +971 67681717 2xWheeler Adventures, Dubai, +971 44548388, www.alainraceway.com Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, www.yasmarinacircuit.com
Off-Road
Dealers Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255,
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com 4x4 Motors LLC, Shk. Zayed Rd, Dubai, +971 43384866, www.4x4motors.com Liberty Automobiles, Dubai, 800 5423789, www.libertyautos.com Repairs and Services AAA Service Centre, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 285 8989, www.aaadubai.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www. mebarauto.com Off Road Zone, Dubai, Al Quoz, +971 43392449, www.offroad-zone.com Saluki Motorsport, Dubai, +971 43476939 www.salukimotorsport.com Equipment Advanced Expedition Vehicles, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43307152, www.aev.ae Al Yousuf Motors, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, +971 43390621, www.aym.ae/yamaha Bling My Truck, +971 503634839 / +971 505548255, info@blingmytruck.com, www.blingmytruck.com Heartland UAE, Al Mafraq Industrial, Abu Dhabi, +971 567231967, www.heartlanduae.com Icon Auto Garage, Dubai, +971 43382744, www.icon-auto.com Mebar Auto, Al Quoz, Industrial Area 2, Dubai, UAE, +971 4 3469600, www.mebarauto.com Wild X Adventure Shop, Dubai-Hatta Road, Dubai, +971 48321050, www.wildx.ae Yellow Hat, Nad Al Hamar, and Times Square Center, Dubai, +971 42898060, www.yellowhat.ae Tour Operators Arabian Adventures, Dubai & Abu Dhabi, +971 43034888, www.arabian-adventures. com Desert Road Tourism, Al Khor Plaza – 503, Dubai, +971 42959429, www.arabiantours.com Oasis Palm Dubai, Dubai, +971 42628889, www.opdubai.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Off- Road Club, www.ad4x4.com ALMOST 4x4 Off-Road Club, +971 507665522, www.almost4x4.com Dubai Offroaders, www.dubaioffroaders.com JEEP Wrangler JK Fun Club, suffian.omar@yahoo.com, www.jk-funclub.com ME 4X4, www.me4x4.com
Running
Clubs ABRasAC, Dubai, www.abrasac.org Abu Dhabi Tri Club, Abu Dhabi, www.abudhabitriclub.org Abu Dhabi Striders, admin@abudhabistriders.com, www.abudhabistriders.com Al Ain Road Runners, Abu Dhabi, +971 504188978, alainroadrunners@yahoo. co.uk Mirdif Milers, Dubai, www.mirdifmilers.info Dubai Creek Striders www.dubaicreekstriders.org
Stand up Paddling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding
Equipment Al Boom Marine, Abu Dhabi & Dubai, +971 42894858, www.alboommarine.com Al Masaood Marine, Dubai, Sheikh Zayed Road, +971 43468000, www.masaoodmarine.com Ikönic Brands, Suite 509 Düsseldorf Business Point Al Barsha Dubai, UAE +971 506874178, info@ikonicbrands.com Kitesurf Dubai, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqueim and Jumeirah 3 +971 505586190, www.kitesurfdubai.ae Pearl Water Crafts, Dubai Marina Yacht Club, +971 553749398, www.pearl-watercrafts.com Picnico, Jumeirah Beach Road Opposite Sunset Mall, Dubai +971 43941653 Surf Dubai, Dubai, Umm Suqeim, +971 505043020, www.surfingdubai.com Surf Shop Arabia, Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai, +971 43791998, www.surfshoparabia.com Surf School Arabia, +971 556010997,
www.surfschoolarabia.com UAE Kite Surfing, +971 505626383, www.ad-kitesurfing.net Distributors Kitepeople Kite & Surf Store, International City, Dubai, +971 504559098, www.kitepeople.ae Ocean Sports FZE, +971 559352735, www.kitesurfsup.com Operators Al Forsan International Sports Resort, Abu Dhabi, +971 25568555, www.alforsan. com Dubai Kite Surf School, Dubai, Umm Suqeim Beach, +971 504965107, www.dubaikitesurfschool.com Duco Maritime, Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi, +971 508703427, www.ducomaritime.com Dukite, Kitesurf Beach, Umm Suqeim, Dubai,+971 507586992, www.dukite.com Kite Fly, Dubai, +971 502547440, www.kitesurf.ae Kite4fun.net, Abu Dhabi, +971 508133134, www.kite4fun.net Kitepro Abu Dhabi, Yas Island and Al Dabbayyah, Abu Dhabi, +971 505441494, www.kitepro.ae Nautica1992, Dubai, +971 504262415, www.nautica1992.ae Shamal Kite Surfing, Umm Suqueim Dubai, +971 507689226, astrid@shamalkitesurfing.com, www.shmalkitesurfing.com Sky & Sea Adventures, Dubai, Hilton, Jumeirah Beach Road, +971 43999005, www.watersportsdubai.com Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach and Building 1, Al Manara Road (East), Interchange 3, Dubai,+971 556010997, www. surfschooluae.com Watercooled, Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa, Dubai, +971 48876771, www. watercooleddubai.com Water Cooled, Watercooled Sports Services LLC, Hilton Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, UAE, +971 26395997, www.watercooleduae.com Clubs Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle, www.abudhabisup.com UAE SUP www.uaesup.com
Water Parks
Aquaventure Atlantis, Dubai, Palm Jumeirah, +971 44260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dreamland Aqua Park, Umm Al Quwain, Emirates Road, +971 67681888, www.dreamlanduae.com Wadi Adventure, Jebel Hafeet, Al Ain, +971 37818422, www.wadiadventure.ae Wild Wadi Water Park, Dubai, +971 43484444, www.wildwadi.com
Other leisure activities
Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Abu Dhabi, + 971 25588990, www.adgolfclub.com Al Tamimi Stables, Sharjah, +971 67431122 / +971 44370505, www.tamimistables.com Blokart Sailing, Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, +971 556101841, www.blokartme.com
OUTDOORUAE
73
MIDDLE EAST’S OUTDOOR, ADVENTURE, TRAVEL & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE Children’s City, Creek Park Gate No.1, Dubai, +971 43340808, www.childrencity.ae Dolphin Bay Atlantis, Dubai, +971 44260000, www.atlantisthepalm.ae Dubai Dolphinarium Dubai, Creek Park Gate No. 1, +971 43369773, www.dubaidolphinarium.ae iFly Dubai, Dubai, Mirdif City Centre, +971 42316292, www.iflyme.com Sadiyaat Beach Club, Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, +971 25578000, www.sbgolfclub.ae Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club, Sharjah, +971 43999005, www.golfandshootingshj.com
SkiDubai, Dubai, Mall of The Emirates, +971 44094000, www.skidxb.com Spacewalk Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, +971 24463653, www.spacewalk.ae
811, Khasab City, Musandam, Oman, +968 26730813, www.dolphinkhasabtours.com Go Dive Oman, Capital Area Yacht Club (CAYC), Sidab Muscat, +968 99289200, www.godiveoman.com Nomad Tours, PO Box: 583, Postal Code 100, Muscat, Oman, +968 95495240, www.nomadtours.com Oman Trekking Guides, PO Box: 917, NIZWA, Oman, +968 95741441, www.omantrekkingguides.com
+968 99877957, www.musandam-diving.com Global Scuba LLC, +968 24692346, www.global-scuba.com Moon Light Dive Center, P.O. Box: 65, Madinat Qaboos, Muscat Oman, +968 99317700, www.moonlightdive.com Oman Dive Center Resort, PO Box: 199, Medinat Sultan Qaboos, Oman, +968 24824240, www.omandivecenter.info Omanta Scuba Diving Academy, Al Kharjiya Street, Al Shati Area, Muscat, Oman, +968 97700564, www.omantascuba.com Oxygen Diving and Adventures, PO Box: 1363 PC130 Alazaiba, Muscat, Oman, www.o2diveoman.com Seaoman, PO Box: 2394, RUWI PC 112, Oman, +968 24181400, www.seaoman.com Sub Aqua Dive Center, Hilton Salalah Resort, PO Box: 699, Salalah 211, Oman, +968 99894031, www.subaqua-divecenter. com
www.kiteboarding-oman.com Oman’s Kite Center, +968 94006007, www.kitesurfing-lessons.com
Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding
Boating & Sailing
PO Box: 5048, Doha, Qatar, +974 66304061, www.dohasubaquaclub.com Extreme Adventure, PO Box: 33002, Shop 3, 4 Ahmed Bin Ali Street (Bin Omran), Doha, Qatar, +974 44877884, www.extreme.qa GoSport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/gosport.qatar Pearl Divers, PO Box: 2489, Doha, Qatar, +974 44449553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Scuba Center, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277, www.qatarscubacenter.com Q Dive, Souq Al Najada cnr of Grand Hamad and Ali bin Abdulla Str.; Al-Odeid Aisle numbers 129-132, +974 55319507, www. qdive.net World Marine Centre, PO Box: 6944, Doha, Qatar, +974 44360989, www.worldmarinecenter.webs.com Pearl Divers, Al Mirqab Al Jadeed Street, Doha, Qatar, +974 4444 9553, www.pearl-divers.org Poseidon Dive Center, Ras Abu Abboud Street, Al Emadi Suites, Showroom #2, PO Box: 11538, Doha, Qatar, +974 66084040, www.pdcqatar.com Qatar Divers, Marriott Hotel Marina Near Old Airport, Ras Abu Aboud Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 44313331, www.qatardivers.com Qatar Marine, Go Sport City Center West Bay, PO Box: 16657, Doha, +974 553199507, www.qatarmarine.net Qatar Scuba Centre, 187 Al Mansoura Street, Al Mansoura Area, Doha, Qatar, +974 66662277 / +974 44422234, www.qatarscubacenter.com Qdive Marine Center, PO Box: 16657, Doha, Qatar, +974 44375065, www.qdive.net World Marine Centre, Old Salata Street, near the Qatar National Museum, Doha, Qatar, +974 55508177
66724828 Al Mamzoore Marine Equipment, PO Box: 6449,Old Salata, Doha, Qatar, +974 44444238, almamzoore@qatar.net.qa Extreme Adventure, Shop 3,4 Ahmed Bin Ali Steet, Doha, +974 44877884, www.extreme. qa Fish World, PO Box: 1975, Doha, Qatar, +974 44340754 State of Qatar (QatarSub), Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974 4431234, www.stateofqatar.com Operators Paddle Qatar, +974 55490895, www.paddleqatar.com Entalek, +974 3023 3207, www.entalek.org
Diving
OMAN DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris
Bike and Hike Oman, PO Box 833, Ruwi, Postal Code 112, Oman, +968 24400873, www.bikeandhikeoman.com Dolphin Qasab Tours, PO Box: 123, P.C.
QATAR DIRECTORY Adventure tours and desert safaris
Al Mulla Travels, PO Box: 4147, Doha, Qatar, +974 44413488, almullatrvls@qatar.net.qa Alpha Tours, PO Box: 13530, Doha, Qatar, +974 4837815, info@alphatoursqatar.com Al QAYED Travel & Tours, PO Box: 158, Doha, Qatar, +974 44072244, www. alqayedtravel.com Arabian Adventures, PO Box: 4476, Doha, Qatar, +974 44361461, www.arabianadventureqatar.net Black Pearls Tourism Services, PO Box: 45677, Doha, Qatar East Marine, West Bay, Doha, Qatar, +974 55200078 E2E Qatar Travel and Tours, PO Box: 23563, Doha, Qatar, +974 44502521, www.e2eqatar.com Falcon Travels, PO Box: 22031, Doha, Qatar, +974 44354777, www.falcontravelqatar.com Gulf Adventures, 29, PO Box: 18180 Qatar, +974 44221888, www.gulf-adventures.com Net Tours Qatar, PO Box: 23080, Doha, Qatar, +974 4310902, www.nettours.com.qa Regency Travel & Tours, +974 4434 4503/4718, www.regencyholidays.com Qatar Adventure, PO Box: 13915, Doha, Qatar, +974 55694561, www.qataradventure.com Qatar Desert Gate, Doha, PO Box: 18496 Ad Dawha, Qatar, +974 55594016, www.qatardesertgate.com Qatar Inbound Tours, PO Box: 21153, +974 77451196, www.inboundtoursqatar. com Qatar International Tours, PO Box: 55733 Doha, Qatar, +974 44551141, www.qittour. com Qatar Ventures, Doha, Qatar, +974 55776679, www.qatar-ventures.com
Clubs
Cycling, Running & Triathlon Doha Sailing Club, Katara Beach +974 44439840/+974 55649995 www.qmsf.com
Equipment Al Marsa Musandam, PO Box: 44, Dibba, Sultanate of Oman, +968 26836550, www.almarsamusandam.com Al Sawadi Beach Resort, PO Box: 747, Barka - Al Sawadi, Oman, +968 26795545, www.alsawadibeach.info Diving UAE & Oman, www.dive-uae-oman. com Euro Divers CAYC Oman, Marina Bandar Al Rhowda, PO Box: 940, Muscat, Oman, +968 95035815, www.euro-divers.com Extra Divers Musandam, PO Box: 498, PC 811 Khasab, Musandam, Oman,
Qatar Chain Reaction, www.qatarchainreaction.weebly.com Qatar Sandstromers, +974 77775207 / +974 77776634, www.facebook.com/ QatarSandstormers Velostar Doha, https://www.facebook.com/ groups/587539064642288/ Doha Bay Running Club, www.dohabayrunningclub.com TriClub Doha, www.triclubdoha.com
General Sports Equipment Megastores
Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44822194; Villagio Mall, Qatar: +974 44569143; Ezdan Mall, Qatar: +974 44922827, www.galaxysportqatar.com GO Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, Qatar: +974 44631644; Villaggio Mall, Qatar: +974 44517574, www.facebook.com/ gosport.qatar Sun & Sand Sports, City Centre Mall, Qatar: +974 44837007; Dar Al Salam Mall, Qatar: +974 44932973, www.sunandsandsports. com
Boating & Sailing
Equipment Regatta Sailing Academy, Katara Beach +974 55503484 www.regattasailingacademy.com Distributors and Dealers Speed Marine, Speed Marine, Museum Road, PO Box: 9145 Doha, Qatar, +974 44410109, www.speedmarinegroup.com
Horse Riding
Equestrian Clubs/Centres Al Shaqab, PO Box: 90055, Doha, Qatar, +974 44546320, www.alshaqab.com Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club, Racing and Equestrian Club, PO Box: 7559, Doha, Qatar, +974 44197664, www.qrec.gov.qa
Diving
Equipment/Centres Al Fardan Marine Services, Najma Street (near Al Fardan Exchange), Doha, Qatar, +974 44435626 Doha Sub Aqua Club, Doha Sub-Aqua Club,
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OUTDOORUAE
JUNE 2015 - WWW.OUTDOORUAE.COM
Health, Safety & Training
Safety Lessons Marine Concept Yacht Charter & Sea School, Rania Business Centre, Dubai, +971 559603030, www.marine-charter-concept.com Safety & Leisure Training Middle East, Dusseldorf Business Point, Al Barsha 1, Dubai, +971 44502418, www.sltme.com
Equipment, Operators Kiteboarding Oman, Sawadi Beach, PO Box: 133, PC 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 96323524,
Fishing & Kayaking
Equipment Al Kashat, Fishing and Hunting Equipment, Souq Waqif, next to the Falcon Souq, +974
Sport and Health Centres Bespoke Wellness, Dubai, +971 553724670, www.bespoke-wellness.com Original Fitness Co., C6 Tower Al Bateen Bainunah St, Abu Dhabi, +971 2406 9404, www.originalfitnessco.com Orthosports, 5B Street, Jumeira Beach road, Dubai, +971 4355060, www.orthosp.com The Physio Center, Suite 405, Building 49, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, +971 44370570, www.physiocentre.ae
Camping & Hiking
Tour Operators Safari Desert Camp, PO Box: 117, Postal Code 421, Bediyah, Ghabbi, Oman, +968 99310108, www.safaridesert.com
Fishing & Kayaking
Equipment Az’Zaha Tours, +968 99013424, www.azzahatours.com Water World Marine Oman, PO Box: 76, Muscat, 113, Sultanate of Oman, +968 24737438, www.waterworldoman.com
Manufacturer Saphire Marine, PO Box: 11, Post Code 118, Muscat, Oman, +968 99877243, www.sapphire-marine.com
Motocross & ATV’s Dealers
Qatar Adventures, Barwa Village, Building # 9 Shop # 11, Doha, Qatar, +974 77700074
Stand Up Paddeling, Kite & Surfing, Wakeboarding
Equipment, Operators Fly-N-Ride, Ras abu Aboud, Doha, +974 33117089, www.fly-n-ride.com Flo Kite School, Westbay, Doha, +974 55041039, www.flokiteschool.com Kitesurfing Qatar, +97430179108, www.kitesurfingqatar.com QSUP, Qanat Quartier, Costa Malaz, The Pearl-Qc, Doha, Qatar, +974 66602830, www.qsup.me
Cycling (Road & Off Road)
Bike Servicing, Equipment Carbon Wheels Bike Shop, Al Maha Center 10, Salwa Road, Doha, +974 44419048, www.facebook.com/CarbonWheelsQTR Flash Bike Shop, Mesaeed New Souq, Shop C.06, +974 6600 9116, www.flashbikeshop. com Skate Shack, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 44692532, www.skate-shack.com Galaxy Sport, City Centre Mall, 3rd Floor, +974 44822194; Villaggio Mall, +974 4456 9143; Ezdan Mall, +974 4492 2827, www.galaxysportqatar.com; Sportswell, Salwa Road, South Doha, +974 40165155 / 40165156
ONLINE DIRECTORY
Price: Dhs. 6,999
CONQUER ROCK AND SAND. DOUBLE SCOOP FATTY. Expect to be riding terrain previously not explored on a mountain bicycle! Fat tyres provide excellent traction in all terrains such as sand and rocks. Float over your local terrain and remain comfortable while the large air volume soaks up the bumps. CLASSIFICATION
26’ FAT BIKE HARDTAIL
CATEGORY
MOUNTAIN TRAIL
TRAVEL
:RIGID
AVAILABLE IN:
LIME/ASTON BLACK
ASTON BLACK/WATERMELON RED
Available at For inquiry, please contact: Sport In Life Distribution +971 4 289 6001 or email at info@sportinlife.ae
Product Technology
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT Each pair of OluKai is thoughtfully designed and built with the end user in mind. Our goal is to achieve the highest in quality, comfort and uniqueness in aesthetic. Over the years we have created several lasting innovations. Here we share our latest creation.
CO N T O U R P L AT E T E C H N O L O G Y
Now available at the following stores: Villaggio Mall , Qatar Doha City Centre , Qatar The Dubai Mall , UAE
The Avenues Mall (Phase 3), Kuwait Opening Soon: The Avenues Mall, Muscat, Oman Al Naeem Mall, Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE