With its endless sunshine, the UAE is the perfect place in which to get involved in outdoor activities and sports.
There are so many things to do that the only struggle facing many residents is finding the time to fit everything in. Among the watersports popular with residents are sailing, surfing and canoeing.
Those looking for team sports can choose from hockey, cricket, soccer, rugby, netball, basketball, polo and a host of others. Individual sports well represented include cycling, shooting, riding, skating and just about anything else you can think of.
One good thing about taking up sports is that most require little in the way of paperwork if you want to get involved, at least compared to many other aspects of UAE life.
Take Dubai Hockey Club, which meets three times a week at the Kings’ Dubai School in Umm Suqueim. Anyone aged over 16 can turn up with their kit at 7.30pm on Sunday, Tuesday or Wednesday evening, and enjoy a mixed male and female five-a-side game for Dh30.
Alternatively, someone can fill in a membership form and, if it is seconded by a committee member and approved by the committee, they can join for Dh500.
This cuts the cost of each game to Dh10 and also includes a full kit and a t-shirt. Full details can be found at www.dubaihockeyclub.com.
Sailing
Sailing is often a lot more expensive than hockey and many of the clubs in the UAE are heavily oversubscribed.
Examples include The Club in Abu Dhabi, which has a Dh2,500 joining fee plus a Dh1,900 annual subscription. Sailing costs an additional Dh1,050 annually. The club has more than 3,000 members but there is a waiting list to join. Check out www.the-club.com.
Dubai Offshore Sailing Club is similarly oversubscribed. Prospective members have to fill in an application form and provide copies of their passport photo page and residence visa.
In addition, they have to find someone to propose and second their application. There are dozens of people on the waiting list but evidence that you will be actively involved in sailing, either on your own boat or someone else’s, will help your application.
There are several places to go to have fun with firearms, among them Jebel Ali Shooting Club, which offers clay shooting with shotguns and archery.
Joining costs Dh2,000 per year and for this people must bring two passport photographs along with their passport copy or photo identification.
A 40-minute shooting session, which includes 25 shots, costs Dh100 for members. Non-members have to pay Dh150 and are asked to bring photo identification. Lessons should be booked by telephone in advance. Find out more at www.jebelali-international.com.
It’s not just outdoor sports that are well represented in the UAE.
There are several martial arts clubs in the country, including Seibukan Karate Centre in Sharjah.
This offers karate lessons for everyone from beginners to advanced exponents of the art and is open to people of any age and either sex. Most people have two one-hour lessons a week.
People aged 40 or more looking to take up the sport are advised to get a medical check up first. The website www.uaeseibukankarate.com has more information.
Diving course
14 sessions for PADI certificate
A popular activity in the UAE is diving, with high quality sites located on both the east and west coasts of the country.
The basic diving qualification is the PADI Open Water Diver certificate, which allows people to dive without the supervision of an instructor.
Dive centres across the country run courses that lead to this qualification. Typically there are five classroom lessons, five pool dives and four ocean dives, although often several are combined into a single session.
The whole course, which costs around Dh1,800, can be completed in as little as four days, although some people prefer to stretch it over as long as six months if their spare time is limited.
Once someone has the qualification, they can join the organised diving trips run by the centres in the UAE. Many diving shops organise trips to the east coast of the country as well as to sites on the west coast near Dubai and up to Musandam in Oman.
The less advanced PADI Scuba Diver certificate, which costs about Dh1,450, only allows people to dive under supervision.
For details of where to find a diving centre log on to www.padi.com.
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