The waters of the UAE offer a range of diving and snorkelling to suit all levels of experience. Dive the reefs and spectacular wrecks along the Abu Dhabi/Dubai coasts where there is relatively little tidal movement and currents are few in the shallow Gulf waters. Diving on the East Coast is different again with upwellings from the Indian Ocean encouraging a greater diversity of marine life. Off the coast of Khor Fakkan there are more than ten dive sites within just a few minutes boat ride from the shore. Typically some of the best sites are submerged rocks that have been colonized by soft corals. There is abundant tropical fish life and turtles are commonly sighted.
The Gulf waters are teeming with fish – charter a boat and fish for marlin, sailfish and barracuda, mackerel, tuna, jack and bonito. September to April is the most productive period, although it is possible to catch sailfish and kingfish in the hot summer months. You can either bring your own gear or use equipment onboard. Fishing charters can be tailored to suit your needs. Prices vary considerably so it is wise to ring around.
Sailing
The UAE is particularly
keen to foster traditional marine sports such as sailing races. Large
numbers of majestic wooden dhows, some as big as 60 feet, assemble at the
start line, evoking the customs of a bygone era. Competition is intense and
great attention is paid to the preparation of the boats and their massive
rigs.
or a truly wonderful experience you can watch traditional sailing dhows, graceful craft from an earlier age when great wooden trading dhows plied the Indian Ocean, or traditional longboats powered by up to 100 oarsmen, race off the Abu Dhabi Corniche and other venues throughout the Emirates
image courtesy of http://www.datadubai.com/dhow.htm
Boat building
The area now known as the UAE was famous for the prowess of its sailors and the sleek lines of their trading vessels, graceful wooden dhows that piled the Indian Ocean. Pearling also depended upon dhows but the craft used were designed as working platforms and places to live for months on end rather than as ocean voyagers.
The construction methods by which these elegant craft are fashioned have remained the same for centuries. Boats are all carvel-built with planks laid edge to edge. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of holes are hand-drilled to avoid splitting the wood and long thin nails wrapped in oiled fiber driven through to secure the planks to the frame.
All the construction work is carried out without the aid of plans and drawings, measurement being made solely by eye and experience. Templates are, however, used to shape the hull planking.
Although it appears the accuracy depends solely on the instinct of the boat-builders, in fact a highly experienced master-craftsman (ustadh) usually overseas the calculations. The tools used in building boats are very simple: hammer, saw, adze, bow-drill, chisel, plane and caulking iron.
The building of a large vessel could take anything up to ten months, while a smaller one, a shu’i for instance, would be finished in one to four months.
