The Surf in Dubai is seasonal from October-April with the best and most consistent months being December & January. The water temperature at the start of the session is extremely warm (25-30 degrees Cellces) and then tends to cool down quite a bit during winter (20-22 degrees cellces) and once again starts to heat up towards the end of the surfing months.
The average wave height recorded from the “Dubai Coastal zone monitoring” is 0.67 of a metre, which in feet is just above (2 feet). The highest ever recorded wave to hit the shores of Dubai was in 2007 reading at 3.49 Metres which is just over 11 feet. Not bad considering most people view Dubai as being a city in the desert with absolutely no surf at all!
 
The best swells are when there’s a low pressure right from the top of the gulf (Kuwait) and the strong Northerly (NW) winds continue to blow through past Bahrain and Qatar. The Fitch of the Arabian Gulf is 1000 kilometres, so by the time the swell hit’s Dubai's shore line’s, it can have a lot of power to it. Sometimes when we're out there it's hard to believe you’re in Dubai. Although these swells don't happen very often (about 4 times a season) but when they do, it can be a lot of fun!
The most common swells in Dubai are from local winds, or just a bit further north, near Qatar. This means a lot of wind and messy waves but a lot of the time if you are patient and not to fussy, you can always get a few fun rides each time. A small, onshore, choppy wave is better then no wave!
Surf Forecasting Links
The first surfers actually living in Dubai date back to about 1990 where there was only a hand full of guys, both young and old. We could name them all for you but don’t want to bore you. Let’s just say there were no crowds and everyone knew each other! The best part was that you could surf any beach in Dubai you wanted, depending on which sand bank was good at the time you would go surf there. Now of course we are restricted to the famous sunset beach and JBR. This restriction is due to the fact that there are now massive off sore constructions (Palm Jebal Ali, Palm Jumeriah, The World Islands and Palm Deira). Four of the largest man made offshore constructions in the world, there’s no wonder why the rest of the coast line doesn’t receive the same waves it used to.
To date the surfing scene in the region has increased dramatically, especially in the last 5 years (2005-2010). The accessibility for surfing goods was very limited, almost none existent! But with the help of Surf Dubai and Surfers of Dubai, this has changed a lot. The Surf Boards and accessories available on the market meet world standards. Surf Dubai now supplies Creatures of Leisure and Shapers Australia accessories and hardware. Two of the leading brands in quality, high performance accessories. On top of this Surf boards are available from Global Surf Industries (GSI). The Worlds premier in surf board distribution with a massive range of different boards by various famous shapers to suite most peoples needs.
http://www.creatures.com.au/home
More on Oman coming soon... This section will include useful information on surfing in the Middle East and great tips for surfing in general. |
