People have always ventured to the outdoors for fun; it’s well known that friendships made under tough conditions last a lifetime. The original outdoor adventure companies were made up of ex-military instructors; the courses were hard and usually very uncomfortable.
Today they have evolved into team development facilitators where team dynamics, individual learning and self discovery are more important than just learning survival skills. They still use the outdoors and do physical activities where appropriate but the focus is about transferring the learning back to everyday life and into the workplace. The thrill of a first time abseil, catching your first wave on a surf board or just watching the sunrise over a desert mountain in pure silence is the essence of self discovery. So what sort of activities can you do to improve as a team in the outdoors? Well, the options are only restricted by the location and the physical ability of the individuals. Here in the UAE we are fortunate to have plenty of land and sea to play with so here are three options to explore:
Sea Kayaking
As opposed to river kayaking which is usually a full-on swirl of water and rocks, sea kayaking is a team adventure for the mind, body and spirit. There are few other activities where you can fall asleep on a deserted beach around a camp fire tired from paddling all day with an overwhelming feeling of being totally relaxed from the simplicity and joy of experiencing the sea and its wildlife. It’s available to everyone and has no restrictions on physical ability making it the perfect team building activity. The kayak also provides space for overnight equipment and you can even set fishing lines from the back as you paddle to maybe catch some dinner (best to take a tin of beans just in case!).
Rock Climbing
The type of climbing found in the emirates is classed as rock climbing or cliff climbing which requires ropes and a harness. Although for the beginner this may sound more dangerous than mountain climbing where you spend a lot of time walking up a hill, this is actually safer as safety equipment is always used and you always climb as a team. Many of the climbs found in the region are on cliffs around the more rugged coastline which gives an even greater feeling of being close to nature as it provides amazing scenery and usually a nice sea breeze. To combine the joys of the sea and the excitement of the climb you can try Deep Water Soloing. This requires no ropes or harnesses as it is done over deep water as the name suggests so when, rather than if, you can’t hold on any longer you can drop safely into the ocean and cool off.
Coasteering
Pioneered by TYF™ Adventure in the UK, this sport has taken off around the world as a great way to explore a coastline and enjoy the thrill of an outdoor adventure sport. It combines climbing, traversing around a cliff at the waterline, cliff jumping when you need to cut across a gorge instead of climbing around it and caving when you get the chance to delve and explore the cracks and caves around the cliff face. It’s been described as the slowest way to get from A to B around a coastline, but I can guarantee you it’s the most fun and one of the most powerful outdoor adventure team building activities you can find in the world. Take it from me!
Tavis Stewart Adrenaline! www.myadrenalinequest.com tavis@myadrenalinequest.com