With a noticeable and rising trend of several paddlesport activities peppering the coastlines of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and elsewhere in the country too, you can’t help but wonder what all the fuss is about.
The paddle culture is not new to the UAE, as a nation with history steeped in sailing and boating, paddling was also an integral way to move through the Arabian waters. In the last 5 years however, a new-age love for the paddle has become viral. It’s on the tip of everyone’s tongues; groups, clubs, social events, meets, competitions, and anything to do with paddling is all around us.
Due to its accessible nature, paddling has not only become an important part of our outdoor lifestyles; whether you’re a ‘weekend warrior’ or an ‘outdoor junkie’ but has contributed to a growing subculture here in the UAE that has brought the community closer together.
Over the course of this article, we take a closer look at two of the biggest paddling activities that have taken over the country’s coastlines and find out more about why the paddle culture has grown so quickly from the movers and shakers here in the UAE.
SUP – Standing Tall
According to sources, Stand-Up Paddling or Stand-Up Paddle surfing (SUP) has been around for hundreds of years, and traces its roots in the islands of Hawaii where the early natives used it as an alternative form of surfing, and as a means of transport to getting from village to village around the islands.Their native term for the paddlesport is “Ku Hoe He’e Nalu,” which means to stand, to paddle, to surf a wave.
SUP’ing is a relatively new sport in the UAE. Alongside with it’s SUP enthusiasts, Surf Dubai played a big role of popularizing the paddlesport when the shop began selling SUP boards in the country six years ago. Since then, SUP’ing has been drawing a lot of interest and following in the country’s waters for good and practical reasons.
“It’s so easy [to learn] – all you need is five minutes and that’s it. You can practice it everywhere: sea, river, lake even in your swimming pool, you can cruise, wave riding, racing, fishing SUP, etc.” said Ronan Jolle from Yas Marina, who also organizes SUP events both in the marina and more recently at Wadi Adventure in Al Ain.
“[Another main] reason for the trend towards SUP’s here in the UAE was the fact that surfers went without waves for weeks on end and we needed something to do to keep us fit and on the water,” says Surf Dubai’s Dan Van Dooren, who has been one of the active promoters of the paddlesport here in Dubai and elsewhere. “SUPing is a great alternative to surfing that gives you that feeling of standing on a board in the ocean!” he added. Meanwhile, Jen Scully, who heads the Abu Dhabi Stand Up Paddle Club, shares the paddlesport’s all-around nature, which also accounts for its popularity among its followers.
“Stand-Up Paddling offers so much variety which is why it appeals to many different people…if you’re looking for just plain fun, you head out with your friends paddling flat water and simply enjoy being out there,” she said.
Other activities that Scully told of and that can be tried with an SUP board are Standup surf or SUP whitewater for those like to try something a little more extreme, SUP racing for the competitive types, whereas the fitness buffs could have a go for Yoga or Pilates on a SUP and train on their balance.
SUP expert Leigh Pothecary also noted the physiological benefits of the paddlesport to a person’s wellness being a good form of exercise. “SUP is a great core work out. Whilst paddling, you are probably using almost every muscle in your body,” he said.
“Regular paddlers get fit and in shape very quickly; an hour a day over a month will have you seeing great results.”
Over the past 5 years, the community has seen a massive growth from only a handful to hundreds of boarders over the UAE, and with SUP racing events happening in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, you will find enthusiasts from all different backgrounds getting together and competing or just joining in for the fun of it. A great example of this was at the most recent SUP Race and Waves Master that took place at Wadi Adventure on the 28th of September, organised and supported by Wadi Adventure, Yas Marina, UAE SUP Abu Dhabi, and Surf Dubai. There were around 30 to 50 competitors, not to mention families, supporters and outdoor enthusiasts all coming together to have a great day out.
“The general community here has received it extremely well. If you go to any of the beaches around Abu Dhabi or Dubai you will more than likely see people enjoying paddleboarding. There seems to be a healthy curiosity to try it out and it seems that most people who try it continue on with it,” Wadi Adventure’s Ryley Heffernan.
Looking towards the bright future of SUP’ing in the Middle East, Jen Scully adds, “It will definitely continue to grow just by the fact that is growing worldwide. I would love to see more races and athletes crossing over, using SUP astraining for triathlon, cycling, running and even including SUP in their events.”
Overall SUP’ing is a paddlesport worth getting involved in, not just for the paddling but the community camaraderie, a great day out by all can be had at these events. Most of them are free to attend and more than likely someone, somewhere will have a free SUP for you to try out. There are some key people mentioned through this article that have been really pushing the paddlesport forward and are all down to earth and very approachable. From their great efforts and positive attitude, the paddlesport is really coming together this season in terms of races, competitions and community events.
If you want to find out more or how to get involved here are some handy places to start:
www.abudhabisup.com
www.facebook.com/SurfDubai
www.facebook.com/uaesup
Dragon Boat Racing – Paddling as One
The stories about the origin of dragon boat racing are somewhat colorful. According to the Hong Kong-based International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF), the sport of dragon boat racing has been around for about 5,000 years ago (another source dates it back to sometime around 2,000 years ago), and began in the southern provinces of China. The idea of incorporating the image of the dragon into the boats also has its own tales, but in the widely accepted Chinese tradition, dragons have been looked upon as creatures of protection and the highest and strongest ones that the Chinese can imagine. The mythical creatures had been believed to be associated with good spirits that always strive to win. So that’s why turning boats into symbolic dragons where thought to be a tactic in stimulating a winning mentality among the paddlers.
And from its Chinese roots, the paddlesport had spread into the far reaches of the globe spreading to the Americas, Africa, Europe, Oceania and of course, the Middle East region and especially here in the UAE.
But how exactly did this oriental paddlesport get here?
According to Jason Mackenzie, head of the UAE Dragon Boat Association, (who kick-started the dragon boat racing scene here), it all began about 7 years ago when a group of Dubai-based women decided to attend a dragon boat race in Malaysia. Since that time, the sport has grown to include over 5,000 annual participants, including several teams who compete at a very high level on the international circuit. Mackenzie says that the sport has the ability to show just how a team can achieve by working together and moving as one, no matter what the outcome of their hard paddling would be. According to him, this ability is a great moving factor about dragon boat racing.
“Dragon boating is special because it allows you to share the joy of victory and the agony of defeat with a large group of teammates. It also demonstrates that the sum of your team can often be greater the individual parts,” Mackenzie noted.
Dragon boating has done extremely well in the UAE and is just another example that brings the community together. Anybody can take part, the demographic on the boats is diverse as Mackenzie mentions and no matter what age, gender or fitness level you are, there will always be a place for everyone on the boat.
“More and more teams are forming around the UAE, which is exciting…all the local teams take new members throughout the year,” Jill Steinke, a member of the Dubai Diggers team, said as she explains just how fast is the dragon boating community growing in the country.
Dragon-boat addicts here are not an uncommon thing, and not only do they do the sport for fun and leisure, several of them have even competed in Olympic-class events and brought honor to the Emirati banner, too.
Among them was the Dubai Diggers team, who were among the four dragon boat crews who carried the UAE banner at the IDBF Club Crew World Championships in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, and managed to bring home medals from the Olympic-class world dragon boat-racing event that was held last 4th to 8th of July.
The paddling crew led by Nick Hando bagged gold medals in the 200 and 500-meter premier mixed races. A total of three of the four UAE-based crews were placed within the top ten in the 500m category.
“It’s nice that the UAE has been put on the map within the international community of paddling,” Steinke said, as she recalls the triumph of what her Dubai Diggers team had
achieved last summer.
With the active dragon boating community here in the country, things are also looking good in the future of the paddlesport in a nation that is filled with maritime history. There are plenty of dragon-boating crews around that you can join and get involved with.Visit www.dubaidragonboat.com to get a view of the current list of crews and a fewdetails about each of them. Send your queries to uaedragonboat@gmail.com for more information. Or check for the UAE DBA’s latest posts (and also OutdoorUAE’s online calendar at www.outdooruae.com) to check for upcoming Intrepid and dragon boat events around the country.
Published in October 2012
