The Arabian Gulf is a great sea for any kind of marine activity which is also deeply rooted in the local traditions. Trading, fishing and pearl diving have been for long time the lifeblood of the region.
Expats benefit a lot from this traditions and the right to set sail in the gulf. If you want to drive a boat you don’t need to have a boat license or need to proof any skills. The boat needs only to be registered with the local authorities and you need to report to the cost guard before leaving a harbor.
It’s great to have so much freedom and if regulations make it so easy to have a good time on the sea.
(Note: There are changes on the way, that driving license will be required in future even for small boats. Anyways it’s recommended to do a license. You will be safer and more self-confident on the sea, and the course could also be fun.)
Having no license dose not mean that there are no rules on the sea. The gulf and international waters have comparable rules like on the road and you have to respect them.
There are also special signs which should be known by anybody who is navigating a boat. Some signs are easy to understand e.g. speed limits because it’s directly written on the sign. Others will be a mystery if you don’t know them. Therefore we are giving you a short lesson how to recognize the most important signs and their purpose. Even if the gulf waters are very safe, you should respect the rules
and always check the weather forecast before leaving the harbor (you will find weather information on outdooruae.com)
Red and green cans
These buoys are very important to reach a harbor. You will find them all along the Jebel Ali channel or at the entrance to any harbor. The signs are marking the way into and out of the harbor, for big commercial boat it’s very important because only in the channel the depth is deep enough reach the coast. The Jebel Ali channel is about 17m deep while the waters close to the coast are less than 10m where they would run on ground. The green cans have to be on your portside (right side) and the red cans on your starboard side (left) side while you are approaching the harbor. If you are leaving the harbor it’s of course the opposite way. During day with good visibility it will be easy to keep the right course but in fog and bad visibility it’s important to know which side of a buoy you have to pass if you can see only a single green or red one. Usually they are equipped with a light blinking in the same color (red or green). (This rule applies for IALA-A System)
Cardinal signs
Cardinal signs are warning you of hazards in the water and telling you on which side you can pass safely. The black double cones on top of the yellow/ black buoys are indicating the direction of the hazard and defining the type of the cardinal sign. There are 4 signs giving the direction North, East, South or West). At night they are flashing in different frequencies to differ between them.
Published in September 2010
