Surfing Dubai

The Shamal raises 7m waves & surfers spirits in Dubai

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 4 January, 2009 : - - Dubai, The shamal wind yesterday blew in a perfect start to the winter surfing season, with surfers rushing to replace sunbathers on the public beach next to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. ‘It’s pumping out there’ said Joel Fitzgerald, a former professional surfer from Sydney, Australia, whose father Terry was the 1975 Australian surfing champion.

“The beach is nice and it’s perfect for tourists to come to Dubai to surf or learn how to surf. The best beaches for surfing are all owned by the hotels. They should open them up to surfers too, because it could bring in an extra 20 per cent revenue for them.” Kim Bowra, who has been surfing for more than 15 years, said the waves were shaping up well. 

Scott Chambers, of Surf Dubai, said: “It’s the first proper swell of the season and it looks like it is going to be a good winter for surfing.” 

The waves are expected to last until the middle of this week, with Wednesday bringing the best conditions. “We get the swells from the north-west and it will be an onshore wind blowing in for the next four days straight,” Mr Chambers said. “On the last day the winds will drop and there should be perfect waves.”

Arnaud Rueff, from France, said: “I’ve been out an hour and a half and the waves are really strong, with a lot of effort to get out past the breaks. They are coming in sets of four but the waves are a bit messy today.”

Out at sea, waves reached almost seven metres, according the Dubai Meteorological Office. The shamal, a north-westerly wind that blows over Iraq and down towards the Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, hit Dubai yesterday and was expected to last until Tuesday, but it did not bring its usual sandstorms.

Read the full article at The National

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Source: The National

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