There is an incredible selection of sporting activities available in Dubai. Yon may wish to choose from the more popular list of activities below which is not. by any means, exhaustive.

Snow skiing

Ski Dubai, situated at Mall of the Emirates, brings all the fun of snow skiing to the desert and is a superb facility. The snow-making process involves atomising liquid water to create a cloud inside the building; this cloud is then ‘sprinkled’ with minuscule hard ice particles, which allow snow crystals to form and fall out of the cloud. This is normally only done at night as it creates a ‘white out’ in the centre, which would obviously cause poor visibility for skiers and snow boarders. Ski Dubai holds over 6,000 tonnes of snow at any given time and is the third largest indoor snow dome in the world. It boasts such features as a 400 metre ski run and a snowboarding park including a metal rail for stunts and purpose built jumps. There are five multi-directional slopes with varying slope gradients, the steepest of which would, in my opinion, be about the equivalent of a steep ‘blue’ run in Europe. The lift system includes a four-man chair and a button lift for the middle and upper slopes and moving walkways for the beginners slopes. Ski Dubai is excellent for children and includes the world’s largest indoor snow play area and kids party rooms.

Diving

Dubai’s year-round calm, warm waters are perfect for beginners and experienced divers alike and there arc several PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) courses available. The UAE has two coastlines and there are some great diving options.

Jumeirah Beach Hotel offer The Pavilion Dive Centre which is the only PADI 5 Star Career Development Centre in the UAE. It is run by fully qualified PADI instructors and again offers a full range of courses to suit beginners and experienced divers alike. Weather permitting, daily excursions leave at 10am returning between 1pm and 3pm. Course prices vary from between Dhs 350 to Dhs 1,200.

Scuba Dubai is located on Al Barsha Road and offers scuba and snorkelling equipment for rental or sale and is aimed at divers wishing to organise their own dive trips. Equipment is rented on a 24-hour basis, however you must take along original diving certification for all rentals. The office is open from 9am to 1pm and 4pm to 8.30pm, and is closed on Friday.

Kite surfing

On most windy days you are likely to see the colourful kites of the members of Dubai Kite Club buzzing around just off the coastline at Jumeirah Beach close to Dubai Offshore Sailing Club.

Kite surfing has become a mainstream watersport for anyone who is reasonably fit and confident in the water, and as Dubai is blessed with warm winds and water most of the year it is an ideal place for all levels from beginners to advanced kite surfers.

If you are a novice it is essential to have lessons for at least 6 hours and Dubai Kite Club has access to 9 instructors. Languages spoken include English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Dutch, German and Afrikaans.