UPDATE: When we discovered Dubai is an up-and-coming surf spot, we thought we’d found the most unconsidered place in the world for surfing. But the BBC topped us today!  Check out this surf spot: Liberia! Yeah. Liberia. In West Africa. The country that is often linked with the term “civil unrest” is now touting itself as a surf tourism destination!  If you go – let us know – ’cause I don’t think we’ll be doing a remote report from Liberia anytime soon! (Nothing personal – just that “civil unrest” thing.)

ORIGINAL POST:
You may never have considered it but the surf spot Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is rising in global popularity as a surf destination. Surfing in Dubai offers a completely different twist to the stereotypical surf vacation.

Surf Spot: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

“Surfers arriving in Dubai don’t usually expect to discover that the Gulf region has surf and surfers. Surfing conditions in Dubai are not exactly like the North Shore of Hawaii but you can still have a good blast surfing with endless sunshine, warm water, and even a few (small) waves rolling in once or twice a week in the winter. Surfing is becoming more popular as the population of Dubai continues to grow at a fast pace. The decreasing number of beaches with surf (due to The World and the Palm Islands being built in Dubai) means that the lineup is not as empty of surfers as in the past, but most surfers in Dubai are friendly. Coldest water temperature is in January when it’s down to about 20-24 C – about half the people surfing will wear a spring wetsuit.”  Read the original source of this information  here.

Even better is the time of year when the surf is at its best in Dubai is when it isn’t so good in the U.S.

“The Surf in Dubai is seasonal from October-April with the best and most consistent months being December, January and February. The water temperature ranges between 25-30 degrees Celsius at the start and end of the season. Between December to February temperature range between 20-22 degrees celsius.

The average wave height recorded from the “Dubai Coastal zone monitoring” is 0.67 meters, which in feet is just above (2 feet). The highest ever recorded wave to hit the shores of Dubai was in 2007 reading at 3.49 Meters which is just over 11 feet. Not bad considering most people view Dubai as being a city in the desert with absolutely no surf at all!

The best swells arrive when strong low pressure systems develop at the top of the gulf (Kuwait) and the strong Northerly (NW) winds continue to blow through past Bahrain and Qatar. The fetch (distance of water over which the wind can blow) of the Arabian Gulf is 1000 kilometers. Whilst this technically doesn’t qualify us for any real ’Ground Swell’ (requires fetch +2000km), on a good day it is sometimes hard to believe you’re in the Arabian Gulf. Solid head high days don’t happen very often (about 4 times a season) but when they do it’s almost like the stoke is tripled!”  Read the original story here.

Ever wondered how surfing in Dubai came to be? For a thorough history on how surfing came to be in the surf spot Dubai, United Arab Emirates, click here. And if you’ve been there yourself, do share your tales with us!