The Waters Around Abu Dhabi

What the Gulf is like here

The water off Abu Dhabi is not the deep blue of the open ocean. It is a shallow, sunlit sea, often only a few metres deep over sand and seagrass, which is why it glows turquoise on a calm day. Sea temperatures run roughly 24°C in winter to the mid-30s in summer, so you are never cold, and a wetsuit is never needed.

Conditions are kindest from October to April: lighter winds, calmer seas and clear skies. Summer brings heat and the occasional shamal wind, which is why our captains watch the forecast and pick sheltered routes when it blows.

Who lives here

The headline resident is the dugong. Abu Dhabi’s seagrass meadows, about 3,000 square kilometres of them, support around 3,000 dugongs, the world’s second-largest population after Australia, centred on the Marawah Marine Biosphere Reserve around Bu Tinah Island. You will not see one on every ride, but the crew spots them often enough that every trip keeps an eye out.

Green turtles, around 4,000 of them, graze the same meadows. Dolphins work the deeper channels, rays glide over the sandbanks, and the reefs hold the hamour, kingfish, trevally and barracuda ourfishing tripstarget. Flamingos and herons patrol the mangrove edges.

When to go

For the calmest water and the most comfortable riding, November to March is prime. Mornings are glassy, the light is soft, and the wildlife is active. If you are visiting in summer, book the earliest slot of the day: the water is flat, the heat is manageable, and you are back before midday.