The simplest form of nautical fun which requires no skill or experience is parasailing. Parasailing is an activity where you are towed behind a boat attached to a parachute. As the boat drives off you are lifted into the air about 150 to 300 metres depending on wind conditions.
"It's not a challenging sport - more like something people do to be up in the air," says Suzy Dillon, general manager of Nautica 1992, water sports and boat rentals, operating at the Habtoor Grand Hotel & Spa in Dubai.
If being so high up in the clouds seems a bit daunting, do not fear. "I've been up 18 times myself and I'm petrified of heights," she says. "It's a great way to conquer your fear of heights.
"You don't need to do anything, just sit back and enjoy the ride," she adds.
Parasailing is a highly recommended breathtaking experience where you feel like "you're floating like a butterfly, up in the air where it's dead quiet," Dillon says. It also guarantees some great unobstructed views.
If heights are not for you then wind surfing might be more your thing. You use a sailboard that's powered by the wind, pushing onto your sail and testing your knack for pulling off a balancing act. It is one of the more challenging water activities and requires some upper-arm strength to lift up the wet sail.
Wind surfing is not a competitive sport, more of a personal challenge. "It is a physical activity. If you like the sea and sailing it's perfect for you," says Alex Alessandro, 33, who has been sailing for two years now.
If you wonder what it feels like to be out there, he says: "It's a good sensation, being in touch with the wind and the sea, you can feel nature".
So if you are looking for a way to stay healthy while having fun, give windsurfing a try.
For those with a more competitive nature, water skiing may be more appealing; it is a challenge with more of an edge. Wearing one or two skis you are pulled behind a motor boat while holding onto a tow rope. If you manage to master the art of standing up, flips and jumps are the next step.
The thought of possibly being plunged head-first into the water if the boat driver's timing is off, can be a bit much for some, but "the up side is an excellent feeling when you stand up on the skies," says Tom Hobbs, 29. It is a great way "to clear your head and take your mind away from the stress of work".
Strapping yourself to a 14-metre kite that could whip you around on the open sea is probably not everyone's idea of a good time. But for those who crave an adrenaline rush and being near the sea, kite surfing is a fantastic option.
Kite surfing instructor Astrid Petracchi, 31, has been teaching the sport for about five years and was drawn to it because it is something you can do independently. "You don't depend on a boat; you can do it on your own and you get to be in the sun near the sea," she says.
The sport is not that difficult to learn and you do not need to be that fit when you start out she adds. "People think you need a lot of strength but that's not so. You need coordination but you also work a lot of your core muscles and legs and arms."
When you take lessons, instructors usually provide the equipment. The duration can range from one to three hours depending on how hot it gets. The first three lessons will be on dry land and then you progress to the water where you will be harnessed to the kite, minus a board, and dragged in the water.
Once you're comfortable with the kite you will start using the board.
It's hard to say how many lessons you will need to become proficient says Petracchi, but eight to ten lessons will suffice.
Equipment is not cheap. The average cost of a 14 metre kite is Dh4,500. The harness and board will set you back by Dh700 and Dh2,500 respectively. Kite surfers can rent equipment from instructors as well.
The Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (Ductac) is a hive of activity offering classes from pottery, painting and calligraphy to dance and music.
Everybody has painted or drawn but not many have worked with clay says pottery instructor Carol Tripp.
After students come in and take a three-hour class, where the clay tools and instructions are provided, you will have a good idea whether you like it or not.
"Some people come in and say 'it's too much effort' and that it's physically demanding pushing the clay around and it's muddy," she says with a laugh.
In Tripp's class, students are at varying skill levels and they decide what they want to make. "Everybody comes in with ideas but sometimes you just sit at the wheel and it really depends on mood."
Pottery is an excellent pastime for a student as it "takes your mind off everything. It is very meditative [and] it can be something to take yourself away from what you're studying - a well-rounded life is more than just being overly focused with tunnel vision on what you're studying," Tripp says.
If you decide to take four classes, you will buy 12.5kg of clay and learn to prepare balls of them. You will use tools, your hands and a sponge to shape the clay.
Maria Peat was drawn to watercolours as a teenager and went on to study watercolour painting on ceramics at university.
"You either like it or you don't. It's the hardest medium out of all the media because it's so unforgiving," says Peat.
She says if you make a mistake you can't paint over it as it looks "gunky, messy and muddy".
In her watercolours class, students were busy sketching pictures of birds, landscapes or compositions of inanimate objects.
"If you ask the students, you'll find that you don't have to be fantastic at drawing as long as you enjoy the medium. Within four weeks [of taking the class] you will know whether you like it or not."
In your first lesson you will be tasked with drawing something simple like a flower or fruit whilst being given instructions about techniques.
Four classes cost Dh660 and you will need to bring your own materials and paint. This will include a watercolour set, sketch pad, pencil and putty rubber.
Walk into Marina Harris' oil painting class and you will encounter soothing classical music and students quietly working away at their easels.
For many students painting is an escape from their hectic lives and others take classes to hone their skills to pursue professional careers.
When you first start a class with Harris, you will learn the basics - composition, perspective and colour and progress to sketching and then painting.
Another therapeutic hobby is silk painting and the best part is that you get to wear or display your artwork once you've finished. Yoshita Ahmad teaches the class at Ductac.
The technique is different from other painting techniques as pure silk fabric is used. By the time you complete about eight lessons you will have finished your cushion cover, scarf, lamp shade cover or curtain.
At your first lesson you will select and trace out a design for your artwork.
Picture the last time you really let loose and were immersed in a fun activity. What with the demands of university life, it has probably been a while, hasn't it? A balance of leisure activities and study is important for a student if you don't want to burn out at a later stage. Notes takes a look at fun hobbies you could take up.
Get wet
Getting scared out of your wits seems to be an enjoyable pastime for some. Legend has it there are haunted houses and fortresses around the UAE that some visit, seeking a nerve wrecking experience.
The locations of these spooky places travel by word-of-mouth.
"A friend told us [me and my friends] about a haunted house in Jumeirah, right after the Mercato shopping mall. It's a broken house with an empty pool and small shoes lying around broken glass, just like you see in the movies," said Nafiz Faisal, 18, a student at the University of Wollongong in Dubai. There is also a haunted house in uptown Mirdiff and a Students can explore the various classes offered in Dubai, including watercolour painting, oil painting, silk painting, pottery, dancing and other activities.
