10 reasons why you should learn to surf in Dubai

1. Warm water means no dorky wetsuit tan. 

2. Small- to medium-sized waves are easy to ride, so ego bruising is kept to a minimum. 

3. As surfing and SUPing - stand up paddle surfing - are fairly new pursuits, everyone's a kook. 

4. Bragging rights to friends back home about surfing in the desert under the Burj Al Arab. 

5. Dubai's beaches have sandy bottoms so no reef injuries. 

6. Unlike Australia, everything in the ocean is not specifically designed to kill you. 

7. You get to explain to everyone you meet that YES! Dubai does get waves! 

8. You might spot anything from turtles and dolphins to lads standing up paddleboarding in normal clothes. 

9. You can finally understand the meaning behind terms such as grommet, getting barreled, macker and kook. (surf slang for a young surfer, surfing in the hollow part of the wave formed by the top travelling faster than the bottom; a really big wave and someone who surfs badly). 

10. You get to meet fun and interesting people from across the world at the surf club.