The emirate's 270 registered kite-surfers will have to continue to battle it out for space on the tiny 200-metre strip of beach they are officially allowed to use for practice.
A kite-surfer prepares for take off on Jumeirah beach. ©Gulf News |
Sid Bin Saleh, sailing manager at Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), said overcrowding is an issue. "We are facing a problem. It's a small beach and it can't take a lot of riders. We've had conversations with the municipality for the use of other beaches."
Two years ago, the municipality banned kite-surfers from most of the city's beaches because of safety concerns. The club received permission for kite-surfers to go to Wollongong and Palace beaches and set up the Dubai Kite Club.
All kite-surfers must be members, take out third-party insurance and produce a medical certificate proving their physical fitness.
The kite-surfers, however, were later denied access to Palace beach.
Chris Doerfel, a kite-surfer and a partner in Kitepeople, a business that teaches kite-surfing and sells equipment, said: "Our areas become smaller as the number of kite-surfers increases. On good days, you used to see 35 at Palace and 40 at Wollongong."
Doerfel said the municipality ban is unfair because it only applies to kite-surfers and not to jet skis, which they argue are dangerous to swimmers and pollute the water.
Doerfel said his company asked the municipality if it could rent a piece of land and set-up a hut on the beach where a qualified instructor could provide assistance as well as rescue-service operations.
Doerfel's company has yet to receive a response. "We need to have more interaction because kite-surfing attracts the public to come and watch. We want to make sure officials can teach and look after the beach area. We need two beaches."
Hamdan Al Shair, the director of the municipality's environment department, said the city does not have enough coastline.
"We received a request from a commercial company and we turned it down. Dubai can't be parcelling out its beaches to private companies. Beaches are for everybody. Dubai has only 40 kilometres of beach."
Pressed on the issue of overcrowding, Al Shair said: "If we receive a request from DIMC, or a formal or official body, then we'll study it with the planning department and see if we can do it, according to the plans and conditions we have. We try to find solutions. But (Wollongong) is there and whoever wants to use it can use it."
Al Shair also defended the municipality against accusations of favouritism towards jet skiers. "Registration for jet skiers has not been an issue for a while. But those who have registered can go to Jumeirah, Al Khor or Mamzar."
Bin Saleh sees the situation as the only acceptable solution. "The municipality has been very cooperative. Dubai is a big construction site and there aren't enough beaches. Unfortunately, there aren't many options. Either stop (the sport entirely) or practise it with restrictions.
"This situation does have its weaknesses - it cannot absorb the numbers out there. We are requesting the beach between the Sheraton and Hilton hotels, or the Jebel Ali beach."
Doerfel said the beach can accommodate all, pointing to Palace or Jebel Ali beaches as good secondary locations.
"If you set it up in certain areas, swimmers and kite-surfers would have no problem, if authorities could explain to people not to swim in kite-surfing areas. We even asked if we could also use the Jebel Ali beach, but we were turned down for environmental reasons - but there's no environmental issue."
Meanwhile, both Bin Saleh and Doerfel agree Dubai could be a tourist attraction for kite-surfers. "This city could also be a stop over for the kite-surfer's world tour, which visits around seven countries," Doerfel said.
Bin Saleh said: "The UAE has the best sailing conditions of any GCC country... It's marketed through Dubai Tourism, which has photographs of kite-surfers close to the Burj."
Right now, kite-surfers are illegally resolving the crowding problem by using the Jebel Ali beach. Although not an authorised place, "officials turn a blind eye to us there. It's informally accepted," says George Sfeir, a long-time surfer.
| RIDING HIGH Essential tips for kite surfers |
| * Take lessons from a qualified instructor with the International Kite Boarding Organisation. |
| * Obtain a medical certificate proving your are physically fit. |
| * Register with the Dubai Kite Club at the Dubai International Marine Club. |
| * Obtain third-party insurance. |
| * Inexperienced riders should stay clear of experienced riders. |
| * Kite-surfers not riding should help those who are taking off or landing. |
| * Try to stay away from the shore. |
| * Practice jumps at least 50 metres from the shore. |
| * Kite-surfers taking off on the beach get right-of-way over those already in the water. Also, the use of a life jacket and helmet is recommended. |
| Safety information |
| Ninety people have been killed while kite-surfing around the world, but the UAE has no reported deaths. The sport's reputation as a dangerous endeavour began when people built kite-surfing equipment that did not address safety concerns. Today, kite-surfing equipment is safe. |
