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01.2013_What’s On_89 S o there I am, on stage at Columbia University collecting my Pulitzer Prize for journalism. I can see my mum in the crowd weeping with joy while presidents and prime ministers congratulate me for restoring the fourth estate back to its former glory. And then, beep. Beep. Beep – my relentless alarm clock rips me from my dreams, reminding me that it is 6.45am, I’m not on stage, I’m in my bed and it’s Friday morning. Normally, the strategy is to hurl the alarm across the room and roll over, but today I leap out of bed, pull open the curtains and squeal at the thick blanket of grey clouds overhead. It’s going to rain. Generally, like most of us in the UAE, I am not a fan of rain – the lack of it is partly what convinces hoards of people to move here. But today is different; today I am going surfing. Getting Started “You look like you’ve just woken up,” laughs Mari, one of the owners of Surf School UAE, as I arrive at Umm Suqeim Beach bleary-eyed and wrapped up in a hoodie. “The weather is perfect for it this morning,” she continues in her unmistakable South African twang. You see, as I found out a couple of days before, when everyone else takes cover from the wind and rain, surfers drop what they are doing and make a beeline straight to the beach. As a rule of thumb: the worse the weather, the bigger the waves. I join a group of five other SPORT // FOCUS ON... ACTIVE Surfing Our man Matt tackles one of the oldest extreme sports – surfing newbies, each of us taking turns denying that we have any previous experience. Our instructor, Abdel (who I’m told is a bit of a surfing legend in his native Philippines) assigns us our boards and starts going over the basics – stressing that safety for yourself and others are paramount when you are in the water. Then, after drawing an outline of a board in the sand, Abdel teaches us what we will need to do to catch a wave, and most importantly, how to standup. If it’s as easy as he says, this’ll be a cakewalk, I think to myself. Into The Water The first thing that hits me, quite literally, is a barrage of waves – each one knocking me back to the same spot I was just in. Evidently it isn’t that easy getting out past the breakers while strapped to a nine-foot surfboard. After the struggle of which come with experience – and after my tenth spectacular wipe out, I seem to be learning every which way not to do it. Standing Up Tired and starting to get a bit frustrated by my lack of success, I decide to focus all my energy on waiting for the perfect wave. It feels like hours (more like minutes) pass as I lie belly down on my board floating over the top of waves. And then, I spy one. A big ’un. It’s 10m away, and by the looks of it it’ll break exactly where I am bobbing. I turn, start paddling like a mad man and as soon as I feel the wave taking me, I steady myself, lift my body up and shift my feet underneath me, popping up onto the board. It works. I’m riding it. Suddenly, I’m king of the waves. Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach, Umm Sequim 2, Dubai, daily, Dhs125 for 90mins. Tel: (04) 3990989. Taxi: Al Thanya Street. surfschooluae.com Knackering, but totally brilliant. It’s definitely worth persisting until you get it right – standing up on a surfboard has to be one of the best feelings in sport. getting behind enemy lines, one of my fellow novices makes the astute observation that “the waves look a lot smaller from the shore.” I couldn’t agree more. There are a lot of elements to consider in the water. Firstly, picking the right wave; then, knowing when to paddle, and lastly how to maintain your balance long enough to be able to leap up to your feet – all of THE VERDICT 89 A_dangerMatt_surfing.indd 89 12/23/12 4:42 PM

Surfing UAE

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What's On – January 2013

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01.2013_What’s On_89

So there I am, on stage at Columbia University collecting my Pulitzer Prize for

journalism. I can see my mum in the crowd weeping with joy while presidents and prime ministers congratulate me for restoring the fourth estate back to its former glory. And then, beep. Beep. Beep – my relentless alarm clock rips me from my dreams, reminding me that it is 6.45am, I’m not on stage, I’m in my bed and it’s Friday morning.

Normally, the strategy is to hurl the alarm across the room and roll over, but today I leap out of bed, pull open the curtains and squeal at the thick blanket of grey clouds overhead. It’s going to rain.

Generally, like most of us in the UAE, I am not a fan of rain – the lack of it is partly what convinces hoards of people to move here. But today is di�erent; today I am going surfing.

Getting Started“You look like you’ve just woken up,” laughs Mari, one of the owners of Surf School UAE, as I arrive at Umm Suqeim Beach bleary-eyed and wrapped up in a hoodie. “The weather is perfect for it this morning,” she continues in her unmistakable South African twang. You see, as I found out a couple of days before, when everyone else takes cover from the wind and rain, surfers drop what they are doing and make a beeline straight to the beach. As a rule of thumb: the worse the weather, the bigger the waves.

I join a group of five other

SPORT // FOCUS ON...

A C T I V E

SurfingOur man Matt tackles one of the oldest extreme sports – surfing

newbies, each of us taking turns denying that we have any previous experience. Our instructor, Abdel (who I’m told is a bit of a surfing legend in his native Philippines) assigns us our boards and starts going over the basics – stressing that safety for yourself and others are paramount when you are in the water.

Then, after drawing an outline of a board in the sand, Abdel teaches us what we will need to do to catch a wave, and most importantly, how to standup. If it’s as easy as he says, this’ll be a cakewalk, I think to myself.

Into The WaterThe first thing that hits me, quite literally, is a barrage of waves – each one knocking me back to the same spot I was just in. Evidently it isn’t that easy getting out past the breakers while strapped to a nine-foot surfboard. After the struggle of

which come with experience – and after my tenth spectacular wipe out, I seem to be learning every which way not to do it.

Standing UpTired and starting to get a bit frustrated by my lack of success, I decide to focus all my energy on waiting for the perfect wave. It feels like hours (more like minutes) pass as I lie belly down on my board floating over the top of waves. And then, I spy one. A big ’un. It’s 10m away, and by the looks of it it’ll break exactly where I am bobbing. I turn, start paddling like a mad man and as soon as I feel the wave taking me, I steady myself, lift my body up and shift my feet underneath me, popping up onto the board. It works. I’m riding it. Suddenly, I’m king of the waves.

Surf School UAE, Umm Suqeim Beach, Umm Sequim 2, Dubai, daily, Dhs125 for 90mins. Tel: (04) 3990989. Taxi: Al Thanya Street. surfschooluae.com

Knackering, but totally brilliant. It’s definitely worth persisting until you get it right – standing up on a surfboard has to be one of the best feelings in sport.

getting behind enemy lines, one of my fellow novices makes the astute observation that “the waves look a lot smaller from the shore.” I couldn’t agree more.

There are a lot of elements to consider in the water. Firstly, picking the right wave; then, knowing when to paddle, and lastly how to maintain your balance long enough to be able to leap up to your feet – all of

THE VERDICT

89 A_dangerMatt_surfing.indd 89 12/23/12 4:42 PM