The water itself, and whether to get in it
Where the swim stops are, what the sea is actually like off this coast, and the question everybody asks and nobody wants to ask out loud.
The swim stop is the reason most people move from a two-hour charter to a three-hour one, and it happens in the sheltered water inside the Palm's crescent rather than in open sea. That water is flat in almost any weather, which is what makes forty minutes at anchor pleasant rather than a fight with the swell.
The sea here runs from about 21°C in February to about 34°C in August. Neither end stops people getting in; the cold end shortens the stop and the warm end means the swim is a change of scene rather than a way to cool down. Snorkels, floats and a swim ladder are aboard on every charter at no extra cost.
Two questions come up on every trip and both have straightforward answers. The water quality off Dubai is monitored and the beaches along this coast are consistently rated safe for bathing. And yes, there are sharks in the Gulf — small, reef-dwelling and uninterested, with no recorded unprovoked attack on this coastline.
9 minute read
The best places to swim in Dubai
The best place to swim in Dubai depends on what you want from it: Kite Beach and Umm Suqeim for facilities, Al Mamzar for quiet, and Umm Suqeim 1 for night swimming, which is lit and lifeguarded until midnight.
9 minute read
How safe the sea is to swim in off Dubai
Yes, it is safe to swim in the sea in Dubai.
9 minute read
Are there sharks in the sea off Dubai?
Yes, but not the ones people mean.
8 minute read
Dubai beaches in winter: which one, and when
The best of the Dubai beaches in winter are Kite Beach for space and watersports, JBR for everything within walking distance, Umm Suqeim for the Burj Al Arab view, and La Mer for shade and shallow water with children.
Questions people ask
Is the swim stop included, or does it cost extra?
Included on every charter long enough to make one, at no extra charge, along with the snorkels, floats and swim ladder. The only thing it costs is time: anchoring, swimming and getting everyone back aboard takes about forty minutes, which is why it needs a three-hour charter rather than a two.
Do you need to be a strong swimmer to get in?
No. The boat anchors in sheltered water, life jackets and floats are aboard for anyone who wants them, and the swim ladder goes down to below the waterline so getting back on is a step rather than a haul. Plenty of people get in holding a float and never let go of it.
Can you swim off a boat anywhere along the Dubai coast?
Not anywhere. Swimming is not permitted inside the Marina channel, in shipping lanes, or within the exclusion zones around the ports and some hotel frontages. The captain picks the stop, and inside the Palm crescent is where it almost always lands.
Palm Jumeirah boat and yacht tours
A Palm Jumeirah boat tour runs about three hours from Dubai Marina and costs from AED 2,250 for a boat carrying twelve. You get the Atlantis frontage, the length of the crescent, and the sheltered water behind it, which is the best swim stop on this stretch of coast.
The rest of the library
Seven more groups of guides, each answering a different part of the same day.
- Choosing and bookingWhat to ask for, what a real quote looks like, and how the booking actually works from the first message to the pontoon. Start here if you have not chartered before.
- What it costsRates, minimums, what is inside the hourly price and what is not. Every figure here comes from the same rate card the booking pages use.
- On boardWhat to wear, what to bring, who can come and what the hours actually feel like. The questions crews here get asked most, answered by the people who get asked them.
- Season and weatherDubai's charter season runs October to April, and the rest of the year is a question of timing rather than a closed door. What each month is actually like.
- Dubai MarinaEvery charter here boards in Dubai Marina, so it is worth knowing the place properly: where to park, where to walk, where to eat, and how it fits against JBR and Bluewaters.
- The coastlineThe Palm, the World Islands, the Burj Al Arab and how close a boat really gets to each. What is worth the fuel and what looks better from land.
- Dubai after darkThe Creek, Al Seef and the skyline are all different places at night, and most of the water here is better after six. Where to be, and when.
Tell us when, and we will tell you what is free.
Weekends and sunset slots go first between October and April. Leave the date and the headcount below, or message us on WhatsApp. If your date is close, WhatsApp is quicker than any form.
- No deposit to enquire
- A reply within a couple of hours
- Licensed boats, licensed crew, price all-in
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