I’ve just relocated to Abu Dhabi and I am a keen swimmer, but I’ve been unable to locate a competition-sized swimming pool in the city. All I’ve been able to find are small hotel pools, and they aren’t really big enough to practise my front crawl in. Please help.
Personally, we like to throw a beach ball around and playfully splash our friends when we’re taking a dip, but we completely understand that there are people who prefer doing serious lengths to playful tomfoolery.
In that case, there are two pools in the capital that any would-be Michael Phelps’s out there should check out. The first is an Olympic-sized facility at the Armed Forces Officers Club (02 441 5900) in Al Maqtaa. For adults, it will cost you Dhs100 per day, but if you’re planning to make swimming a regular activity, it will set you back Dhs3,600 a year.
If you don’t live near the Officers Club’s far-flung location, the alternative is the Al Jazira Sports Club (02 445 4445) on Muroor Road. As well as being the base of one of the UAE’s most silverware-laden football teams, the stadium houses a state-of-the-art pool that boasts a computer-controlled temperature system and underwater cameras, no less. To use the pool it will cost you Dhs300 for a month of unlimited access or Dhs2,700 for a year.
But now you’re living in Abu Dhabi, the toasty climate means you can hit the surrounding seas any time of the year without needing surgery to amputate your frostbitten fingers afterwards, plus saltwater is a lot less irritating on your eyes than chlorine.
Need proof of the joys of sea swimming? Head to the Abu Dhabi Swimming Festival, taking place at the Corniche waterfront on Saturday, October 16, when scores of the UAE’s best swimmers will be paddling for glory. And if the event gives you the buzz for dipping in the deep blue, the Abu Dhabi Tri Club organises regular swimming training sessions at various beaches around the city. It has a 1.5km loop for so-called beginners and 2.4km for serious Iron Man-level triathletes. Call the club organiser Russ Fraser (050 445 0964) or visit www.abudhabitriclub.org if you feel you can keep up with these hardcore swimmers. Remember, these guys are used to running and cycling great distances after the swim, so if you need arm bands to keep afloat, best to stick to splashing your mates in the hotel pool.
