Posted by diva on April 8, 2012 at 10:07 am. Comments Off
Freedivers, triathletes, swimmers, or folks who just generally want somewhere to swim laps in Dubai and just cannot find a decent pool may be interested to know that the world class Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Sports Complex is now open to the general public.
The complex boasts a 50m competition pool, a 25m dive pool, and a 50m warm up pool with a horseshoe-shaped seating bowl in the main arena, which can accommodate 15,000 spectators. The depth on some of the pools is adjustable. Admission fees are just 20dhs for unlimited hours of swimming, and a medical fitness certificate must be produced to allow you to come and train. There is also a steam room and complete changing facilities.
It is a state of the art sports complex and the facility is kept immaculate.
The Sports complex is on the E611 (Dubai By-Pass Road). To get there, drive up Umm Suqueim Street, pass the Polo Club/Arabian Ranches right up to the E611 and take the turn-off to Abu Dhabi. You will come to an underpass signed posted for Bab Al Shams. There is also one sign for the sports complex before that. Take the underpass and then drive on E611 direction Dubai. You will see the sports complex looming up on the right. There is ample parking inside.
I would recommend you take your own water/refreshments as I could not see a facility for this just yet.
Posted by diva on April 1, 2012 at 10:15 pm. Comments Off
Photo: Yogasana
Recently I wrote an article for DeeperBlue.com about yoga for scuba divers. As an avid follower of Brittany Trubridge of B-Tru yoga in the Bahamas, I was browsing her website one day for new ideas and saw that she had gone into a commercial agreement with a company called Yogasana.
Yogasana manufacture 100% cotton yoga mats, in different colours. Not only are these mats hand-made on looms, but they are also “green”. Yogasana states that their mats are the most eco-friendly in the world. The cotton can be sourced back to their own mills, they use vegetables and fruits to dye the cotton and they are dried out naturally in the sun. So I ordered one.
It arrived this morning, and I as soon as I got home tonight I put on the Body Yoga DVD by Geri Halliwell into the desktop and lay down on the mat for an intense session of slow, but effective yoga. There is definitely something special about these mats. They feel good to the skin, and the feet and hands don’t slip. They have a natural warm scent, unlike the rubbery scent of other man-made synthetic materials of other mats. And amazingly, they actually good look as floor runners around the house.
The mat cost 65 USD to buy plus 6 USD in shipping to the UAE. I used ShopandShip.com to have it delivered which cost me an extra 137 AED. A fair deal I thought, for a product which is washable, long-lasting, and is versatile.
It is something every Diva in Dubai should have under the body when practising yoga, and definitely scattered around the home.
Posted by diva on March 23, 2012 at 11:32 am. Comments Off
Do you need to get away? Do you need to recharge your batteries, leave work behind, and spend time with the people that you love and appreciate? Does your idea of a short break include white sands, crystal clear water, palm trees and water villas?
If so, then maybe you should keep on reading. I am looking for a group of ladies that would like to take a break, go diving, or sailing, or snorkelling, and spend about five days in the Maldives doing just that. The destination will be Lux* Maldives , which is located on a beautiful island in South Ari Atoll with pristine white beaches facing a clear lagoon. This area is well know for resident whale sharks that cruise up and down the outside reef for about 280 days of the year. To read a fact sheet on this resort, please click here.
And if you are environmentally conscious, all stays at Lux* Resorts are 100% Carbon Neutral. LUX Island Resorts’ carbon offsetting programme ensures that each hotel stay is made 100% carbon neutral and this is being done at no supplementary cost to guests.
For a sneak preview, you can watch the video of Lux* Maldives on YouTube
Posted by diva on February 20, 2012 at 6:00 pm. Comments Off
The organisers just called DeeperBlue.com to announce a change of dates. They will be changing their website as well. They apologised for the very short notice but it cannot be helped.
Please note new dates:
27, 28, 29 February are training days at the pool.
1, 2, 3 March are the competition days.
Please also check the Fazza website for any updates.
Anyone who would like to sign up for a PADI Open Water Course can join onto the next available course. Please note that these timings are not flexible unless the weather conditions do not allow for diving.
If a student signs up and misses a lesson, she will have to wait for the next course running to catch up.
Anyone signing up for the Open Water course, has to complete the e-learning first. Anyone who has not completed the e-learning and exam online, will not be admitted to the course.
The fixed dates for the pool/open water lessons are as follows:
Confined Water Session 1-3- Tuesday 21st February – 16h00 – 19h00 at DLC pool
Confined Water Session 4-5 – Tuesday 28th February – 16h00 – 19h00 at DLC pool
Open Water Session 1 and2 – Saturday 10th March – Fujairah Al Aqah – check in dive centre at 0830. Finish time approximately 14h00.
Open Water Session 3 and 4 Saturday 17th March – Fujairah Al Aqah – check in dive centre at 08h30. Finish time approximately 14h00.
NOTE TO LADIES: this will be an all ladies boat, and a minimum of four ladies per trip are required to run the boat trip. The captain of the boat is male and this cannot be altered. Ladies are welcome to organise their own private boats at their own cost. There will be no discount from the regular course price in this case.
Please send an email through the Contact link if you would like to sign up.
Posted by diva on January 25, 2012 at 11:02 am. Comments Off
The last few weeks have seen very cold and windy conditions in the UAE. Unusually so! It has been a few years since I have experienced these cold winds. Soon it will be time to put the 5mm wetsuit away and enjoy warmer waters.
This year holds some exciting events for Freediving in the UAE. In April, Alexey Molchanov will be holding a freediving clinic, and later in the summer there will be some exciting new developments on the training side, with the introduction of some brand new courses which have not been offered in the UAE before. A press release will be issued shortly, with dates and details!
I will not be holding any official courses until early summer, as I will be focused on my own training to be ready for a busy summer season!
If you would like to learn to freedive, please drop me your details via the Contact Sheet and I will be in touch.
Posted by diva on November 22, 2011 at 8:56 pm. Comments Off
How about a freediving course as an early Christmas present? The weather in the UAE during the winter is perfect for diving and the water is fresh and cool.
The AIDA ** free diver course is an introduction into the thrilling world of Snorkelling and Freediving. It is a basic freediving course designed to cover the necessary skills and knowledge for a non-competitive recreational freediver to safely freedive with or without a guide line. It is aimed at students who are already confident snorkelling and freediving and who would like to increase their freediving depth range to a maximum of 3 ATA (20 metres).
Price of course 2430 AED and includes a viewing of William Trubridge’s latest documentary called Breathe which is a 36 minute overview on William’s success as a world champion freediver.
My courses are for a maximum of 4 people at a time so you will not be in a crowd of people. The course is structured similarly to a scuba diving entry level course, where you will do theory first, then a pool session, and then we go to the open sea. There is a buoy attached to the dive boat, with a line that drops down from it, which we use a guide and reference to practice your freediving technique.
Course schedule:
Theory – 20th December from 17h00 – 21h00
Pool session – 21st December from 1600 to 20h00
and then all day on 22nd December in Fujairah (sea session and exam/theory refresher)
Posted by diva on October 25, 2011 at 7:44 pm. Comments Off
The AIDA ** free diver course is an introduction into the thrilling world of Snorkelling and Freediving. It is a basic freediving course designed to cover the necessary skills and knowledge for a non-competitive recreational freediver to safely freedive with or without a guide line. It is aimed at students who are already confident snorkelling and freediving and who would like to increase their freediving depth range to a maximum of 3 ATA (20 metres).
Price of course 1950 AED – and includes a viewing of William Trubridge’s latest documentary called Breathe which is a 36 minute overview on William’s success as a world champion freediver.
My courses are for a maximum of 4 people at a time so you will not be in a crowd of people. The course is structured similarly to a scuba diving entry level course, where you will do theory first, then a pool session, and then we go to the open sea. There is a buoy attached to the dive boat, with a line that drops down from it, which we use a guide and reference to practice your freediving technique.
I will teach you how to dive holding your breath safely and efficiently, and include rescue and safety techniques in the course. The 2 star course covers pool freediving disciplines (static and dynamic apnea) and the constant weight discipline and free immersion disciplines in the sea.
Tuesday 15th November 2011: 18h00- 21h00 – theory in Al Boom diving centre in Dubai
Thursday 17th November pool session – 18h00 – 20h30 Al Boom diving centre in Dubai
Saturday 19th November 2011: 08h00 – 16h00 sea dives (boat leaves from Le Meridien Al Aqah Resort in Fujairah)
To book you will need to email Al Boom diving directly as they take the bookings for me and will also take a credit card number to guarantee your place, note that there is a cancellation policy.
Please ask for Sonia if you call or alternatively email her on abdiving@emirates.net.ae.
Certified freedivers can join on the 18 November to come and train in the sea.
Posted by diva on September 24, 2011 at 4:32 pm. Comments Off
Boat trip on Saturday 1st October, usual rules!
Boat departs 0900 and returns at 1400. Max 16 spots, 4 spots taken.
To book please email Sonia at Al Boom abdiving@emirates.net.ae and let me know please sara@divasindubai.com.
Price 280dhs per person.
Minimum certification required is AIDA 2 Star Freediver, please bring your certification card.
Depth limit 20 metres for two star level unless proven experience is demonstrated
Depth limit 30 metres, for three star level
Depth limit 35 metres, for four star level and above only.
Only Constant Weight or Free Immersion dives allowed, with/without fins. No VWT or NLT.
