ABU DHABI: If you had driven by some of Abu Dhabi’s more serene beaches in recent years, you would have spotted kite surfers above the Gulf’s blue waters. Kite Beach has long been a destination for the city’s watersports lovers.
And now, official endorsement has arrived. From Saturday, Oct. 25, until Sunday, Nov. 2, the Fahid Island Watersports Festival in Abu Dhabi hosts five disciplines in five official tour competitions.
Inaugurated on Thursday by Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamdan bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan, president of the UAE’s Sailing and Rowing Federation, the GKA Kite World Tour event is set to showcase the Hydrofoil Big Air World Cup for the duration of the festival.
In addition, the GKA Freestyle World Cup Abu Dhabi season opener takes place from Oct. 25-Nov. 2; the GWA Wingfoil World Tour is center stage from Oct. 28-Nov. 2; the SFT Surf Foil World Tour will crown its champions during the SFT E-Foil competition over Oct. 25-26; and the SFT Wake Foil will take place from Nov. 1-2.
For some, these disciplines will be familiar, but for many whose interest in watersports is only just being piqued, Tom Hartmann, GKA Kite World Tour’s manager, is keen to explain the different skills, and conditions, required. In short, freestyle and wingfoil require wind, while other disciplines can be mechanically driven.
He said: “At the moment, on the Kite Tour, we are really focusing on running the ‘Formula One’ level of the sport. So, it’s focused towards the top athletes. You need to qualify to be able to compete in the World Cup on the Kite Tour. We’re also running youth world championships that are more open. We just did one in Tarifa (Spain), where we see there is a big demand and a lot of people getting into it.
“On the other tours, in wingfoiling, basically it’s the same thing. You need to qualify to get into it. When it comes to the SFT, like the eFoil, wake foil, these very new disciplines, they’re not even wind-powered.”
These events are ideal for the less windy conditions across the Emirates.
“This is open to anybody,” Hartmann added. “So there we have a more, I would say, pro-amateur and professional approach. We are really focusing on getting a mix of top athletes as well as local people or, let’s say, intermediates to get into the events. We’re not trying to close that only to the pros.”
Hartmann says the popularity of SFT (Surf Foil World Tour) disciplines is highlighted by the fact that the organizers could not accommodate the number of entries applying for the Wing Foil World Tour.
He said: “In the beginning it got to a point where there was so much demand. We had 100, 120 people that wanted to compete in the event, which is not a problem. It’s nice and it’s great but it takes a very long time to finish.”
Having the likes of Emirati kitesurfer Mohammed Al-Mansoori taking part at Fahid Island, alongside the likes of wingfoil champion Kylie Belloeuvre and Abu Dhabi-born Polish national Fryderyk Szcesny, will help raise the profile of watersports among the local population, according to Hartmann.
He added: “I think that a lot of people assume that these kinds of sports are only suitable for a very limited number of locations. It’s true in a way, if you want to get to specialized wave riding, riding like three, four-meter waves, we’re talking about Hawaii and a handful of places that are suitable.
“But when it comes to hydrofoiling — flying above the water with super light winds or even with electric power — this opens it up to so many locations. I think that people need to start realizing that they can do these sports probably nearly anywhere there is water. They have the possibility to get in.
“Especially with the foiling disciplines, I can see wakeboarding, what Kylie is doing, we get more and more females getting into it because it's not as physical. You don’t need to be really strong to handle it.”
He said that young children of 7 or 8 years old are even taking up wingfoiling.
Hartmann said: “That really shows that it’s accessible for people to get into this. And then when it comes to eFoil, for example, where you don’t even need wind anymore, this is something where I see the UAE being one of the hot spots in the world, in my opinion, because you have a nice blue big ocean, not much wind in the mornings.”
While Europe’s beaches and lakes can often have many restrictions, Abu Dhabi’s have been very welcoming to Hartmann and the athletes.
He said: “Yes, it’s a paradise, I think, for these kinds of sports.”
Belloeuvre, 23, who first visited the UAE in 2023, calls Fahid Island, the new luxury development by Aldar Properties, “really impressive.”
She said: “It’s seldom that we arrive at a competition spot and that it’s so well organized. I can see that we will have plenty of spots to chill out and to relax between the races.
“It looks like it’s going to be really easy to actually handle your competition self. It’s something that we really have to care about, to be calm and relaxed whenever we're not on the water, just keeping relaxed and hydrated.
“At the same time, the conditions are looking really good. I was not even using my biggest gear yesterday (Wednesday), so we still have room for the wind to be lighter.”
Kite surfing and wingfoiling are, unlike some of the disciplines Hartmann mentioned, very much dependent on conditions. The more windy the weather, the smaller sails participants will use.
Belloeuvre said: “From what I see on the forecast it looks like it’s going to be really good. Honestly, it’s really interesting because these kinds of conditions are very technical. So, it’s going to be the best rider who’s going to get first place.”
Belloeuvre is keen to set an example to local youngsters perhaps unfamiliar with the nuances of different watersports.
She said: “I think having (interactions) with school kids, girls and boys, but girls especially, is really interesting because maybe they don’t even know the sport exists.
“You meet that person that makes you feel like, oh, maybe that’s their thing. And then you get to know the thing and you get better and then you even compete maybe. It makes a lot of sense with the Fahid Island project.
“I feel like showing people what watersports can be. Kiting and wingfoiling can be really, really useful for them as a hobby, as something that creates balance in your daily life. Especially because here it’s so warm. I live in France, so in winter having this as a part of my daily life gets trickier (there).
“But here, basically all year long, you could be doing watersports. If it’s not so windy, maybe you can see what the surfing, foiling tour is doing. Or even sub-foiling or wakeboarding, and just riding in general. It’s just such a special place to do it, I think.”
French wingfoiler Bastien Escofet echoes Belloeuvre’s views on the conditions in Abu Dhabi.
He said: “It is kind of on the lighter side, but the wind is pretty consistent. So, it’s lighter, but consistent. There’s less blows and gusts. So, it’s fairly nice to ride here. And, obviously, the water is really warm as well.
“It's always a pleasure to ride in warm water. I will ride on a bigger-size wind, which is like from, let’s say, 6 sq. meters to 7 sq. meters. It’s going to be a good race.”
Whatever the conditions, the 25-year-old is already enjoying the white sands of Fahid Island.
He added: “Of course, the beach is really nice. I mean, it’s an easy way out. It’s a good setup for setting up all your equipment and getting out. We have the mangroves on the side and it’s pretty beautiful as well. Blue water is always nice.”
