Have a gander at this thread:

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=61322

Thanks heaps for the reply's, while not the news I wanted to hear, still appreciated. I think I will save my baggage allowance and not pack the kite gear.

Steve

Hi,

I spent 3 years there recently and came back to Oz because of the lack of wind. The great beaches have been bulldozed and in Dubai there is only Wollongong/Jumeirah Beach next to the Burj Al Arab Hotel. Some kiters have moved to Ajman beach further north. Abu Dhabi, 2 hours south, has better winds and some good islands to kite from.

Average wind 10 -15 knot seabreezes Feb - Oct with the odd sharmal ( desert wind) blowing 25 knots but offshore. The sea water is too hot for a good seabreeze to happen. The best winds happen from Feb to May although rarely over 15 knots. When the wind did increase to 20 knots many were unprepared because they didn't have small enough kites.

Most kite sizes there are 13m - 20m, flysurfers abundant, big boards (e.g. Doors).

Be prepared to sit on the beach for hours in order to catch half an hour of wind, from April to November, in 45 C degrees, 90% humidity and sea temp about 37 C.

I did this for 3 years and the learning curve was very long due to the marginal conditions but the guys who live there are addicts and kite when they can.

When you decide to go let me know and I'll give you names of people you can contact, or make yourself known to when you do down to Wollongong Beach. Also get on to www.dubaikiteforum.com

SC99,
I attempted to go kiting there late August 09, with no luck. Barely any wind and water temps fo 27C+! In conversation with the locals they all suggested to hit the Omani coast which is not too long a drive. So if you have a weekend free that is my suggestion, unless you like hypersaline swims! Also make sure you check with the locals on the regulations. In the middle east they can be highly sensitive of where and how you access the water, and a little bit of cash doesn't go astray to avoiding international incidents.