The most famous photo of a Dubai holiday is a jet ski in front of Burj Al Arab, and it is easier to get than it looks: no licence, a ten-minute briefing, and a guide who leads you along the coast at a pace the group is happy with. Tours run from Dubai Marina and Jumeirah, from thirty minutes to two hours.
Around the jet skis has grown every other water sport the coast can hold: flyboarding, where a water jet lifts you above the sea; parasailing over JBR beach; wakeboarding and water-skiing behind a speedboat; and for a calmer morning, kayaking and paddleboarding along the Palm or in the Marina.
The pages below cover what each sport costs, what a jet ski tour is like, and the safety rules that matter, including the one that catches visitors out: the coastguard's speed and distance limits.