Traditional boat-racing

In the traditional arena, long-boat races, although the boats are not quite as long as in the past, create an impressive picture as their tightly-packed crews labour at their oars, propelling their svelte boats through calm inshore waters under the appreciative gaze of spectators.

Traditional sailing races are held at regular intervals during the period October April. Majestic wooden dhows assemble at the start line, evoking the customs and traditions of a bygone era. Competition is intense and great attention is paid to the preparation of the boats and their massive rigs. One major sailing event is the Mubarraz Island marine sports festival, held in December and organized under the auspices of Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Maktoum as part of their efforts to promote the country's marine sports heritage. Eighty 60-foot boats from all over the country participated in the Dh 6 million 1998 race held over a 55-nautical mile course. It was decided that as from 1998 the number of  nationals in each boat would be 50 per cent, to be increased gradually to 100 per cent by 2001. In May 1999, 157 43-foot boats manned by 1,500 crew took part in the Al Dabb’iyya sailing race,

 finishing at the Abu Dhabi Corniche break water. In accordance with the traditional nature of the event, the race was preceded by the national anthem followed by folk dance and songs presented by local heritage troupes. Al Sarab owned by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan came in first , winning a cash prize, a gold model of a boat and a vehicle.

Modern racing

Modern sailboat races are also staged throughout the country, both at a local and international level. Races are held in dinghies such as Lasers, Optimists, Toppers and Kestrels, together with their faster and more exciting multi-hulled counterparts, the Hobie Cats. Larger sailing vessels are also catered for with a number of offshore races. In October 1998 the UAE national sailing team competing abroad for the first time, won the Laser Class championship at the Alexandria Sailing Regatta. The UAE team was Robert Carver, Aqil Ismail, Ali Essa, Sultan Hareb and Abdulla Mubarak.

Powerboat-racing

Powerboat-racing has an extremely strong following in the UAE, especially since national teams, competing both at home and abroad have achieved world-prominence in this sport. As is usual each year the final round of the Formula One World Championship was held at the Corniche breakwater on 2 and 3 December, along the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Water Festival 'Gulf Aqua '98'. Over 26 participants from 13 countries competed for the coveted 1998 World Champion title. However, following the retirement of Humaid Bakhit in 1997, the UAE we re unable to field a team. This was remedied in 1999 when ADIMSC recruited the American Scott Gillman, the 1997 World Champion.

Gillman, who also trains the UAE ’s Formula Two and Four teams, had a number of wins during the season on the international circuit. The UAE's Dubai-based, world-famous Victory Team, including Khalfan Harib and Mohamed Al Ghaith, Saeed Al Tayer and Felix Seralles, and Ali Nasser and Randy Scism, also had many successes in the heats leading up to the UIM Class One World Offshore Championship which is held each December in Dubai. Harib was Class One World Champion in 1993 and twice winner of the Class Two title. The only two-man team to have won more Class One titles are fellow Victory Team stars Saeed Al Tayer and Felix Serralles who have won 11 races. In September Nasser and Scism were confirmed as the 1999 UIM Class One European Champions and were well ahead in the World Championships.

Jetskiing

Jet skiing, are natively new sport, is another marine activity at which the UAE excels internationally. The UAE's Nader bin Hindi performed extremely well in the 1999 UIM Pro Class European Open 1,200 cc Championship. Bin Hindi was first crowned the runabout world champion in December 1995. The following year he repeated his success by taking the world title in the 785cc Jet Class.

Diving and snorkeling

Today the same UAE waters that attracted the pearl divers of old continue to draw large numbers of residents and tourists beneath their surface, but for very different reasons: sport-diving is extremely popular in the UAE and there are numerous clubs and dive centers throughout the country, many specializing in PADI courses.