The Eighth Wonder of Freediving
Posted By Emma Farrell on 6 April 2007
Back from beach life in Dubai, the EDA (Emirates Diving Association), a government organisation, had invited me to speak about freediving at the Godolphin Ballroom at the EmiratesTowers. This was a chance to introduce the sport and some of the physiology to a wider audience and was extremely well received.
It wasn’t entirely work, work, work, as we managed to schedule in about four days for fun activities. One of these included a desert drive, which was amazing. Picked up in town in a 4x4, we headed out to the desert for dune bashing, where the cars drove in convoy up and down the dunes. It was on a nature reserve so the cars followed a specific route to hep protect the environment. We made stops at a camel farm to watch the sun go down and then on to a camp for a meal and belly dancing. The desert was so peaceful and beautiful that it was easy to appreciate why it holds people in its spell.
The other great treat was the Dubai Ladies Club. Built and owned by one of the daughters of the Sheikh, it houses a gym, restaurant, several pools, a beach, ‘personal development centre’ and a spa for ladies only. In a culture where many women are completely covered, this was a place for them to swim and exercise whilst still expressing their religious beliefs. For me, this was a place to be scrubbed from head to toe with Moroccan clay, showered off and then massaged with essential oils.
- Bookmark with :
- what are these?
