The UAE tub “is the first to break through the pro surf world’s skepticism about man-made waves”.
The esteemed-ish bi-weekly Time magazine, most infamous, I think, for choosing the Austrian painter turned activist politician Adolf Hitler as its man of the year in 1938 and including Evelyn Waugh, your ol pal DR’s fav author as it happens, among a list of the best gal writers in history, has listed Surf Abu Dhabi as “one of the greatest places of 2026.”
It’s a heady call, but according to Time’s Nicola Chilton, a Dubai-based freelancer who specialises in luxury travel, the UAE tub “is the first to break through the pro surf world’s skepticism about man-made waves”.
As well, Time says climate change, formerly called global warming if you’ll remember, will soon render many of the world’s best waves unsurfable.
“As advances in wave tech and surfing’s 2021 Olympic debut have fueled the global rise of surf pools, natural waves have become less predictable—a trend likely to continue, due to climate change.
“’Some studies suggest that waves will become more powerful in parts of the world and less powerful in others,” says Dr. Chad Nelsen, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation. ‘To date, that has not dramatically impacted surf competitions, but climate change is also causing increased sea level rise and is impacting the health of ocean ecosystems, like coral reefs, and that will likely impact surf spots around the globe.’ In Abu Dhabi however, the surf will always be up.”
Also included in the list of “greatest places of 2026” are Disney Destiny, the Okana Resort and Indoor Waterpark in Oklahoma and the wonderful Sea Sea Hotel in Crescent Head, Australia.