Jeddah's climate provides a perfect opportunity to take advantage of sporting and recreational activities all year round and the choice is extensive - swimming, football, tennis, squash, volleyball, basketball, baseball, netball, sailing, diving, golf, weight lifting, wrestling, fitness training, aerobics and so on. Some are organised by volunteers, others at impressive sports clubs with the latest equipment and modern facilities; however, these tend to be for men only. See the listings in the White Pages and telephone in advance as rules of admission may change.
So - why not take up a new
sport or return to an old favourite - take your pick from the following:
Aerobics
The benefits of aerobic
exercise taken two or three times a week are well known but motivation
continues to be harder for some than the actual exercise!
If you are on one of the larger compounds, it is probably a regular
fixture of the activities list. If
it is not readily available where you live then try the listings in the White
Pages, for example the GNP Hospital offers aerobics classes in its Health Club
- telephone 682 3200 ext 532. Word
of mouth should put you in touch with the personal trainers that are available
in Jeddah.
Baseball
The Jeddah Youth Baseball
League (JYBL) is run solely by volunteers for children between the ages of 5
and 15 - for the 2000/2001 season, children must be 5 by 31 December 2000.
At least one parent of participating children is expected to get
involved with the running of the league, either by coaching, concession stand
duties, score keeping and other necessary functions to ensure a safe and
successful season. For further
information please call Paul Mangini, President on 691 5380 ext 2078 or Bob
Des Rosiers, Vice President on 682 0030 ext 6257.
Basketball
An exceedingly popular sport
in Jeddah, with around 30 teams representing companies, hotels, restaurants
and supermarkets competing in various leagues.
There are major tournaments held each year running from March/April to
June/July and August/September to December of each year.
For the Philipino Basketball Association, in which all nationalities
are welcome to participate, contact Gil Manese on 669 0494 or Hernan Huerto
685 5555 ext 3500. For
information on the Al Ittihad League, contact Mar Marzo on 674 0437 or Boy
Teves on 647 5047.
Billiards/Snooker
Another popular pastime, with
many billiards halls around Jeddah. The
Corniche Market Billiards Club on the first floor of Corniche Markets, next to
the NCB building in Balad, organises an annual tournament - contact them on
642 6563 for further information.
Boating/Jet
Skiing/Wet Bikes
See
also Sailing
There are strict controls
regarding licensing of boats by the Coast Guard - check with the marinas for
up-to-date advice. They can also
offer mooring and storage facilities as well as boat servicing and chandlery
services - see the relevant section in the White Pages for details.
Body
Building
For those after the
muscle-bound, Hercules shape, then serious workouts at the gyms will be
required. King
Fahd Coastal City (Tel: 651 1444 or 651 1717) has one of the largest gyms in the city as does Al
Ahli Sports Club (Tel: 672 4364) - both are only open to men.
Alternatively, most of the five star hotels have weights gyms that are
open to non-residents.
Bowling
There are a number of bowling
centres in Jeddah - the Jeddah Bowling
Centre (K5) is located north east of the junction of Madinah Road with
Sary Street. It offers 24 AMF
lanes, pool tables, video games, cafeteria and pro shop and is open seven days
a week to members and non-members. Mornings
are reserved for ladies and evenings are men only.
Special rates are available for children's parties and corporate
functions. For more information,
telephone 691 7206 or fax on 691 6473.
GR
Bowling (O6)
in Mosadia Plaza on Madinah Road has an extensive range of facilities.
Aside from the 12 bowling lanes, equipped with the latest automated
technology, there is an internet café, pool tables, air hockey, a burger bar,
hot dog stand, ice cream bar and more. Tel: 669 0343, 669 0347, 642 4415, 642
4483.
Marriott
Bowling Centre (O4) is a two lane bowling alley in the Marriott
Hotel with an exclusive atmosphere! The
venue can be booked for private parties with the catering supplied by the
Marriott team. Tel: 661 4000.
King Fahd Coastal City provides competitive and
recreational bowling to members and guests, amongst its many other facilities.
It has 12 AMF lanes with specialist coaching if required - this venue
is only open to men. Tel: 651
1717.
Chess
The
earliest form of this game can be traced back to around the 2nd
Century AD in India, before it spread to Russia, China, Japan and Iran.
The first official world championships were recognised in 1886.
The Jeddah Chess Association is slightly younger than that but
organises several tournaments a year, with practice sessions every Thursday
evening. Contact Rick Amper on 665 4443 ext 25 or Pong Mandap on 660
0296 for further information.
Cricket
There
is an active National Cricket League that runs several different tournaments
each year including seven a side, summer league, knock out, double wicket
championship and, subject to interest, an Inter-City tournament.
For more details contact Sadeq ul Islam Tel: 683 3172 or 654 7052 Fax:
697 8756.
Diving
"The
Red Sea is the stuff of legend for most divers.
It is the epitome of all that is enticing and fascinating about
tropical reefs, with fabulous coral walls and gardens stocked with mythically
beautiful sea life" - so says Guy Buckles in "The Dive Sites of the
Red Sea", much better than I could.
Residents of Jeddah are blessed with their proximity to what is almost
their own private reef, acknowledged by experts to be second in stature only
to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia.
What
is an exciting and exhilarating sport can be very dangerous - you must be
properly trained and in possession of a diver's licence. To get your basic diver's licence you need to complete a
course of approximately 15 lessons, taken with a qualified PADI, PDIC, or BSAC
instructor - these courses include written and practical tests.
Once you are issued with your Open Water Certificate and Certification
Card, you are free to explore all the Red Sea has to offer, with your 'Buddy'.
For
referral to an instructor try the dive shops, either at their various beach
club locations such as Al Nakheel, Al Bilad and the Sheraton Beach Club; or,
there are a number of dive shops in and around the Bugshan Centre, near the
Sands Hotel, behind Tahlia Street - Durrah
Dive, Arab Circumnavigator and Red Sea Divers.
You may however prefer a personal recommendation - you need to be able
to trust someone that is going to tell you to take your mask off and remove
your regulator 30 feet below the surface!
You should expect to pay between SR1000-1500 for your Open Water
course, depending on whether rental of equipment is included.
Once
you've passed your first course the temptation to buy new equipment might be
overwhelming! For the first
couple of dives afterward, you should perhaps continue to rent equipment, just
in case you are not as passionate about the sport as first imagined.
Once you are ready to part with your hard earned, the dive shops will
be more than happy to help. There
is also a vibrant second hand market in dive equipment - if you live on a
compound check out the notice boards - the dive shops also carry advertising
for second hand equipment. When
you buy vital equipment secondhand such as tanks, regulators and BCDs though -
you must get them checked and serviced by a reputable dive shop.
When
you've got the hang of it, a boat dive is a must and can be arranged through
the dive shops - Durrah Dive Centre, based at Durrat Al Arus, has a very
organised schedule. It operates
the Lady Durrah, a 46ft Newton dive boat that seats up to 30 divers from the
exclusive Durrah Marina. Beach
dives are also available. Contact
Capt Victor Organ for more information on Tel: 221 2707 or 221 2708 Fax: 661
2140 or email at [email protected].
Weekend
dive packages are also available through the Al Bilad Hotel and its private
beach club Tel: 694 4777.
For more information on diving in the Red Sea, see Saudi Diving - 177 pages packed with information, photographs and contacts.
One
final word - there are numerous books to buy on diving from bookshops and
hotel lobbies in Jeddah but one in particular is called 'Red Sea Safety' by
Peter Vine. Without being the
voice of doom and gloom, it highlights which inhabitants of the underwater
world to avoid, no matter how beautiful they may look!
Fishing
At dawn and dusk, a favourite
local past-time is shore fishing - you can see the fishermen, professional and
amateur, on the pavement and terraces of the North Corniche, or knee deep in
water along the wilds of the South Corniche, each with their rod and line,
using shrimp as bait.
An alternative 'getting away
from it all' or 'boy's day out from the office' is an early morning fishing
trip on the Nawrus, the sports
fishing boat of Andalus Playa Marina, which can carry four fisherman plus your
skipper. Contact Mohammed Din on
699 2174 ext 300 or ext 257 for booking.
Football/Soccer
The once thriving Jeddah
Football Club is sadly dormant due to lack of participants - if anyone wants
to take up the baton, or should that be football
….
Golf
Not something you would
readily associate with the desert, one of the few all grass golf courses in
the Kingdom, and the only one in the Western Province, is to be found at
Durrah Golf Course & Academy at Durrat Al Arus, just north of Jeddah.
Set in a beautiful location, where the views of the sunsets can really
make you take your eye off the ball, the course has been designed to present a
challenge to golfers with a bonafide handicap.
The nine holes can be converted into 18 by using the alternate tee
position at each hole.
A Golf Academy is available
for those wishing to learn or just brush up on their swing and general golfing
skills. A Pro Shop is located in
the club house where there are changing rooms, a recreation area, a restaurant
and cafeteria and golf buggy hire centre.
Membership of Durrah Golf Course is available in a variety of single,
family or corporate packages. For
more information call Geoff Robertshaw on Tel: 618 1665 or Fax: 618 1664.
More in keeping with the
surroundings and possibly more adventurous, are two other golf courses in
Jeddah - firstly Desert Lakes - a sand and oil course north of the airport.
Very popular with those filled with the pioneering spirit and who enjoy
the unusual experience of carrying matting to tee off from and playing on sand
fairways and 'browns'! Tel:
The second interesting golf
course is at Trio Ranch Country Club,
east of the Makkah-Madinah Expressway. Members
and non-members can play on the nine hole golf course, par 3 golf course with
green greens! Telephone 669 5129 or fax 669 4896 for details.
Horse
Riding
Facilities for horse riding
are expanding as the interest in this activity grows, under the auspices of
the Equestrian Council of Jeddah.
Established in 1993 with the main aims of implementing and developing
equestrian activities in the Kingdom and encouraging the breeding of Arabian
horses. An equestrian centre is
currently under construction on the Corniche, south of the Inter-continental
which promises to be impressive in its size and facilities.
Arabic speakers may telephone 671 8975 / 670 3685 / 671 8714 for
further information.
The Arabian
Horse Centre is a private stable, 15 minutes from the Briman junction on
the Makkah-Madinah expressway, which offers English-style riding instruction
by qualified instructors for families and children. Livery with personal attention is also available and cross
country rides and desert riding are available on request.
Telephone 691 8810 ext172 or 055 671934 for further information.
Mersal
Village
has an equestrian club and can arrange riding lessons by appointment.
Telephone 225 0003.
Trio
Ranch Country Club offers private individual lessons, half private
(two riders), group (three riders and more), riding without instructor and
pony rides. Payment of an annual
membership fee allows unlimited access to all facilities, including training
ring, other arenas, golf course and tennis courts at reduced rates. There is
also a clubhouse and lounge where refreshments are served.
Telephone 669 5129 or Fax 669 4896.
Karate
Modern defensive (Martial Art)
Karate, Nunchaku, Self Defence, Stick Fight, Physical Fitness and Breaking (no
age limit) are taught by grandmaster M H Qasmi, Black Belt KBI, International
Gold Medallist and winner of Asian Karate Championship at the Budokan Qasmi Karate Club. For details of classes for men and boys,
telephone 676 0632.
Karate classes for children
are also conducted at the Al Bilad Hotel.
Telephone 694 4777 ext 2016.
Kite
Surfing
The latest craze in water
sports involves you controlling a kite that bears more resemblance to a
parachute than any kite you ever flew as a child.
Once you've mastered the art of flying said kite, you tether yourself
to a specially adapted surfboard and away you go.
The truly skilled can jump higher and longer than any windsurfer!
Good places to kite surf are the same as for windsurfers, between Kilo
70 and 90 along the South Corniche. Telephone
Lee Harrison for further information 055 688241.
Netball
Teams are put together with
the aim of competing at the Inter-Gulf Championships, held each March and new
players are always welcome. Practice
sessions are from 7.30pm-9.15pm each Saturday in term time, at the Continental
School. Contact Caroline Wright
for further information on 682 2201 x580.
Rugby
There is a well-established
and very active Rugby Union Football
Club in Jeddah. Training is
held every Sunday and Tuesday from 7.15pm to 9.00pm at the Saudi Arabian
International School (American), next to Arabian Homes Sierra Village
Compound. Contact Dickie Fortt
662 4000 ext2522 or Nigel Forster 682 2201 ext498.
Sailing
The Red
Sea Sailing Association offers the only organised sailing in Jeddah on the
Red Sea and has been going for over 30 years.
Every Friday throughout the year there are races for Lasers, Sunfish
and catamarans, held off the beach inside the reef in an ample stretch of
water. Sailors from landlubber to
admiral status are all welcome! Contact
Peter Fountain 643 8235 or Alan Barwise 637 7007 x237.
Soccer (see football)
Sports
Clubs
The two largest sports clubs
in the city, with the best range of facilities are as follows:
King
Fahd Coastal City
This
is the most prestigious Sports and Recreation Club in Jeddah, located opposite
the Chamber of Commerce building on the Corniche. Members and their guests enjoy an unrivalled choice of
facilities including swimming pool, fitness room , sports hall, squash and
tennis courts, ten-pin bowling centre, snooker room, sauna, theatre, clubhouse
and lagoon restaurant. Club
membership starts from SR1000 per year. Tel
651 1717 or 651 1444. (Open only
to men.)
Al
Ahli Sports Club
Located
on Tahlia Street it offers a superb choice of activities - swimming, squash,
tennis, basketball, volleyball, handball, martial arts, soccer and, for
fitness enthusiasts, the "Pepsi Gym", the first of its kind in the
Middle East! Tel 672 4364 / 9293
or 649 8715. (Open only to men.)
Swimming
The Western Region Expat
Swimming League is for children only. Meetings
are alternated between the Continental School and Jeddah Prep - working
towards the Jeddah Classics in November and the Nationals in late May/early
June. Contact David Rogers,
Continental School Tel 699 0019 or David Benfield, Jeddah Prep and Grammar
School Tel 654 2354.
The large sports clubs
previously mentioned have swimming pools, but these are for men only.
The Al Bilad Hotel's swimming pool is open for ladies only from 9.00am
to 2.00pm. Other major hotels'
swimming pools are open for ladies (guests and non-resident) at certain times,
check by telephoning beforehand.
Tennis
Many of Jeddah's tennis
courts, at hotels and private clubs, are floodlit to allow games after sunset
when the heat of the day lessens. Several
compounds also have courts, access to which by 'outsiders' requires a
resident's invitation.
The Al Bilad Hotel has four
floodlit chevron surface tennis courts, available to non-residents on a
membership basis of either three months or one year.
The Hotel also hosts the annual Perrier Open Tennis Tournament in
September/October, bringing together the best of the Saudi Arabian tennis
players. Good facilities are
provided for spectators. For
information telephone the Recreation Manager 694 4777.
The Al Ahli Sports Club
also has two floodlit, championship quality tennis courts Telephone: 672 4364
ext 225 (men only).
Triathlon
Challenge
Saudia City has arranged a
'Triathlon Challenge' each February for the past few years on its vast
compound. Telephone 682 0030
ext5205, 5207, 5208 for details.
Water
Skiing
The Red Sea is relatively
calm, due to the small tides - therefore excellent for water skiing.
However, there are strict regulations governing where and when it may
take place eg it is not permitted on Thursday and Friday.
The marinas will be able to advise you - see the White Pages for
telephone numbers.
Wind
Surfing
The most popular wind surfing
sites are between Kilo 70 and Kilo 90 on the South Corniche. The reef at that point is a long way from shore and the
beaches tend not to be crowded, offering long, uninterrupted stretches.
There is only one shop that you can buy equipment, and just the basics
at that - Al Khourayes on the
northbound carriageway of Madinah Road between Tahlia Street and Sary Street
(next to a boat yard) telephone 691 1393.
The second hand market is very good though and fellow surfers are more
than happy to lend their own kit. For
information telephone Lee Harrison on 055 688241.
Yoga
Some compounds may offer yoga
classes for their residents. As
an alternative, you may like to try the Pilates (pronounced pi-lah-tees)
classes that the GNP offers in its 'Upper
Limits' Health Club, a series of stretching exercises designed to strengthen
and tone the body, similar to yoga in its approach.
For more information on this and other classes offered, telephone 682
3200 ext 532.