DUBAI // Leading surfers are to set up a voluntary lifeguard system on Dubai's beaches.
Six key members of the surfing community decided to launch the Surfers Save Lives campaign after three people drowned in separate incidents while swimming last week.
"Surfers are strong swimmers and knowledgable about currents," said Saeed al Abbar, an Emirati surfer who was at a meeting on Tuesday to discuss how the community could help with beach safety.
"We are usually in the waters surfing when conditions are bad, and we should do our bit as a community."
Scott Chambers, the founder and manager of Surf Dubai, said: "This is not exclusively for surfers. Anybody who wants to learn a bit more about typical currents, or what to do if they are caught in rip currents, can come along."
Surfers will also receive lifesaving training on how to help swimmers who get into difficulties. "In the event of a surfer being in the water when a swimmer is in distress, we want to show them how to use their boards to get the swimmer to safety," Mr Chambers said.
"We are joining forces with institutes and lifeguard training institutes to provide unique content that is specific to Dubai."
The group will distribute thousands of flyers to beachgoers, educational institutes and the community in general to raise awareness about the swimming campaign.
The Surfers Save Lives training will take place for a few hours on two separate days. Organisers say they hope it will encourage surfers to take professional lifeguard training and obtain international qualifications.
There will also be a public meeting this month to involve the community and examine ways to enhance beach safety.
The surfing community also plans to compile a database of internationally qualified beach lifeguards, and to offer assistance to authorities to protect swimmers when seas are rough.
Dubai Municipality officials welcomed the initiative but warned that solutions were not easy.
"We are open to ideas from the public, but if it's not under our control, it could be difficult," said Ibrahim Mohammed Juma, the head of the Coastal Engineering, Coastal Zone and Waterway Management Section at Dubai Municipality.
"We are open to all initiatives, but the surfers are not a government body," Mr Juma said.
He said that because they were volunteering their services there was no guarantee that they would be available at all times.
"There might be severe weather conditions, for example, when we need a certain number of volunteers on the beaches," he said. "How can we be sure that they will be present?"
He said repeated warnings from inspectors and the Coastal Rescue Police against swimming in rough weather often went unheeded.
"We try to raise awareness," he said, "but some people do not obey instructions."
Two British nationals - a resident and a tourist - and an Indian bus driver died last Friday after they went swimming in rough seas.
British tourist Martin Hayle and Dubai resident Paul Gradon, both aged 50, drowned off the JBR Open Beach, and Haja Mohammed Ismailuddin, 26, died while swimming at the Umm Suqeim 1 Beach.
Gradon, a business development manager at Dolphin Radiators and Cooling Systems in Sharjah, drowned when he went swimming with a friend. Ismailuddin was out on a fun trip with six friends when he was caught in strong currents.
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How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”