Beach and sea now
Is today a good sea day? First guess how warm the sea is right now. Then see the waves, wind and water at UAE beaches, with a simple verdict for swimming, kitesurfing, paddleboarding and a boat trip.
Is it a good sea day?
The next 48 hours
Read the beach flags
Lifeguards raise a flag to tell you what the sea is like today. The forecast can't see a jellyfish or a strong current. The flag can.
Rip currents: the pull you can't see
A rip current is a narrow strip of water rushing back out to sea. It can pull even a strong swimmer away from the beach. It pulls you out, not under.
How to spot one: a gap where waves aren't breaking, a channel of choppy or darker water, or foam and seaweed moving out to sea.
- Stay calm and float. Don't swim against it: that tires you out.
- Swim sideways, parallel to the beach, until you're out of the pull.
- Then swim back at an angle, letting the waves help you.
- Can't get out? Float, wave your arm and shout for help.
Tell a lifeguard or call 999. Throw them something that floats. Don't swim out yourself: many rip deaths are people trying to rescue someone.
How the verdicts work
The wave height here is the "significant wave height": the average of the biggest third of waves. About 1 wave in 7 is at least that tall, and roughly once an hour a wave nearly twice that size can arrive. Period is the time between waves. Long-period swell, which reaches the east coast from the Arabian Sea, carries more power than its height suggests.
Wind from the sea brings chop but pushes you back towards the beach. Wind from the land looks calm near the shore but can blow a paddleboard, kite or swimmer out to sea, so the verdicts get stricter. In winter, the shamal wind from the north-west can rise quickly on the Gulf coast.
These are computer-model forecasts, not readings from a buoy at the beach. Swim at beaches with lifeguards, follow the flags and official warnings, and check with your boat operator. Most public beaches don't allow swimming after sunset. In an emergency call 999.
Sources: Live sea and weather data: Open-Meteo Marine and Forecast APIs (model data, updated hourly). Beach flags: Dubai Municipality's beach warning flag system (red: high hazard, do not swim; yellow: moderate hazard, swim with caution; purple: harmful marine life seen) and its open-beach rules (no swimming after sunset except at beaches set aside for night swimming), as reported by Gulf News and Curly Tales in 2026; green and red-and-yellow flags as described by Ocean Warriors Lifesaving Club in The National (October 2026). Rip currents: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service rip current safety guidance. Wave height: US National Weather Service (Miami), "Waves" explainer. Your location is used only to ask Open-Meteo for the forecast and is not saved.