Regarding Dubai as a seaside port town and the biggest business hub in the area, transporting goods even far away, Dubai has always had a highly developed water transportation system. Dubai water transportation mainly consists of water taxi, waterbus, dhows offering cruises and yacht rentals. From this year, the brand new ferry-lines have started to operations too.
Dubai has two huge ports: Port Rashid and Port Jebel Ali. Port Jebel Ali will soon take over the whole cargo-traffic of Dubai. Port Rashid is under reconstruction to welcome the ocean liners and other cruises exclusively, in its whole area. The best place to look for more information on the schedule and ways of water transportation is the Dubai International Marine Club, the Dubai Main Station of Water Taxis. Dubai Marina Yacht Club and Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club are handling yacht rentals and yacht charters. If the nearby lying Dubai Marine City is ready, it will take over the handling of yachts and smaller cruise ships in the near future.
Today, the transportation of people mainly concentrates to the Dubai Creek; here it has a key-role. Dubai Creek serves as a river in this region of Dubai and it has quite a big traffic of all kinds of boats, vessels, motorboats, yachts and the traditional dhows. Each boat either transports goods every day or is in use for regular or charter public transportation. Many of the boats conduct touristic programs, such as sightseeing cruises in and out of Dubai Creek. Dubai Creek is quite long, starting from the Ras Al Khor Wildlife sanctuary and ending in the sea after about 50 kilometres later, in the most beautiful, traditional area of Dubai, the Deira and Bur Dubai districts. Here, you have the best chances for a making a cultural exploration of old-Dubai.
Water taxis are partly modern, fast ships, having many ports along the Dubai Creek. These taxis are called “Abra”. If you would prefer a slower but more relaxed way of travel, then take a dhow cruise. These cruises normally last one or two hours, showing the most beautiful sites along the Dubai Creek and sometimes even sailing to the neighbouring Dubai Marina. If you buy a Daily Pass, you can use the waterbuses, the bigger water taxis free during that day. Penguin Corporation mainly operates waterbuses and water taxis.
The highly famous Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club is also located along the Dubai Creek, together with its huge golf course, so yachts and the exercising of other water-sports, such as jet skiing are also quite common in this area. The club also deals with yacht rentals, but you can also rent one from any bigger companies. From this year, Dubai’s office responsible for road and other transportation (RTA) is implementing a new way of long-haul water public transportation: the ferries. These brand new ferries can welcome a hundred passengers at once, so their use is a great step in the improvement of the water transportation system of Dubai. You can use ferry to get to any cities of the Gulf Region, also to Iran. Using one of these fast ferries gives great chances for daily excursions out of Dubai. Moreover, if you are with company, you can rent a yacht charter to have a beautiful time on water.
Dubai water transportation today has a very important role both in tourism and in the commercial life of Dubai. So do not hesitate to see and experience the water-life of Dubai. Go for an unforgettable cruise, try the new ferries for a daily excursion and go to the beautiful Ras Al Khor sanctuary with a water taxi to experience how beautiful Dubai is, looking at it from a boat.
