Four ways lead onto the water here, and the first costs one dirham. The abra is a wooden motor launch that crosses Dubai Creek between Deira and Bur Dubai in five minutes, runs from five in the morning to midnight, and remains the oldest and cheapest transport service in the city. There is no dinner on board and no commentary: a plank bench, a loud engine, the far bank. Everything else on the water is booked ahead.

In Dubai Marina a boat is taken by the hour with its captain, usually for eight to twelve people, and the standard loop runs Marina, Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab, with a swim in open water if the crew agrees. Speedboat trips use rigid inflatables with twelve seats and last 60 to 90 minutes — a quick circuit with photo stops and the cheapest way to see the skyline from sea level. Anyone who would rather paddle takes a kayak or a board into the mangroves at Jebel Ali or the channels beside the Palm, where the water stands still and sunrise is the sensible launch time.

Charter is priced per hour with a two-hour minimum, and fuel is sometimes billed on top, so settle that before you pay. Swimming off the boat is not permitted everywhere. Children under twelve stay in life jackets, and some speedboat operators take nobody under five and no pregnant passengers, because the hull slams on the swell. From June to September the deck sits close to forty degrees, so aim for early morning or the hour before sunset. The sea is around 22 degrees in winter and above 33 in August.