Hudayriyat Island will also be home to a massive velodrome and urban park…

The emirate has only just opened the doors to the frosty peaks of Snow Abu Dhabi but, in news announced last night by Modon Properties, we’ll soon be able to scale a very different sort white-capped elevation.

It’s the watery Everests sent barrelling out of Surf Abu Dhabi – “the biggest and most advanced artificial wave facility in the world”, according to WAM, the Emirates News Agency. Set to open at the end of 2023, it’s just one crest of an expansive Modon masterplan for Hudayriyat Island which also includes a regional first velodrome, and the biggest urban park in Abu Dhabi.

It’ll be located on Hudayriyat Island, just a bridge span away from Al Bateen, and already the seat of so much active awesomeness in the capital. It will sit alongside such attractions as wheel world utopia Trail X, the lip trick and half-pipe haven of Circuit X, you can get gains on grains at the fee-less beachfront outdoor gym, there are a multitude of sports courts, an indoor 321 Sports activity centre, a rock climbing wall and elevated rope assault course, and OCR – the UAE’s largest permanent obstacle course, now open for alfresco cross-fit beastings.

Surf’s up

After a deep dive on the Surf Abu Dhabi specifications, the What’s On board sport correspondent has described the upcoming attraction as “a gnarly corduroy monster factory”. Which is good, apparently. It’s been designed in partnership with an organisation fronted by pro surfing royalty (and World Surf League champion a record 11 times) – the Kelly Slater Wave Co. With the potential to host big tour competitions and offering up artificial the artificial surfing world’s longest ride, biggest barrel, as well as the largest man-made wave pool this truly is radical class water sporting. But it’s not just for seasoned surf bros, the facility will also offer thrills for newbies and aspiring Point Breakers with literally zero chance of you getting mangled on a sand bar. All of which will undoubtedly make this one of the best places for surfing in the UAE.

Up cycling

On track for a 2025 opening, Velodrome Abu Dhabi will apparently roll out the first UCI Category 1 indoor cycling track in the region. This makes it capable of hosting international championships, and peddling all sorts of track based tournaments. Vital statistics and stand out features include a rooftop track, with a 600-meter cycling incline rising up along the external walls, showing off a picturesque 360 degree view of Hudayriyat and the jagged skyscraper skyline of Abu Dhabi city.

Parks ‘n’ Rec

And if you prefer your alfresco activities paced a little more leisurely, there’ll be plenty of that on offer with a 2.25 million square meter urban park, the largest of its sort in the emirate. It’ll get you right up in the furry face of nature and feature such facilities as an elevated cycling track and mangrove walk. Hikers and bikers will also find an eco-farming space, food and beverage outlets, playgrounds, and an events valley.

The rest

The Hudayriyat final product will include luxe residential properties, and sitting on and around two hill communities, offering lush elevated desert island views. The city will also get a beachy boost with an additional 53.5 kilometers of manicured coastline, a full 16kms of that devoted to new beaches.

Jassem Bu Ataba Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Department of Finance, Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Modon Properties, noted that “the masterplan aligns with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Executive Council, to cement Abu Dhabi’s position as a pioneer of forward-looking urban development.”

Images: WAM, Emirates News Agency

> Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in