“Beautiful location but disappointing experience! - Loved the location. Race pack pick-up was very slow and there was pretty much nothing in the race pack. Route was not clear and poorly marshaled. We asked marshals for help and received conflicting directions which was very confusing, aggravating, and disappointing. Wish there would have been some snacks available after the race (banana, bar, ...). Personally I think that a slimmer ribbon on the medal would have looked better since the wide ribbon makes the medal look very small and skimpy. ”

“Route was not accurate - There were not enough markers to spot and quite a few people including me went off course, marshalling was not great. I tracked 2 k on my watch and it was supposed to be 1.6k. bag storage was good and seemed secure. Event pack collection was a bit slow”

“Had a great time - It was a fun morning. Would love to see similar events in Abu Dhabi Perhaps there could be a "fun swim" for those of who want the experience but are not competitors. People could use fins/kickboards etc ”

“Age Categories Required - Overall the event was great but I felt that the prizes were too much for too few. There should have been age categories and prizes for the top three i.e. 16-18, 19-49, 50-60, etc. I was the youngest entrant at 16, I finished 6th overall, just over one minute behind the leader and came away with nothing. Yet the 2nd and 3rd prize winners who came in less than 30s ahead had so many prizes they couldn't carry them. Even those that merely did the 800m came away with their arms full. ”

“It was great... but - I really enjoyed the event, but the actual race was disappointing. Mostly, the buoys used were too low and with the sun raising it was very difficult to see where you were going. I have never had to stop swimming so many times to figure out where I was going in a race like this. The marshalls were also not very receptive to directing people to the buoys. People were looking up because they could see where to swim, not because there was something wrong! ”

“Could have been Organized Better, Poor Signage !! - Being the Iconic location the expectations were quite high but I guess except the location nothing was great. Expensive, less water stations,Extremely poor route Signs in sea& that too at long distances.I literally swam marshal to marshal seeking guidance hence wasting time and energy. definitely swam more than 1600m. Abu Dhabi swimming festival & Coega Mina mile r really better planned .No Giveaway's at all. The over all experience was extremely average for an event being held after 4 years. ”

“Great venue, poor signage, marshaling . - The venue is amazing!! unfortunately the signage was extremely poor and confusing, my watch measured 2050m, the only reason I was happy was because of the venue. Giveaway was extremely poor and no breakfast after the race, shame!!! will participate again, only because of the venue.”

“Great Spot, but poor indication of the route - It was a great spot to swim around the Burj Al Arab. It seems there has been a few people which had the same issue as me: instead of 1600 meters out watches indicated more than 2000 meters. Can you please advise? The route indications were not very clear and therefore made it difficult to swim straight. Also the race pack was quite poor for the price entrance we had to pay. Unfortunately no post race breakfast was offered. All in all I would only participate again due to the location. ”

“Great even with room for improvements - Route was pretty unclear, I was confused several times. My watches showed I swam 2000m instead of 1600, so I would suggest to have more marshalling and route staff on the water next time.”

“Lots of potential - The time of year was perfect and the conditions were wonderful. However, as others mentioned, many swam much further than the 1600 metres and many were confused about the course. Staggered starts for men and women would be helpful. It was also disappointing to receive an email the night before saying we could bring 6 guests to Wild Wadi only to find out on arrival that they had to pay 50%. It made for an expensive day that could have been avoided by clearer communication.”

“Overall a fantastic experience - Overall a fantastic experience, I would definitely participate again. The event was very well organised. ”

“Great event but lacked execution - It's a swim around Dubai's most iconic landmark. It should be glitz and glam but I'm afraid the seven star service was lacking. Route markings were poor and the giveaways non-existent. At least we got to go to Wild Wadi. ”

“Overall a good event, route signage can improve - As said in the summary, the event overall was good. I enjoyed swimming the iconic route, the signage was just not always that clear. Especially after passing the hotel and turning back towards the beach. We were swimming into the sun so was difficult to spot the yellow bouys when they were placed far apart. That said, would defitely do the event again next year!”

“Great location but ad hoc extras not so great - Route was difficult to follow, the last marshalling station coming to the beach only about 5 metres wide which was difficult to aim for. And the furthest buoy out for the turning point was different to the map. No good drinks back on the beach, only water, would have been good to grab a banana and coconut water. The live results screen was tedious to check personal results, as you couldn't search individually with multiple people at the same time and it relied on one laptop!”

“Great Event - Missing the T-Shirt - Great Event - Missing the T-Shirt, the routes were not good. Well organized, nice people. Thank you”

“Could be SO much better - 250 dhs entry fee NO T-SHIRT? Everyone in the registration line wanted a t-shirt. 250dhs -prizes for the top 3 overall finishers. Almost 500 swimmers and 12 got a prize. No age group awards. The 800m race was a logistical nightmare. The swimmers waited 45 mins past their planned start time because the 1600m course interfered with the 800m. No water provided for the waiting athletes- in Dubai this is a SERIOUS LIABILITY. 800m race didn't go round the BURJ- very disappointed. ”

“Enjoyable - Disappointed in the course change of the 800m. No one understood the course even the officials. It was changed and different to the planed map. Was a lot longer than 800m. Even waiting on the line for 10 to 15 min in the sun was not good, no water offered. You should have a water start which stops the participants running into each other and will min the risk of injury at the start of the race. After all its a swim event not a running event.”

“Really nice experience - It was a really nice experience for anyone who like swim, the place, the people and organization, were amazing. I will repeat next year if possible for sure!”

“Course choice - I swam the 800m event. Firstly I wasn't aware I wasn't swimming AROUND the Burj as per previous events. Secondly we had to wait for 30+ minutes past our start time while very slow/poor swimmers finished the 1600m event as the 2 courses crossed each other - perhaps room for reflection there! Our event started with a hooter with no prior warning. The event as a whole is enjoyable & the general organisation has improved hugely since I first did it 12 years ago but definitely room for improvement ”

“Great cause and venue poor routing - The 800 and 1600 m were definetely more as indicated by the timings and the routage would have been much better as it was confusing for the swimmers .. swimmers actually did more than 1600 and 800 ”

“Great venue - terrible marshalling / route signage - The route has to be much better organized, it was very unclear with minimal guidance from the marshals. Most people swam much more than necessary. I know many more who swam 300-600m more than the regular route. For such an iconic location, this was a big disappointment shared by most people that i spoke to after the event. On the other hand, the event communication was really great, timing services excellent. Premier online did an amazing job. Event is a little expensive, but for a good cause.”

“Great venue let down by poor organisation & greed - Entry fee high, yes, free entry to Wild Wadi, but what about the people who don't want that? For similar events the entry fee allows you to do both distances. In previous years (& all other events) there have been awards for all age group categories, this time awards were only for top 3, and poorer quality than in previous years. Race briefing was very poor, and everyone on start line was still asking where to go! Marshalls not briefed either and not directing people in water.”