World Islands
From Openwaterpedia
The World Islands (Arabic: جزر العالم) are an archipelago of small artificial islands constructed in the shape of a world map, located in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The World Islands are composed mainly of sand dredged from Dubai's shallow coastal waters and are one of several artificial island developments in the emirate.
Open Water Swimming
- It was site of the 25 km World Islands Swim on 13 February 2025, a 25 km tandem swim by Dr. Mariam Saleh Binladen of Saudi Arabia and Andy Donaldson who completed the clockwise circumnavigation swim around the World Islands in 10 hours 41 minutes 23 seconds.
- It was site of the 25 km Swim The World by Kate Willoughby in 10 hours 56 minutes on 21 November 2012 around the perimeter wall that protects the man-made development of 300 islands off Dubai’s coast in a charity swim to raise money for and awareness of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
- Sam Barnett swam 23 km around the World Islands in 9 hours 54 minutes on his Swim for Hope, in a charity swim for Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organization dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research on 17 November 2017.
