Wadi Driving! Attention- PR!
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:10 am
Hello all!
This was originally meant to be a message for PR, as I belive he's pretty much been everywhere a car can possibly go- however his inbox is full so my message won't send!
So instead I thought I'd open it up to the forum as others may have advice and also may find the info useful if they'd also like to do some wadi driving!
I just the video PR posted with the guy saving his car from a flood in Oz- incredible!
(Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYUpkPTcqPY )
But it got me thinking- I'm really keen to do some more mountain driving when I can, especially wadis (I went today to explore those around Fujairah, I LOVED it!! I went to Wadi Assimah, and also explored the Madhah and Shis area, so beautiful!).
However, I have heard of the warnings about the flash floods that can occur, and just watched some videos from both Oman and UAE that were unbelievable. There would just be no chance of escaping if you got caught in that!
I'm wondering if anyone has any advice regarding both the planning and driving through the wadis:
What checks would you perform to gauge the risk of this happening while you're in there- I'm guessing checking forecasts for potential rain in the area that would lead drainage to the wadi?
Any other preventative measures/checks I should be aware of?
I'm aware that if it was to happen, I'm sure that the first port of call would be to see if it's possible to safely reach higher ground in time; failing that I guess you would just have to keep your important belongings (passport, money, mobile, water!) to hand so that you can make a quick escape, climb up as high as possible and wave goodbye to your vehicle if it was worst case scenario :/
Also, is there a rule that you only drive down the wadi in one direction? I.e. drive in the direction that water would flow should it flood?
Not too sure why this would help, but I'm a beginner at this so thought I'd ask.
I know I'm being very cautious here, but I figured it's best to have at least a preventative strategy and an idea of what plans A, B and C would be to be on the safe side!
Any thoughts would be most appreciated!
Thanks,
Joe
This was originally meant to be a message for PR, as I belive he's pretty much been everywhere a car can possibly go- however his inbox is full so my message won't send!
So instead I thought I'd open it up to the forum as others may have advice and also may find the info useful if they'd also like to do some wadi driving!
I just the video PR posted with the guy saving his car from a flood in Oz- incredible!
(Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYUpkPTcqPY )
But it got me thinking- I'm really keen to do some more mountain driving when I can, especially wadis (I went today to explore those around Fujairah, I LOVED it!! I went to Wadi Assimah, and also explored the Madhah and Shis area, so beautiful!).
However, I have heard of the warnings about the flash floods that can occur, and just watched some videos from both Oman and UAE that were unbelievable. There would just be no chance of escaping if you got caught in that!
I'm wondering if anyone has any advice regarding both the planning and driving through the wadis:
What checks would you perform to gauge the risk of this happening while you're in there- I'm guessing checking forecasts for potential rain in the area that would lead drainage to the wadi?
Any other preventative measures/checks I should be aware of?
I'm aware that if it was to happen, I'm sure that the first port of call would be to see if it's possible to safely reach higher ground in time; failing that I guess you would just have to keep your important belongings (passport, money, mobile, water!) to hand so that you can make a quick escape, climb up as high as possible and wave goodbye to your vehicle if it was worst case scenario :/
Also, is there a rule that you only drive down the wadi in one direction? I.e. drive in the direction that water would flow should it flood?
Not too sure why this would help, but I'm a beginner at this so thought I'd ask.
I know I'm being very cautious here, but I figured it's best to have at least a preventative strategy and an idea of what plans A, B and C would be to be on the safe side!
Any thoughts would be most appreciated!
Thanks,
Joe