Az Zulfī, Saudi Arabia — The ear-splitting roar of his jet ski fills the air as Hamza al-Hamm thunders past, kicking up plumes of water — not at the beach, but in the heart of the Saudi Arabian desert.
Sand-caked SUVs ring the temporary lake, formed by winter rains, as Hamm zips across the impromptu watersports center doing donuts.
Women in the traditional face-covering niqab sit on rugs by the shore, watching the action.
The lake, surrounded by sand dunes near the small desert city of Zulfi, lasts only about three months a year.
“One day, my friends challenged me to ride a jet ski,” said Hamm, who started out on a borrowed machine.
Since then he has bought his own, gradually becoming one of a rare breed — an expert jet-skier who lives in the desert.
Zulfi’s lake, more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of the capital Riyadh, appears every winter, giving desert-dwellers the chance to take part in a sport usually associated with seaside resorts.
The rare phenomenon draws not only locals like Hamm, in his 40s, but also visitors from as far away as Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Meshaal al-Otaibi, who came with a caravan from the Saudi town of Taif, more than 700 kilometers away, said he had to see the lake for himself.
“When I heard about the lake on YouTube, about people gathering there and water activities, I couldn’t resist,” he said.
Zulfi, which sits in a dip between sand dunes and mountains, “is a perfect trap for rainfalls pouring over the mountains”, according to scientist Alain Gachet.
“That is why the lake is seasonal in Zulfi, which is located on the deepest part of this depression,” said Gachet, whose French-based company Radar Technologies International specializes in untapped natural resources.
When it forms, the lake offers a welcome respite in a country where intense heat limits outdoor activities for much of the year.
Issam Hamad, another Saudi who was visiting with his family, said it was relaxing just to be outside.
“Some watch, others do watersports” but everyone enjoys the fresh air, he said.
