Free ocean activities
for curious kids
across the UAE
Meet Hessa the hawksbill turtle and Shiree the green turtle. Four free worksheets, printable spotter cards and digital certificates — all rooted in the real marine life of the Arabian Gulf. Arabic & English.
✓ 100% free to start ✓ Ages 6–12 ✓ PADI-aligned ✓ No diving experience needed
100% free
Ages 6–12
No diving experience needed
PADI Aligned
↓ Meet Hessa & Shiree first
🐢Activities feature real UAE species
📄Printable PDF + interactive formats
🏫Used in schools across Dubai
🏅Earn a digital Turtle Spotter certificate
🌊By Chloe Blue Scuba Diving, Dubai
WHY GULF GUARDIANS
Ocean education that starts at home
The UAE is home to over 4,000 green turtles in Abu Dhabi's seagrass meadows and one of the most important hawksbill nesting sites in the Arabian Gulf. Most children who grow up here never learn their names. Gulf Guardians changes that — one activity at a time.
Rooted in the real UAE
Every animal, reef and location in these activities actually exists here — Fujairah's reefs, Abu Dhabi's seagrass, the Gulf's turtle nesting beaches.
Children earn real credentials
Each activity ends with a printable digital certificate. Kids who complete all four become certified Gulf Guardians — Hessa approves, slightly.
The bridge to real experience
Each worksheet connects to real marine life your family can see — on a Fujairah snorkelling trip, a beach visit, or eventually, underwater.
Arabic version - coming soon.
Every worksheet includes full Arabic text alongside English — designed for bilingual homes and international schools across Dubai and the UAE.
WORKSHEET 1 — FREE NOW
Meet Hessa & Shiree
Two Turtles. One UAE. Children learn to tell them apart — by beak, shell, size and habitat — and take home a printable spotter card for the beach.
Hessa · حسّة
Hawksbill Sea Turtle · Eretmochelys imbricata
"Always look at the beak first. Mine is narrow and curved like a hawk's bill. This is the fastest way to identify me. Also the most reliable. I have been on this reef since 1977."
Beak Narrow, hooked like a hawk's bill
Shell Gold, brown, orange — overlapping scutes
Diet Jellyfish (and sponges)
UAE home Fujairah coral reefs
Status Critically endangered
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Shiree · شيري
Green Sea Turtle · Chelonia mydas
"Hello. I am Shiree. I eat seagrass in Abu Dhabi. I am the largest hard-shelled sea turtle on Earth. Hessa eats jellyfish. We are different. This is fine."
Beak Blunt, rounded — for grazing
Shell Olive-grey, smooth edges
Diet Seagrass (adults are herbivores)
UAE home Abu Dhabi seagrass meadows
Status Least concern (still threatened in UAE)
How it works
Three steps to your free activities
1
Sign up below
Enter your name, email and whether you're a parent or teacher. That's it. No payment, no catch.
2
Get Worksheet 1 instantly
Hessa meets Shiree arrives in your inbox within minutes — printable PDF and an interactive digital version.
3
Receive all four activities
We send the remaining three worksheets over the following two weeks, one at a time, with UAE marine life facts in between.
START FOR FREE TODAY
Get all four Gulf Guardians activities — free
Join families and teachers across Dubai and the UAE who are raising the next generation of ocean advocates. Hessa is waiting.
🔒 No spam. No payment details. Unsubscribe any time. Hessa would not tolerate spam.
Free marine conservation activities for kids in Dubai and the UAE
Gulf Guardians is a free ocean education programme created by Chloe Blue Scuba Diving, a female-led dive club based in Dubai. Our four worksheet series introduces children aged 6–16 to the real marine life of the Arabian Gulf — the hawksbill turtles of Fujairah, the green turtles of Abu Dhabi, the coral reefs of the East Coast and the seagrass meadows that feed them all.
Every activity is completely free. Every worksheet is available in Arabic and English. And every one is designed to be done at home, at school, or on the beach — no diving experience, equipment or prior knowledge needed.
Why UAE children should know these animals by name
The UAE is home to one of the most biodiverse marine environments in the world. More than 4,000 green turtles feed in the seagrass meadows around Abu Dhabi. Hawksbill turtles — critically endangered globally — still nest on UAE beaches. Dugongs graze in Fujairah. Whale sharks pass through the Gulf of Oman.
Children who grow up knowing Hessa and Shiree by name — who can tell a hawksbill from a green turtle by the shape of a beak — are more likely to become adults who care about protecting them. That's the entire point of Gulf Guardians.
What's included in each free worksheet
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A bilingual (Arabic & English) activity for ages 6–12 and 13–16
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Real UAE species, habitats and conservation facts
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An interactive digital version and a printable PDF
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A printable field spotter card for beach and reef visits
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A digital completion certificate for each activity
Frequently asked questions
Are the activities really free?
Yes — completely. All four worksheets are free to access, download and print. There is no payment, no subscription and no catch. Chloe Blue creates these as a contribution to ocean education in the UAE.
What age are the worksheets designed for?
Gulf Guardians is designed for children aged 6–16. Worksheet 1 (Hessa meets Shiree) is particularly suited to ages 6–12, with activities taking around 20–25 minutes to complete.
Can teachers use these in school?
Absolutely. All worksheets are free to print and distribute in classrooms without restriction. If you're a teacher and would like to discuss school group experiences in Fujairah or a marine education visit, please get in touch via our Schools page.
Is the content available in Arabic?
Yes. Every Gulf Guardians worksheet includes full Arabic text alongside English, making them suitable for bilingual homes and international schools across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE.
What happens after I sign up?
You'll receive Worksheet 1 immediately by email. Over the following two weeks, we send the remaining three worksheets, one at a time, alongside UAE marine life facts. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Can we see these animals for real?
Yes — and this is our favourite question. Chloe Blue runs family snorkelling and introductory diving experiences in Fujairah, where hawksbill turtles like Hessa genuinely live. If your child completes the worksheets and wants to go further, our Kids & Teens page is the place to start.