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What could you kill and eat if you are stuck in the desert? How do you fight off an angry dog? Bear Grylls, the adventurer and TV host, which featured celebrities like Kate Winslet and Zac Efron, and shows off his survival skills in his hit series is expanding further in the Middle East, and has set his eyes on Saudi Arabia for his next adventure.

Red Sea Global, The Red Sea, and Amaala have come together to become the exclusive agent for Bear Grylls Survival Academy and are planning several branches across the kingdom.

The Bear Grylls Survival Academy, designed by Bear Grylls himself, lets anyone who wants to — who can afford the expense — take part in an exotic adventure. Individuals, groups, families and children can all participate in an adventure and test out their own survival skills.

John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global, said, “We believe that everyone should have the chance to follow their sense of adventure and will work with the Bear Grylls Survival Academy team to develop outdoor experiences for all, whether adults or young people, irrespective of physical and cognitive ability.”

“From its steep mountains to its deep wadi valleys, across sand dunes, canyons, and coastlines, the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia has some of the most diverse natural environments we’ve ever seen,” said Paul Gardiner, managing director of the Bear Grylls Survival Academy.

Red Sea Global has pledged to make this a wholly inclusive guest experience, which Gardiner said aligns p with the academy’s mission to bring a sense of achievement and the principle of “never giving up” to many people.

There are a diverse array of possible adventures that are available through the Bear Grylls survival Academy, involving combinations of remote land/water survival and adventure tasks. Among the skills and techniques that the survival experts teach during the courses are ones like fire lighting, knife skills, emergency shelter building, remote medical trauma techniques, rappelling, foraging for insects and grubs, and extreme weather survival.

The partnership will help create new jobs for Saudis, as they will be recruited and trained in survival skills and expedition leadership. 

In 2020, the UAE opened the world’s first Bear Grylls Explorers Camp in Ras Al Khaimah, offering visitors of all ages and abilities the chance to learn tips and techniques through a series of courses on the Jebel Jais Mountain.