Dubai girl to unfurl UAE flag underwater on National Day

Dubai - For her first adventure, she unveiled the flag in the waters off Fujairah, followed by the Maldives. Next up: the Seychelles.

Inspired by her love of the UAE, one young Dubai-based student is taking National Day to new places - by unfurling the UAE flag underwater.

Millennium School student Disha Bobby, 15, is an avid PADI-certified scuba diver who says she's combined her love of the water with her love for the country in which she was born and raised.

"For the last two years I've been 'raising' the UAE flag underwater," she told Khaleej Times. "This will be the third."

For her first adventure, she unveiled the flag in the waters off Fujairah, followed by the Maldives. Next up: the Seychelles.

"I'm really excited. This means a lot to me. I was born and raised here and I feel very close to this country, so it will be a proud moment for me," she noted.

Her love for the water, she says, began at a young age.

"I'm a swimmer. I've been swimming since the age of seven, and I started competing when I was 10," she said. "I recently competed in a national level competition in India."

Her interest in diving, she added, was partly because it holds local historical significance in the UAE.

"I decided to try challenge myself with a scuba diving course, and Dubai is very well-known for diving and the diving industry," she said. "It has historical significance to the locals, because of the pearl diving industry."

According to Disha, the idea to unfurl the UAE flag underwater came to her when she realized how at home her family has been made to feel in the country.

"The UAE is very important to me, and it's such a beautiful country. Even though I'm an expat, all the rulers here make us feel at home," she noted. "Never once have I seen any distinction between expats and citizens."

"It's kind of risky, but everyone has been proud and my friends were so supportive and loved our pictures," she added. "The flag has to be synthetic and water-resistant, and I have to keep it in my dive suit so it doesn't fall out. For the past two years I've been diving to a depth of 15 metres, but this year I plan to dive deeper."

Disha noted that she has a special request to her fellow UAE residents this National Day.

"I'm an environmentalist, and I believe in keeping the country safe, and clean," she said. "I often see a lot of plastic bags and waste in the water."

"This National Day, let's try to reduce environmental damage to this country."

bernd@khaleejtimes.com