From geocaching to metal detecting, meet UAE residents with unusual hobbies

The metal detective

Hasan Zaheer describes himself as a logical man. He’s also spent more than Dh2,000 on metal detecting equipment, for fun’s sake. At first this might sound contradictory to each other, but as the 34-year-old delves into fascinating details of his hobby, it makes perfect sense.

In 2018, the Abu Dhabi-based engineer stumbled on a few YouTube videos on metal detecting and he found them so inspiring that he decided to get a metal detector. It didn’t have a promising start, though — when in Dubai, he would head to Jumeirah and Sufouh beach with his metal detector, but would only unearth a few coins and an overwhelming amount of trash. “But I always throw the trash in the dustbin because I know if I don't, I will be picking it up again soon,” he says. A lack of time stopped Hasan from actively pursuing the hobby and he abandoned it temporarily.

A social media post would, soon, reignite his interest. “I wasn’t sure about the rules of metal detecting in the UAE so I posted a query on Reddit in 2021,” he recalls. “Coincidentally, a man who had lost his ring at JBR beach saw my post and messaged me privately, asking whether I could help him as the ring was very important to him.” So, Hasan drove down to Dubai on the weekend and spent about two hours searching for the elusive ring. They did find it, finally, and he posted a picture of their beaming faces on Reddit. “That post went viral,” he says. “I thought, ‘This is my chance to do something different and special’.”

Since then, about 25 desperate owners of missing jewellery — mostly rings — have contacted him. “As long as it is outside the water, I am almost 100 per cent sure that we will find it,” he says. It’s a skill he has honed over the years by watching over ‘100 hours of YouTube videos’ and today, Hasan says he understands and reads his metal detectors better.

His impressive array of equipment includes three metal detectors and two pinpointers, which are particularly useful in sandy areas such as beaches. “I also have a very large scoop with a carbon fibre handle to dig out the sand, a shovel, a pouch to put my finds in, a rock tumbler and an ultrasonic cleaner to clean them.” All this is exactly as expensive as it sounds — the scoop and ultrasonic cleaner, for instance, set him back by more than Dh2,000. “It is an expensive, but fun, hobby,” he smiles. Hasan says he never asks people for anything in return for his services. “But sometimes they push and plead with me so much that I feel bad. At times I accept something, and at times I don’t — it really differs from person to person.”

It is also, in a way, a study on human behaviour. Having met and interacted with people who are, often, in a vulnerable state, Hasan observes that human beings are essentially ‘very sweet’ and that “they are actually nicer than what we perceive them to be”. “As an adult, most of our interactions are at work where people are not themselves — maybe because of stress - and they are not as nice as they want to be or actually are,” he elaborates.

Once, he helped a tourist from the UK retrieve two rings from a beach near Zero Gravity in Dubai and she almost cried with joy. But his most cherished moment was when he found a 25 paisa coin from his home country, Pakistan, while digging around for someone’s ring. “I had only seen it as a kid as it has been out of circulation since 1996. It’s my most prized find.”

Off on a scavenger hunt

On some weekends, Moneeb Khan can be found on a public bus, glued to his mobile phone. But unlike most 18-year-olds, it’s usually because he is out on a hunt.

Moneeb loves geocaching, which has been popularly described as a ‘high-tech treasure hunt’. Players log into geocaching apps and travel across neighbourhoods and, sometimes, emirates, in pursuit of hidden treasures called ‘geocaches’, using the GPS. Geocaches can be anything from chocolates, trinkets and toys to even unique notes and coins, which are stored in containers. The app only provides teasingly small tips and clues on the geocache’s exact location. “That’s when it begins to feel like a really cool scavenger hunt,” he says. Sometimes, Moneeb adds, there are pictures of where the geocache is but he only looks at them as a ‘last resort’.

The business management student discovered geocaching through YouTube, last year. “It was during the winter holidays and this gave me something new to do,” he says. Moneeb usually takes the public transport for his hunts, although it takes him a while to get to his destination. “There are many geocaches between Jumeirah and the Marina area, but I think most of them are in Abu Dhabi. I guess the geocaching community is bigger there.”

He found his first geocache near a bench close to Marina mall. “It wasn’t really planned. I was out on a photowalk with a few other photographers I’d hosted. After they left, I was like, ‘Since I am here, I might as well check this out’.”

“There were very few descriptions of the geocache on the app to work with, so it took a bit of digging,” he continues. “And it wasn’t easy because it was at such a public, crowded place.” After about an hour, he finally found the ‘treasure’ — a toy. “One of the etiquette rules of geocaching is that you either need to keep the geocache back or replace it with something that is of equal or more value. But I didn’t have anything on me that day, so I kept the toy back.” He did, however, log in details like his name and when he found the geocache, on the piece of paper that usually comes with these items.

Since then, he has discovered old coins, a 1,000,000 Turkish lira note, a box of treats and once, in a ‘weird encounter’, the dummy of a human skeleton ‘guarding’ a geocache near a park. “I was not expecting that,” he laughs. “Geocaches can be hidden anywhere — in holes, pipes, trees or can even be tied to something.”

“A lot of people in Dubai usually look for something new to do, for a break from the 9am to 5pm hustle,” he explains. “Geocaching encourages people to step out of their homes and discover new neighbourhoods.” For instance, Moneeb, who grew up in Dubai, once travelled to Al Barsha from Al Qusais on a public bus for the very first time. He even travelled to Abu Dhabi with a friend to look for a geocache, but certain parts of that trip ended up testing the limits of his love for geocaching. “I didn’t find the geocache and, on the way back, we got lost and somehow ended up at DP World, where we got into trouble with security. And we got back home really late.”

“Geocaching is a fun way to discover hidden treasures and it also gives you a reason to go out there and meet other people,” adds Moneeb.

If you hate the outdoors and avoid it with a vengeance, seek comfort in the unusual hobby of bookbinding which found new followers during the pandemic. There are tons of YouTube videos on how to get started but according to papercraftpanda blog, if you are a newbie, you’ll need materials like paper, glue, linen thread, sewing needle, a utility knife and so on. Didn’t we always know there is something soothing about stationery?