Diving means precious heritage for this proud Emirati

She thinks that the scuba diving has picked up popularity among young generations in the UAE.

For Emirati Samira Buhumaid, diving is more than just a hobby.

“Diving has been part of the UAE precious heritage passed on by our ancestors to us. They used to depend on it to make a living. It was a vital skill when they would go on trips, looking for pearls and catching fish,” she told Khaleej Times. “Keeping the sport alive enhances our sense of belonging to our beloved country.”

Samira, who loves hiking, horse riding, sea sports, shooting, and taking part in competitions, had first developed a penchant for diving by chance. “It was during a nightout camping that I met my coach (Harith Al Khudairi) who encouraged me to take lessons in this sea sport.”

She thinks that the scuba diving has picked up popularity among young generations in the UAE.

“It has made an explorer out of me and has boosted my passion for adventures. It would surely give anyone a feeling of thrill and excitement to just go deep in the waters to discover. There lies a great part of history… the sunken boats have their own tales to tell. Fujairah, for example, there is more than one spot that one can head for diving.”

She is quite amazed by the experience of diving at night. “It is always marvellous to dive not knowing what is lying ahead of us. There is a special serene feeling about it.”

She recalled once having encountered a shark which turned out to be sort of a “vegan shark”.

“However, there is warning and high risk when someone dives near sunken ships. No one knows what could be hiding there,” she pointed out.

Preserving environment

Diving can also prove helpful for preserving the environment and the maritime life like the fish, the algae and coral reef by removing all sorts of obstructions and rubbish and also moving corals to diving spots where they would be safely placed. Volunteering has seen large turnout from new divers.

“We would often volunteer to clean up (and not clear up) the sea waters across the emirates.”

Moving of corals can be: One, Relocations of big corals whenever there are projects that could harm their living; so the process is to cut them off and move them to a safer environment. And two, Planting of small corals and later moving them to other spots. That was from Dibba Al Hosn to Khorfakan.

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mary@khaleejtimes.com