JEDDAH, 28 July 2004 — Divers, like anglers, tell tall stories. It must be something to do with their close association with fish. Well used to hearing about diving and the unparalleled beauty of the Jeddah coastline, it was with a sense of great anticipation that I recently enrolled on a diving course.
It is summer, and diving benefits people with its exercise and discipline. It is a welcome alternative to wasting time in cafes, in front of televisions or joy-riding.
David Kirk, reputedly one of the best and safest diving instructors in the Kingdom, was entrusted with the task. A solid, no-nonsense Briton, who lets his charges get away with nothing, took firm control. Instruction began with the basics: How to put on the diving gear, gas controls, first aid and how to deal with a variety of potentially dangerous situations you may encounter.
“The number of divers in Saudi Arabia is increasing day by day,” said Kirk. His first word of advice to novice divers is, unsurprisingly, to stick to well-researched international diving regulations for their own safety and to not dive alone especially if a beginner.
Safety is the top priority in diving. “You are dealing with the laws of the physics of pressure,” said Kirk. “They must be obeyed or you can get hurt. They have no favorites — they work on everyone.” Not often though. Almost all diving “accidents” are avoidable. Far fewer divers die each year than people killed by lightning.
“The number of Saudis taking this hobby from all regions of the Kingdom during the summer increases a lot,” Ahmad Al-Qahtani, a Saudi diving instructor, says. “The number of trainees is on the rise. Once upon a time I was one of those trainees. I never expected to one day become a trainer in the Kingdom.”
One trainee said: “I never expected such beauty as the beauty of the sea. Diving is an addiction; once you experience it you’re hooked.” He was right. SR1,500 covers the cost of an entry-level course and that includes the equipment for the diving course.
“I wish and hope that diving stores would sell the equipment at lower prices because this would enable more students to enroll in these diving courses. I encourage all youth to try this out especially in the summer.”
Ghadah Al-Fadhli has been a Saudi female diving instructor for 12 years and was trained by another Saudi female instructor, Sara Baghdadi. There are only a few Saudi female instructors in the Kingdom who train pupils as young as 10, and from different nationalities.
Any prospective trainee must be in good health without any heart or respiratory problems. There are more girl trainees in the summer since some summer camp programs include a diving course.
One of the Saudi female trainees said: “There are job opportunities in this area of work. I’m learning to dive with the full intention of becoming a diving instructor since it’s an enjoyable vocation that earns a lot of money too.”
Arab News asked trainees as to why they were taking part in this activity. “I heard from my friends that it’s a healthy hobby and that there’s a feeling of great peace under the sea. The practical aspect is that it is a wonderful way of spending spare time that would otherwise be difficult to fill in the summer.”
“I wish there was more available information regarding this activity,” said Amal. “Of course, it took some time and effort to convince my family. Plus there being a female diving instructor was also good especially with my head-cover. My mother accompanied me to my first diving session. I can’t explain the first time I dived. It was an overwhelming feeling.”
