JEDDAH: Two Saudis have become the first Arabs to dive under the icy Arctic sea, going to a depth of 25 meters and staying under for 35 minutes in temperatures falling 28 degrees below zero.
The feat last month of the two members of the Saudi Domino Team, Hussam Shukri and Mariyam Ferdous, has now been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, according to a report in a local publication on Monday.
Ferdous was quoted as saying that her experience has shown that Saudis are capable of carrying out the most extreme adventures. She said she was proud to have held the Saudi flag high, and plans to do so again.
Shukri said the team had prepared for the dive in Russia and Norway. “We faced so many challenges at the start. The Domino Team developed an integrated plan for this adventure more than a year ago so that we could achieve this world record,” he said.
Among the challenges faced by the team was when the landing area at their Russian camp disintegrated when they were trying to land during a blizzard. The team was forced to build a 640-meter landing strip.
According to their website, dominodivers.com, Shukri works at the Human Resources Development Fund as an employment guidance lecturer. He received his diver’s license from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.
Ferdous is a pediatrician who took up the hobby of diving as a way to relieve the stress of studying. “The life you see underwater is very relaxing, there is so much beauty underneath. However, there are still rules that you have to follow, because the smallest mistake can cost you your life. This is very similar to the medical world since a doctor’s error can be fatal.”
The feat last month of the two members of the Saudi Domino Team, Hussam Shukri and Mariyam Ferdous, has now been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, according to a report in a local publication on Monday.
Ferdous was quoted as saying that her experience has shown that Saudis are capable of carrying out the most extreme adventures. She said she was proud to have held the Saudi flag high, and plans to do so again.
Shukri said the team had prepared for the dive in Russia and Norway. “We faced so many challenges at the start. The Domino Team developed an integrated plan for this adventure more than a year ago so that we could achieve this world record,” he said.
Among the challenges faced by the team was when the landing area at their Russian camp disintegrated when they were trying to land during a blizzard. The team was forced to build a 640-meter landing strip.
According to their website, dominodivers.com, Shukri works at the Human Resources Development Fund as an employment guidance lecturer. He received his diver’s license from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.
Ferdous is a pediatrician who took up the hobby of diving as a way to relieve the stress of studying. “The life you see underwater is very relaxing, there is so much beauty underneath. However, there are still rules that you have to follow, because the smallest mistake can cost you your life. This is very similar to the medical world since a doctor’s error can be fatal.”
