Stage Ready For Pearl Diving Expedition

KUWAIT: The 180 young Kuwaiti sailors aged between eight and 22 participating in the 23rd Pearl Diving Expedition are due to leave their camp at the Kuwait Sea Sports Club (KSSC) headquarters in Salmiya on Thursday to begin their nine-day voyage off Khairan Resort, around 90 km south of Kuwait City. At a press conference yesterday, KSSC Secretary General Ali Al-Qabandi read out a personal message to the participants from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, wishing them a safe and successful voyage, and hoping for their safe return.

HH the Amir is the number one supporter of the revival of pearl-diving, the occupation of Kuwaitis' forefathers, said the KSSC chief, adding that the monarch "would like to tell every participant to leave their worries and cares at home in order to concentrate on the pearling activities." Quoting other parts of HH the Amir's message to the young adventurers, Al-Qabandi continued, "He even told us to leave behind the issues troubling our neighboring countries and take advantage of the knowledge and experiences they could learn from" the expedition.

This year's voyage will see the participation of 15 dhows, five of which are modern, engine-powered vessels donated by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad to the Pearl-diving Committee. The other ten vessels were donated by the late Amir, HH Sheikh Jaber. "All [the boats] are ready, including our captains, officials and sailors," Al-Qabandi went on. "We prepare them for over three months at training camp, teaching them all about our old but important heritage; we share and arm them with necessary knowledge they need learn while at sea pearling.

He added that this year's expedition has a new element: "For the first time as well, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor is cooperating and they are supervising our event today." In his speech, Al-Qabandi specifically thanked every single sponsor who cooperated in making this year's festival possible, expressing gratitude to the Gulf Bank, Kuwait Cooperative Society, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Kuwait Flour Mills, Al-Rawdatain, United Fisheries of Kuwait and Dar Al-Kaleej Consultant Engineers.

Without them our young divers would not be able to experience this very important national heritage," the KSSC chief stressed. "Their support is primarily vital since we have been allocating huge amounts [of money] for training and food." Yousef Al-Khalid, the head of this year's Pearl Diving Festival, noted: "We are ready and happy to face the challenge." Al-Khalid, a longtime participant in the annual event who rose from diver to captain before attaining his current position, is replacing Yousef Al-Najjar as the head of the Pearl Diving Heritage Committee.

I was just a captain before, now I am leading the 180 participants and dozens of captains," he said. "So, for me, it's a great responsibility quite different from the time when I was just following orders; now, I am giving orders and whatever happens in the year's expedition will fall under my responsibility - that is why I am a little bit nervous and scared, but on the other hand I am happy because all of them are really supporting me and they've all assured me that they are all behind me in this endeavour.

The annual festival, which is, as always, being held under the patronage of His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al Sabah, is held to keep Kuwait's national heritage of pearl-diving alive; the perilous and highly skilled occupation was once one of the country's main industries prior to the discovery of oil in the 1930s.

An interesting story in The New York Times on last year's event.