By Ruqaya Al-Qalesh
(with photos) KUWAIT, Aug 24 (KUNA) -- Old Kuwaitis had occupied numerous occupations for livelihood and survival during Pre-Oil Kuwait period, notably pearl diving, an act of hunting oysters in the sea to recover pearls, which used to be considered as the most rigorous profession at that time due to the dangers, obstacles, and health issues that encountered divers during their hunt for pearls.
The pearl diving profession in Kuwait prospered under the reign of Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, aka Mubarak Al-Kabir, who ruled the country between 1895 and 1915, and it went on afterwards for periods of time until it ended with the outbreak of World War II in the 1940s, followed by emergence of cultured pearl and discovery of oil.
In ancient Kuwaiti society, divers, with all their different ethnic backgrounds, gained high social standard and reputation as they were also looked at with admiration and respect among people.
Beside from their extensive knowledge on marine matters such as sailing, navigation, and fishing, Kuwaiti divers also showed determination, desire, and confidence during sailing seasons, as well as strength and stamina in their hunt for pearl.
They used to dive during specific sailing seasons and with different number of sailors onboard local wooden-made dhows, which varied in types and names depending on their sizes and shapes such as "Boom", "Baghlah", "Sanbouk", "Shoaai", and "Jalboot", and sailed across various diving sites in the Gulf depending of depth of water and type of soil.
The main diving season used to start the month of May of each year, and finished by end of September. Also, there were short seasons known as "Khanja" and "Bakoora" in April, "Radda" in October, and "Radida" in November.
Divers depended on following the stars in the sky and compass to know pathways. They also used an oblong piece of lead, known as "Beld", which was marked with horizontal lines to identify the type of the soil in the sea before descending into the water.
They worked for an approximate 12 to 16 hours daily, in which the diver descends several times into seabed without using breathing equipment, oxygen, or eye protective glasses, depending only on holding his breath and stamina.
Some of the difficulties that a Kuwaiti diver faced during his search for pearl oysters included running out of breath underneath the sea, coming out from the water in a coma situation, known as "Sanna", forcing his mates to descend into the water to pull him out of the water and carry him onboard the ship to rest, or to die in some sever cases, especially if the diver was unconscious of the depth of seabed.
Other burdens faced by divers included getting as eardrum rapture due to strong pressure underneath the water, leading to a severe pain and blood coming out of the ear with unavailability of necessary medical treatment onboard of the ship. Also, divers would get skin infection due to staying under the water for a long time, as well as cramps, rashes, and sores.
They had also endangered their lives by facing off with sea predators such as sharks, which attacked many divers and caused them some severe injuries, leaving them handicapped for the rest of their lives and bitter memories. (end) rq.ma KUNA 241445 Aug 13NNNN