Four metres below the surface of the sea, I take a deep breath and remove my mask.
“It’s only for one minute,” I tell myself. “You can do anything for a minute.”
My eyes are squeezed shut to stop salt water going in them and my regulator is firmly in my mouth. I feel my lungs fill with air, but can’t seem to shake the sensation that I’m not quite breathing properly.
Seawater is pushing its way up my nose and my throat is starting to burn. I reach out to try to get my instructor's attention – Ahmed's watching me but doesn't seem worried. Another shoot of water finds its way up my nostrils and I know I need to get out of there.
Forgetting my coaching, I start swimming upward. I can feel the water getting warmer as I inch closer to the surface and as soon as I break through the waves I open my eyes and spit out the regulator. Gasping for air, I feel like I've swallowed about 100 litres of seawater.
A moment later, Ahmed and my dive buddy surface alongside me, both wearing slightly puzzled expressions. Thankfully, having been at a depth of only four metres, I don't need to worry about decompression sickness, which could have been an issue if I'd come up that fast from a greater depth.
It appears that the only real damage done is to my ego, and I’m thankful that my burning cheeks could be attributed to the sun’s stinging rays, rather than my own embarrassment.
Having spent more than three weeks completing the e-learning portion of my Professional Association of Diving Instructors (Padi) Open Water Diver certification, I’m determined that the practical side of things won’t be my downfall. Which is why, early the next morning, I’m back in the water at the Ocean Dive Centre in Abu Dhabi to try again.
Starting with the same skill – mask removal underwater – I make my way under the surface, kneeling a few centimetres in front of Ahmed. Once more, I take off my mask and hold it to the side. I breathe, concentrating harder than I have ever done before on using only my mouth. I tip my head slightly to the side, letting the air bubbles float past my nostrils rather than directly into them. I try not to think about it, instead humming the first tune that pops into my head.
“We got no troubles, life is the bubbles, under the sea, under the sea …”
I'm about to launch into the next verse when I feel a tap on my arm. Yanking my mask back on to my face, I clear the water out from inside it by blowing through my nose and open my eyes, blinking to clear the remaining droplets. I can't believe it when Ahmed holds his hand up and curls his fingers towards one another – flashing me the universal scuba signal for OK.
I've done it, and I can't believe how easy it was the second time around. Buzzing with adrenalin, we continue – after all, there are about 30 skills I need to master before Padi will certify me as a new diver.
When I do get there, my certification will allow me to dive to a depth of 18 metres almost anywhere in the world.
It's something I've been meaning to do for a while, but kept putting off because life, time or money always seemed to get in the way. Then, last year, I got the chance to meet and interview renowned oceanographer Jean Michel Cousteau – one of the first divers in the world to be Padi certified. His encouragement was (almost) the final push I needed to follow suit.
The impact of the pandemic
I say almost, because it took a pandemic for me to get in the water. And I'm not the only person to use Covid-19 as a reason to take up diving.
July has been the strongest dive season in the GCC for the past 10 years, says Jonas Samuelsson, Padi's director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
"We're looking at the Middle East as one of the success stories," he says. "The region had the best year last month, in terms of people taking diving courses, in over 10 years, which is remarkable."
Although Covid-19 has had much of the world in lockdown, it has also shone a spotlight on activities that people can do in their own backyards.
"Opportunities for dive travel remain limited for many parts of the world," says Kristin Valette-Wirth, chief brand officer for Padi worldwide. "But, with this, we're noticing a trend of increased local diving and dive certifications across regions globally, including the UAE."
Right now, the water is absolutely amazing because the environment had time to recover, it is remarkable what a three-month break can do for the corals and to the environment
Dave Griffiths, a British diver who also found his love of diving through the Cousteau family, operates Divers Down in Dubai and Fujairah. The centre is the only Padi career development facility in the Middle East and has had one of its busiest months, largely owing to people holidaying locally.
"We think it's been down to families, who would usually travel home for summer, instead moving to staycationing due to the uncertain times, and allocating their travel budget to an activity," Griffiths says.
Troubled waters
Despite the boom, the pandemic has created its own problems for the diving industry. In countries such as Egypt and Tunisia that rely on tourists, the situation is bleak; many dive schools are having to close, while others struggle to stay afloat because of limited domestic interest.
"These centres have been affected because many of them are simply not able to offer diving," says Ahmed Sayed, Padi regional manager for the Middle East. "But what Padi has done is to give permission for instructors to teach many of the theory parts of courses online or via Zoom, and that has really helped."
This rule change has allowed many schools to stay in business and has kept up the hope of strong bookings when diving returns.
Padi has also created new diver guidelines specific to Covid-19. These adaptations ensure that the sport meets social-distancing measures and hygiene requirements as recommended by local authorities.
"There are a lot of skills that previously involved contact between students or between the student and an instructor, like sharing air, for example," Sayed says. "Where possible, we have adapted these skills to suit the current situation."
Having completed my training during the pandemic, I can safely say that other than face masks and reduced capacity on the boats, the only rule change I noticed was the need to get my own mask and snorkel from day one, rather than using hired gear.
"The changes don't impact the diver experience at all," Sayed says. "People can still have a lot of fun. The guidelines are aimed at dive schools to help protect themselves and protect their customer – students aren't likely to notice much change."
As some regions around the world begin to ease out of lockdown, Padi has also created an interactive Covid-19 scuba-diving status map that makes it easy to identify where the sport is accessible. This hefty project involved daily co-ordination with all 6,000 Padi dive centres across the world, but the visual representation is super-helpful, especially as a newly qualified diver daydreaming of my first scuba holiday and wondering where I can go.
Blossoming corals and thriving marine life
No matter where I choose, Sayed promises there’s treasure waiting for me below the waves.
"Right now, the water is absolutely amazing because the environment had a little break to recover. It is remarkable what a three-month break can do for the coral and for the environment.
The tourists will come back. We do not know exactly when, but they will because it is such a special sport
"Only last week there were sightings of dolphins coming to the beach in Dahab – that's not happened in Egypt for many years. In Sharks Bay in Sharm El Sheikh, dolphins and a whale shark were spotted in the same week. This is an area where it's usually busy with boats, people and traffic and now the marine life has started to come back."
Of course, Covid-19 has not been all good news for the marine world. Plastic pollution – a subject that until recently was firmly in the public forum – has taken a back seat during the pandemic as people turn to disposable face masks and plastic gloves to protect themselves from the virus.
"Just the sheer number of plastic masks being produced is going to have an effect unfortunately," Samuelsson says. "When this pandemic started, we realised immediately that it was going to be a problem."
To try to help, Padi created a line of reusable face masks crafted from recycled fishing nets. While this is a drop in the ocean in the scale of the global pollution crisis, every reusable non-plastic mask sold is a ripple in the right direction.
The future of scuba
For now, the scuba-diving industry continues to tread water. In countries with strong domestic markets, the industry has already bounced back. In others such as Morocco, Thailand, Egypt and Indonesia, where tourism drives the demand for diving, recovery will be much slower.
"The resort markets are all down. In the short run, there will be a massive growth of domestic markets and I think it'll take a couple of years for most resort areas to fully recover," Samuelsson says.
“But by 2022, so long as nothing else happens, hopefully we’ll see some form of normality. The tourists will come back. We do not know exactly when, but they will because it is such a special sport. I’ve been diving since I was a kid and it’s just such a unique activity. Even if it takes a slightly different form for a while, it will all be OK.”
A week later, as I’m given my Padi open-water certificate and join hundreds of others who have used the coronavirus movement restrictions as an opportunity to learn to dive, I can only hope that he’s right.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Signs%20of%20%20%20%20%20%20%20heat%20stroke
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The years Ramadan fell in May
if you go
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
The biog
Favourite hobby: taking his rescue dog, Sally, for long walks.
Favourite book: anything by Stephen King, although he said the films rarely match the quality of the books
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption stands out as his favourite movie, a classic King novella
Favourite music: “I have a wide and varied music taste, so it would be unfair to pick a single song from blues to rock as a favourite"
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
Brief scores:
Toss: Kerala Knights, opted to fielf
Pakhtoons 109-5 (10 ov)
Fletcher 32; Lamichhane 3-17
Kerala Knights 110-2 (7.5 ov)
Morgan 46 not out, Stirling 40
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jawan
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Results
Female 49kg: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) bt Thamires Aquino (BRA); points 0-0 (advantage points points 1-0).
Female 55kg: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Amal Amjahid (BEL); points 4-2.
Female 62kg: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR); 10-2.
Female 70kg: Thamara Silva (BRA) bt Alessandra Moss (AUS); submission.
Female 90kg: Gabreili Passanha (BRA) bt Claire-France Thevenon (FRA); submission.
Male 56kg: Hiago George (BRA) bt Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA); 2-2 (2-0)
Male 62kg: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) bt Joao Miyao (BRA); 2-2 (2-1)
Male 69kg: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Isaac Doederlein (USA); 2-2 (2-2) Ref decision.
Male 77kg: Tommy Langarkar (NOR) by Oliver Lovell (GBR); submission.
Male 85kg: Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE); 2-2 (1-1) Ref decision.
Male 94kg: Kaynan Duarte (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL); submission.
Male 110kg: Joao Rocha (BRA) bt Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE); submission.
Switching%20sides
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PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
