Tides of time

Like a mother who provides for her child, the sea nourished the nation. She gave fish when the nation was hungry, provided trade routes to promote business, gave pearls to improve livelihoods...

The sea was the lifeblood of families in the bygone era. Even now, the elderly honour the lessons of this great teacher; they value that which they have earned and learnt from the sea.

"From the sea came wisdom, it made men of the boys

It brought with it blessings and untold joys."

Saif Mohammad Bel Qaizi recites a sea song. His voice may be feeble with age but his eyes brighten as he takes us deeper into his days at sea. "The sea was our provider. She gave from herself so that we may grow. She connected us with the rest of the world. We never could measure the vastness of her bounty. Sometimes silent, sometimes rough she was like a teacher, always preparing us for life ahead. From her we understood the significance of being self-sufficient and strong. We worked hard to harvest food and fortune from the ocean bed. We traded pearls for what we didn't have and later we grew as a nation from the wealth of her oil. A lot has changed between then and now but the respect that we hold for the sea will always remain the same."

Finding a footing in water

Qaizi owns a shipbuilding factory in Jadaf, Dubai. Here, he oversees the construction, maintenance and supply of traditional boats to government bodies and private collectors. His life has been a series of ups and downs all contributing to make him a truly strong person. He lost his father when he was very young. Being the eldest child and only son in the family the responsibility of taking care of his mother and sisters fell upon his shoulders. His first sea expedition was when he was just six years old. "In the summer, the men and boys went to sea and in winter we studied deeniyat (Islamic studies) and carpentry. We did not have any schools or formative learning systems - our elders took us to work with them and we observed them do their tasks. Occasionally we would also be given tasks to do. The children who did well were rewarded by being given permission to go at sea. As I grew up I was given various age-appropriate jobs on deck until I became a pearl diver in my teenage years. I also learnt to use tools to repair simple machines and do carpentry. Finding work was never difficult; we just had to be willing to put in our best. There were no allowances or bonuses. Your employer provided you with lunch and a cup of tea for the mid-day break. Wages were given at the end of the month based on the effort you put in. Everything depended on your hard work and perseverance. When the [importance of the] pearling industry diminished due to the discovery of oil, I was able to continue working at shipyards and soon set up my own business. I made the most of what life gave me. This is what the sea taught me - if the ocean bed is empty we should seek better grounds by using our skills.

Contentment in the lap of water

"Building a boat is an art in itself. In old times, we never used drawings or plans to construct a dhow. It was built using knowledge and experience passed down over generations. We used set squares and quadrants to ensure that the dimensions of the vessel were accurate. All steps were taken to ensure that the boat was strong and ready to face the rough seas. Many lives depended on the work we did, the slightest leak could prove fatal for the crew and the voyage itself.

"Days at sea were long and hard but we never felt uneasy or lost. A sense of belonging came over us as we set sail. We worked as a large unit and took orders from the captain without arguments or dispute. There were rules to live by and tasks to complete. We rose at dawn and laboured until sunset. We sang songs of the sea to keep our spirits high. We took pride in whatever we had and never hesitated to share it with others. Times were difficult but we were content; we knew no other way of being. It was the small and simple things that we found bliss in. After a long day of tedious toil, we felt fortunate to have a dry place on the deck. We wove dreams for our future under the stars as the great big ocean rocked us to sleep on our fibre mats.

Life imitates the sea

"Life is nothing more than a voyage into the ocean of fate. Sometimes we are blessed with a lot of good fortune and other times there are difficulties. Only a boat with a strong foundation triumphs the storm. The children today have many luxuries. They are influenced by many foreign elements. There are benefits and losses in all opportunities. It is for us to give the youth the understanding of good and bad. They must take forward the simple teachings of their tradition. They should be hard working, honest and self-sufficient. Education is most important followed by humility. The waves of life are important because they take you forward and lead you to the fruits that lie ahead. The one who fears the waves either remains on the shore or stays still (without any progress) in the sea. It is important to judge the sea and move accordingly. This applies to us all, not just seamen."

A wave from the past

For more than 7,000 years people of the Emirates have lived by the shore but the stories from the sea are steadily becoming silent. The Sharjah Maritime Museum is putting in a lot of effort to keep this wave from the past alive. At the museum one can see traditional wooden seafaring dhows used for fishing, trading and pearling. Every aspect of the maritime history has been documented - right from the tools used to make boats to the instruments used for mapping the voyage. The museum aims at collecting, preserving, studying, documenting and displaying maritime heritage and presenting it to a large audience to show the vibrant side of daily Emarati life in the past and to instil national pride among the youth.

Khawla Almuhrizi, the curator at the Sharjah Maritime Museum, feels very strongly about the heritage of her country. "These traditions were once a way of life for my country,'' she says. "I feel proud to represent the history and narrate stories of the sea to visitors. There are many lessons that we can take from our forefathers - the quality that I admire the most is their ability to be content with what they had. They were humble and it is their hard work that created a flow of ideas, experiences and influences.

"The elderly still talk about the hardships that made them strong. Some have passed on their knowledge to their next generations; others have allowed their youth to take the more comfortable lifestyle. No matter what they chose to do with the memories they have, theirs was the past that showed the light to the days we are now living. We owe a lot to these brave men and their voyages," concludes Khawla.

The Zen of free diving

The art that the divers of the past excelled in has become the life philosophy of Adel Abu Haliqa, the UAE National Freediving Champion (who broke two Asian continental records and two UAE national records at the 3rd Mediterranean World Cup held in Greece). Though he had been dabbling with the concept of freediving as a young boy, he took it up full scale only a few years ago. He qualified as an AIDA Freediving instructor so that he could take his passion forward. Earlier this year, he set up Freediving UAE with Alex Bouting (also an AIDA instructor). Together they offer freediving courses and training across the UAE. "Freediving is an act of will power and endurance. It is a sport that allows me to be one with the underwater world and myself. I intend to raise its profile in the region because it has a deep connection with our heritage of pearl diving. It is in our blood to be with the sea and beyond," he says.

"The freedom in this diving form is different from scuba diving. You go below without the gear, you move faster, you take in and connect at a different level altogether. The serene and calm is overwhelming. The ‘taste' of fresh air after you emerge from the deep is so warm and refreshing.

"To take up this sport was my means of connecting with my heritage. It helped me become a teacher and pass on this skill to others. The sport demands a level of physical fitness and self-discipline. These are all traits that our forefathers grew with and which we should incorporate in our lives not just in sport. This is my ambition, this is my aim," says Adel. F