Into the deep

Mohammad Ebrahim is one of the few UAE nationals who are diving instructors. Brought up in seaside Khor Fakkan, he always dreamed of being able to breathe underwater. He tells Lorraine Chandler how he set up the first independent diving centre on the East Coast.

He looks like a diver, with his long lean body and toned muscles. He seems younger than his 35 years, perhaps because most men his age have already lost the glossy sheen of youth and started piling on the inevitable weight of middle age.

It's going to be a while before Mohammad Ebrahim starts looking older and that's partly because of his delightful tendency to smile frequently and his simple approach to living. Here is a man who loves people and life and has done exactly what he always dreamed of doing. Is there any wonder he's so happy?

Ebrahim grew up beside the romantic Indian Ocean of the UAE's East Coast.

As a child, he spent hours diving from cliffs into the sea, exploring rock pools and daydreaming about one day breathing underwater. His favourite TV programmes were underwater exploration documentaries, a love shared by his mother.

At 15, he left school to join the army, although he managed to get his high school diploma by studying at night at various colleges until he was 18. For a year, he commuted between his home in Khor Fakkan and the base in Sharjah, unable to tear himself away from what was then a small village.

At 16, he moved to Abu Dhabi and stayed there until he was 18. He was then ready to achieve his life's ambition and went to a diving shop in Sharjah to buy a scuba tank. But there he was surprised to learn that he first needed to train as a diver.

Unwilling to be stopped at the first hurdle, Ebrahim made his way to a diving centre but was frustrated to learn that tuition only took place in English, which, at that stage, he wasn't fluent in.

For the next two years he was based in Texas, where he attended army training - something he prefers not to talk about. Intent on learning to dive, he asked his father to send him to England to improve his language skills.

So in 1991, he took a six-month break from the army and went to Bournemouth to learn English at a language college. But even after this, he admits he was clueless about some of the more technical diving terms.

In October 1991 Ebrahim finally got the chance to dive in an unlikely place - New Mexico Lake, Texas, where he was again attending army training. However, his first dive was disappointing as visibility was poor and he didn't see much.

It was only later, when a friend took him out on a boat in Khor Fakkan, that he realised his dream. With visibility as far as 15 metres, he was amazed by the underwater world and resolved to keep diving.

He continued undergoing training sessions in the US over the following years, including periods in Florida and San Diego, but returned home regularly, where he noticed that there were very few locals learning to dive in the UAE, particularly because all the courses were only being taught in English.

In 1991, before he'd learnt to dive, Ebrahim had offered his services to Gunther Hormann at Sandy Beach Diving Centre. Hormann took him up on his offer and the two worked together for several years, whenever Ebrahim was in the UAE.

One of his roles was translating instructions for Arabic clients. By 1995, Hormann had trained him to become a dive master and encouraged him to open his own diving school.

Initially apprehensive about the project, Ebrahim took the plunge in late 1995 when he set up 7 Seas Divers, the first independent diving centre on the East Coast. Yet he continues to hold down a day job in Abu Dhabi, travelling back to Khor Fakkan on weekends.

"I do this as a hobby really, because my main income is my job," he says. "We treat our customers as friends and we've gained a reputation as the friendliest, most relaxed dive centre in the country."

In its 10 years of operation, 7 Seas has taught open water diving to more than 600 people. Ibrahim is proud that 40 per cent of these are UAE nationals, who he instructs in Arabic.
"Diving is very close to my heart," he says with a grin, "and I feel fortunate to share this with many people from various nationalities."

Ebrahim is probably not going to become a millionaire with his diving school - but then, that's not something he wants. He loves diving and he enjoys sharing this passion with others.

I
I find every dive different ? it's like taking a short holiday each time I go under. I feel like I am visiting a secret world beneath the sea. When I find something new underwater I sometimes spend 10 minutes just looking at it.

I loved water from a young age. I remember we used to spend ages playing in the rain and we went swimming a lot. I'm the only one in my family, though, who is still connected to the sea.

I am a very patient instructor and feel really happy when people have a great weekend learning to dive.

I love meeting new people and going out together. My job is very social and sometimes I travel or go camping with new diving friends.

I was driving to Abu Dhabi one evening when I came up with the name 7 Seas Divers. I didn't know about the song (of the same name by Echo and the Bunnymen) but I was thinking on the lines of seven emirates, seven seas.

I still have a lot of customers from (our first year of operation) because the dive centre is very social and friends often drop by for a chat. Diving is not just about putting a tank on your back and going into the water. I've met a lot of Western friends through diving and it's good to share cultures.

Me
Me and my parents:
My dad always encouraged me to dive and the sea fascinates my mother. She watches a lot of underwater TV programmes and asks me what it's like underwater. She used to (confuse) diving with scuba diving and ask me how long I could hold my breath for, but I had to explain to her that I didn't need to hold my breath. She still worries about me, though.

When I came home from the States, I brought diving equipment with me.

My dad asked why my luggage was so heavy and I told him it contained a tank, but my brother and father thought I was joking. My dad thought I would do some fishing once I dived deep enough, but I had learned in the States to never harm the fish. He asked me, "What's the point (then) in carrying this heavy tank?"

But when he knew more about diving, he asked me to teach my brothers. I told him I couldn't do that yet because I wasn't a qualified dive instructor.

My dad had a tough life because he never really had a settled job. He even tried to run a small shop but it didn't work out. So when he heard I was opening a dive centre, he was worried that I would have an unstable existence.

However, I reassured him that I would continue with the day job in Abu Dhabi and then he was very supportive. He used to ask me how many (UAE nationals) were being instructed and then he used to ask me why I didn't teach more (of them).

I'm very like my father, and he taught me a lot of important lessons. He always told me not to upset others because "today you're here, tomorrow you're gone". He worked so hard to provide for us and encouraged me throughout my life. When he passed away in March, I felt part of me had died too.

Because life was very difficult in the past, my mum and dad always wanted me to have a better life. My mum still thinks of me as a little boy and is often calling me to warn me of traffic dangers.

Me and my children:
I was married between 1986 and 1993 to a Bahraini girl. At the time I didn't know it, but I was too young and it didn't work out. I have three children. Adnan is 16, but I haven't pushed him into diving.

In the past, fathers used to push children into the same profession as themselves. Instead, I want him to finish school and go to university. Similarly, I wouldn't like him to get married as young as I did.

My daughters, Amal and Mariam, are 13 and 14. They live part of the time with their mother and part of the time with me. I treat my children as friends and when we go on holiday to places like Singapore and Thailand, I ask them what activities they would like to do, rather than just telling them what to do. When we're not together we talk a lot on the phone, sometimes spending hours chatting.

Me and Gunther Hormann:
In 1991, I was back at home on leave and I went into the German Dive Centre in Khor Fakkan (attached to Sandy Beach Hotel) to speak to the diving instructor Gunther Hormann. I hadn't yet got my dive master course but I offered to help him in any way I could; he was then working alone.

Two hours later he was involved in a car accident and nobody at the scene of the accident spoke English. He called me and took up my offer of help (and I acted as an interpreter for him).

After that, he instructed me in becoming a dive master, a feat I accomplished in 1995. I assisted him by translating the instructions for (UAE nationals) who didn't speak English well.

He always encouraged me to open my diving centre but I was nervous because I knew he himself had been involved in some difficult situations. At one time, there was a rough sea and his boat got damaged, costing between Dh10,000 and Dh15,000 to repair.

Me and diving:
When (in 1991) I went to Texas, I just looked up the yellow pages and found a scuba diving school. It was called M&W Diving and my first course cost $150 (Dh552). The teacher had to help me with some technical vocabulary I didn't know.

I became a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) open water diver within 10 days. Later I went on to do the PADI advanced open water, PADI rescue diver and PADI dive master courses.

I thought my first dive would be a dream come true, but I was a bit disappointed because I didn't see much. It was only when I returned to Khor Fakkan that I really saw how exciting diving could be. My friend owned a boat and took me out to a place called the Hole in the Wall where three rocks are grouped together under the water.

I was able to see an octopus and stingray and decided it was definitely worth spending some money on diving. I improved my English while I was training for the military in the States.

I would have liked to travel and dive more there, but we had a lot of restrictions in the military. For example, they wouldn't let us travel to Mexico for our own safety.

In 1997, I finished (another stint of) training sessions in the US and returned to Abu Dhabi. That year I went to complete my PADI open water instructor course with Kamal Al Sayed, a director in Jeddah who was the first to translate a diving instruction book into Arabic. Then in 2002 I received my PADI master instructor licence.

I was finding it too difficult to commute to Khor Fakkan every weekend so in 2002, I left the military and took up a civilian job in warehousing with the army in Abu Dhabi. I went on to join Takker (oil refinery) as a safety manager in 2003. I also got a lot of diving students through this job.

Me and 7 Seas Divers:
I set up 7 Seas Divers at the end of 1995. I had the idea for a while, but one day I met a close friend of mine who'd become an instructor (and we discussed the idea). Then while I was driving to a football match in Khor Fakkan, I almost had a car crash with an old student of mine, Faisal Hosseny.

At the time I had Dh100,000 in my pocket because I expected to meet the friend who
I'd planned to open the centre with. Faisal and I got talking and decided to go into business together.

He was younger than me, which I thought was good, because he would listen to my advice. We rented a shop and bought the equipment. It was difficult to get a trade licence because we were the first independent dive shop on the East Coast.

I wasn't an instructor at the time so Gunther helped me out. We started training (UAE nationals) but it was tough because there weren't many, particularly because most Khor Fakkan locals spend their weeks working in Dubai or Abu Dhabi so don't have much time at the weekend.

I was disappointed with the initial response and my partner had to pull out of the business after six months.

I decided I needed to appeal to both (UAE nationals) and Westerners and I hired someone to keep the centre open during the week. I got a lot of encouragement from friends.

The numbers are growing every year, but it can be challenging. Over the years, we've taught more than 600 people open water diving and have qualified 20 dive masters, 20 assistant instructors and 10 instructors.

Myself
Many UAE nationals love the sea. Do you think it's something inherent in them?
We have two very different environments. Those who grow up by the sea love it, even from generation to generation. But those who originally come from the desert are closer to that.

A few people love both landscapes. What are your most memorable diving experiences?
I've travelled around the world diving, including going to Sri Lanka, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia and Italy. The Red Sea disappointed me because it didn't live up to all the stories I had heard and visibility was poor at the time.

That's why I prefer to dive somewhere I haven't heard too much about so that I don't build up expectations. My favourite diving location in Khor Fakkan, but I had a wonderful experience in Musandam (in Oman) when I saw a whale shark.

How do people generally act when they'relearning how to scuba dive?
I find when people are learning, they never show their fear to others. Each one tries to show the other that he is tougher.

Diving can be pretty dangerous when it goes wrong. What sorts of people are attracted to it?
I think anyone who likes marine life is attracted to diving. As a child, I used to watch underwater documentaries and ask myself, "How do they breathe?"

But safety is very important. Whenever we have first-time customers, we check their logbooks to make sure they have the right qualifications.

If equipment is maintained, there shouldn't be any problems for experienced divers, and we keep a supply of oxygen on our boat for emergencies.

Have you had any bad experiences that have made you change your view of mankind?
Unfortunately, I've learned not to trust anyone. I was once asked to be the guarantor for a Dh250,000 loan someone had taken from the bank. However, he subsequently left the country and I was left responsible for paying the money back.

When you go underwater, do you feel it is a type of meditation for you?
I forget everything when I'm underwater. You get away from everything, including mobile phones. I like the silence and it's pure magic when you see the bubbles travelling to the surface of the water.

It's almost like doing yoga because it's so relaxing. The only thing is that I feel I'm disturbing the fish. They're not disturbed at Martini Beach at Khor Fakkan because they're used to divers, but if it's somewhere where people don't dive much, you can see how easily the fish are scared.