The world’s oceans face a myriad threat: Worldwide, coral reefs are being irreparably damaged. Species of marine life are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Conservation of the marine ecosystem is at a delicate point, and there is no group better placed for the advocacy of marine protection than the dive industry.
Oman is surrounded by the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and Oman Sea from three directions; north, east and south, giving it a coastline that is 3,165 km (1,967 miles) long. With its extensive beaches and crystal waters, Oman has a wealth of underwater treasures to be discovered.
Meet Dee a.k.a Ehdaa al Barwani, Oman’s first and only female PADI scuba diving instructor whose mission is to not only share her love for the world under the sea but also educate and train a new generation of divers who not only expose the world under but also the devastation us on land continue to cause it.
“It all started whilst I was backpacking through south-east Asia and I ran out of money, and as I was looking for a job and that’s when I got drawn to diving. It seemed like the natural thing to do living by the coast, with beautiful views and amazing dive spots and that’s when I took my first dive and I was instantly hooked.” Said Dee.
Took her first dive in 2011, Dee now trains and has been a PADI certified scuba instructor for the past year.
Diving, whether scuba or free, has always been a popular sport in Oman amongst both locals and tourists, especially its diverse marine life and amazing dive sites makes it the perfect place to enjoy the beach and enjoy the world below sea level. But what Dee noticed was although it was popular, divers were more commonly men. Ladies seemed interested, but culture and comfort often got in the way and without many ladies teaching diving, many women didn’t feel comfortable enough to learn in such a male-centric space. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to be the first female instructor, I got a job in Salalah and I went there for one season that lasted 6 months and then came back and that’s when I realised I was the only female Omani instructor, there were many ladies who were dive masters, but non who were PADI certified instructors. That’s when I realised, it was time I opened up my centre, encourage the ladies to join. They are interested, and they are keen to join but without a space that didn’t cater to them, they weren’t able to. And to my surprise, once I opened up my centre, I was shocked by the number of girls and women signing up and honestly, it made me so proud, so proud!.” She said.
Scuba diving is probably the best way to experience Oman’s marine life as you get as close as possible to its hidden treasures and the oceans and coral reefs are under ever-increasing pressure from the burgeoning human populations and the effects that they have on our oceans.
Oceans full of plastics, reefs degraded by pollution, warming oceans causing coral bleaching, the list of threats to the world’s oceans goes on. Dive instructors train the scuba divers of the future, but they also have a role to play in training them how to be environmentally respectful and responsible divers.
Initiatives by groups or individuals, clearing up beaches and public spaces are an amazing way to get involved, but its a small solution to a very big problem. Like the beaches in the rest of the world, The Sultanate too faces the problem of people leaving behind their trash, and whether plastic or not, it doesn’t belong in our oceans where they invariably end up.
Dee Explained, “We have a beautiful coastline, why not venture into it. And along with the adventure, teach. We’re sitting here screaming about too much plastic and use reusable, too many straws and too much rubbish in the oceans but other than a few socially aware groups of people, most don’t seem to understand the extent of the issue that the earth and our seas are facing. And it’s not that they don’t care, but they haven’t seen for themselves how bad things are underneath the water. “
Marine debris has become an ‘unnatural disaster’ of epic proportions. This is probably no surprise to the many scuba divers out there that have discovered pollution in its many forms strewn about what would otherwise be a pristine underwater paradise.
The way to tackle the issue is not having groups cleaning up on land and under the sea but removing these problems, to begin with. Like many other countries, plastics can and should become a thing of the past, bags, straws, drink lids alike. We need to create awareness, not through lectures and lessons but actual awareness by showing people what the extent of the damage is along with the actual harm it is causing to our oceans and marine life. We need people and organisations to come up and become more proactive by educating and training people and this is something the
Dee is very keen on with her organisation.
She said, “Something I’m very particular about when I take my groups out is not only focusing on their training but also reminding them that their jackets (BCD) have pockets. So if you see a piece of plastic, or a cap or some sort of trash that doesn’t belong there, you pick it up and put it in your pocket. Other than the evil plastic, another thing you see trash at the bottom are soda cans and often fish end up living in them. These cans wreak havoc as they rust, and leech toxins from the paint into the water and to the fish that use it as a spot to live or hide in and it is important to always empty the cups before putting them into your pocket and my students are often so surprised with what they find in the cans. It’s amazing but I’ve noticed that as they watch me do it, they have started doing it and now many even do it when they go on dives on their own and it honestly makes me proud but also made me realise how important it is to lead by example.”
Follow Dee and her fellow aura divers @dive.with.dee and if you want to join the crew yourself, check out their website www.auradivers.com
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