Kuwait possessed highly skilled divers and master dhow makers

KUWAITIS in the olden days were known for their resilience and amazing survival skills. When the early settlers discovered the riches of their seabed, they became highly skilled divers. And pearls formed the backbone of Kuwait’s economy.

But then the Japanese took the pearl market by storm producing artificial pearls. The Kuwaiti society weathered the blow as master dhow makers supplying top-quality ships to other parts in the region and beyond.

With the discovery of oil, Kuwait’s dependence on sea almost ended, and marked the beginning of the nation’s march into modernity. However, there was one man who pursued a dream reviving the nation’s tryst with the sea. Captain Thamer Al Sayer, more fondly called Abu Hamed, thought up the idea of a Pearl Diving Heritage Revival Festival and presented it to the KSSC board during a meeting on Dec 18, 1965, which was enthusiastically endorsed by everyone.

Plans and preparations were undertaken for the first pearl diving festival which eventually set sail the following year around July, with five small sailing boats commanded by veteran seafarers with a select crew of eager youngsters who, in later years, became skippers themselves in subsequent pearl diving expeditions.

Every year since 1986, except for a two-year interlude during and after Iraqi invasion, many youngsters had the opportunity to go on a voyage of a lifetime, reliving the proud legacy of their seafaring forefathers.