29th pearl diving trip concludes today

The 29th pearl diving trip concludes today with the ‘Qefal’ ceremony in the presence of Minister of Commerce and Industry and Acting Minister of State for Youth Affairs Khalid Al-Roudhan representing His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at the Kuwait Sea Sports Club (KSSC) in Salmiya from 4:30 pm. The diving trip from July 27 to Aug 3 involved 13 traditional dhows with 200 young men.

The ceremony will begin with Roudhan touring an exhibition of art, collections and pictures of marine heritage, followed by the arrival of the diving vessels to the coast of the club. The divers will be honored after presenting their harvest of pearls to the representative of HH the Amir to mark the end of the diving season.

The diving trip started last Thursday with a ‘Dasha’ ceremony under the slogan ‘One Gulf, one destiny’ in the presence of Education Minister Mohammad Al-Fares. The Kuwaiti flag was raised, marking the start of the diving season. The dhows then headed to ‘Herat’ in Khairan, where there are plenty of oysters to practice the actual diving process over a whole week in the same old traditional way practiced by the earlier generations amidst difficult weather conditions and high temperature and humidity.

Secretary-General of KSSC Khalid Al-Foudari said that this year’s diving trip was characterized by many additions, most notably the new slogan in order to enhance the efforts of HH the Amir to reunite brothers in GCC countries and safeguard Gulf unity. He added the heritage exhibition will have new sections with the participation of divers’ families. The club invited the public and the parents to attend the ceremony and enjoy the activities that will start at 3:30 pm, including cultural competitions presented by Talal Al-Majid.