Mapping dive sites in Gulf

The largest pearl collection in the Middle East is stored at the National Bank of Dubai (NBD) headquarters in Dubai.
The process of pearl diving... Pearl diving was a meticulous process using lead weights to drag divers to the seabed and ropes to heave them out of the water.
The process of pearl diving... Pearl diving was a meticulous process using lead weights to drag divers to the seabed and ropes to heave them out of the water.
The process of pearl diving... Pearl diving was a meticulous process using lead weights to drag divers to the seabed and ropes to heave them out of the water.
The process of pearl diving. Pearl diving was a meticulous process using lead weights to drag divers to the seabed and ropes to heave them out of the water.

Dubai: The Arabian Gulf is the largest natural pearl diving area in the world, according to Captain Mohammad Khalifa Bin Thalith from Dubai Ports at Jebel Ali Ports, who spent 4 years putting together a map of pearl dive sites.

The original map, which dates back 69 years and represents some of the most popular dive sites, was used to recreate a more legible record of places sought out by pearl divers.

"Some locations are 500 miles away. It was a great mission to go there. The best pearl sites are oil fields now so access is limited. There are eight areas, about 30 per cent which we can't get to," said Thalith.

"Pearl diving went on until 1950. It was very popular and competitive. Some sailors would swallow the big or precious pearls to hide them, but generally the divers had to have trust in the men on the ship," he said. Once the pearls were collected the oyster shells were thrown back into the sea.

Dive sites could have up to 1,200 ships on them at one time depending on the season.

The yield of pearls collected was then divided between the men aboard, with the captain, diver and the Al Saib - the man who pulled the diver back to the surface - receiving a major part of the harvest.

"Pearls had a great economic importance because people here only had palm trees and the sea. Money was made either by fishing or pearl diving.

"The price fluctuated a lot and it is difficult to say how much a pearl was worth back then, it was in Indian rupee too," said Thalith. Apparently the best year for pearls on record though was 1912, he said.