Dhow boats carrying divers attend the inauguration of the 32nd Pearl Diving Festival at a dock in Al-Salmiya, Hawalli Governorate, Kuwait, Aug. 12, 2023. The 32nd Pearl Diving Festival kicked off Saturday here in the Kuwaiti capital after three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier in the day, up to 60 young divers boarded two dhow boats to embark on a pearl-finding trip that could last for several days, according to the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA). (Photo by Asad/Xinhua)
KUWAIT CITY, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 32nd Pearl Diving Festival kicked off Saturday here in the Kuwaiti capital after three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier in the day, up to 60 young divers boarded two dhow boats to embark on a pearl-finding trip that could last for several days, according to the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
The dhows headed from the dock of Kuwait Sea Sports Club, the event's organizer, in Al-Salmiya, toward Khairan in Kuwait Bay, said the report.
The annual event was held under the sponsorship of Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to commemorate the traditional Kuwaiti pearl fishery. It used to be a primary industry before large oil reserves were proven in the country.
Usually, divers need to go about 10 meters from the surface by freediving, meaning without the use of breathing equipment, and searched for pearls from wild shells. ■
