July 6, 2003

Pioneering efforts are being made to introduce scuba-diving in Pakistan by training people in the sport so that they can explore the fascinating under-water world

THE calm, soothing, translucent and colourful life of the world under the sea with its mystique can tantalize anyone’s curiosity. The world within the ocean with its many hues and colours may be a fascination for some, and exploring it must be the dream of many. Pakistan has a vast coastline with some beautiful locations for diving. Some of them close to Karachi are: Chota Cherna, Bitcolli Cove, Bhilogy Cove (French Beach), Buchum Reef, Furan Reef, Xoiphide underwater forest near cape Monze, Cherna Island and the Somiani Beach.

But to explore this world, one is required not only to learn the basic techniques of swimming but also the fine art of scuba-diving. The basic gear required for scuba-diving comprises a mask, a snorkel, a cylinder, a buoyancy control device (BCD), a pair of fins, a weight belt, a waterproof wristwatch with a built-in stopwatch and, above all, a brightly coloured wet suit.

As the diver plunges into the water, he carefully checks his gear. This is absolutely necessary as a flaw can have dangerous consequences. The air cylinder should be continually monitored during the dive in case the diver runs out of air supply. He should see to it that his BCD is working properly. This device inflates and deflates at the touch of a button.

When the diver wants to descend, he puts his mask in his mouthpiece, which allows him to breath easily and deflates his BCD. Since he is carrying a heavy load, he plunges into the water fairly rapidly.

All scuba-divers are supposed to dive in pairs. This is called the buddy system in the divers jargon. Should anything go wrong, the buddy is always there to lend a helping hand to the diver in danger.

Once the diver completes his training he is ready to explore the spectacular dazzling underworld of the ocean, the blue and green waters of the sea world, where coral reefs and species of various fishes can be seen in all hues and colours that one can imagine.

A scuba-diver with special training can go down as deep as 140 feet, but anything after that is not considered sports diving due to higher risks of bends or excess of nitrogen in blood that can cause severe abdominal pain.

The man who is pioneering the efforts to introduce scuba-diving in Pakistan is Yousuf Ali. A marine engineer by profession, Yousuf has had his training at the renowned scuba-diving centre on the Pacific Coast of the United States called PADI — Professional Association of Diving Instructors, based at Santa Anna, California, with nine specialties: under water photography, search and recover, deep diving, compass navigation, natural navigation, rescue diving, research diving, equipment specialty and night diving.

In 1991, he received the prestigious rating of ‘master instructor’ and became a member of PADI Review Committee. He holds the distinction of being the Gold Instructor from PADI.

Yousuf is a dedicated diver who has had his dips in places like the Bahamas, the Bermuda, the Maldives and Florida Keys.

He shares happily that the new generation is very keen, especially those who have exposure and resources love to learn to dive. The minimum age for scuba-diving is 12 years.

He said scuba-divers received their initial training in a swimming pool after a few sessions in the classrooms. They are taught to assemble their scuba units and familiarized with the equipment. They learn how to breathe underwater and what to do in case of an emergency. They learn about buoyancy volume and pressure and are taught standardized gestures used by divers underwater.

Yousuf Ali’s dream, the Karachi Scuba-Diving Centre, has been established to organize and promote swimming, lifesaving, scuba-diving and other water sports. It provides a complete range of training programmes. The club has 60 open water certified divers, 10 advanced divers and a dive master. It regularly organizes lectures, seminars, social events and other meetings.

Asked about the expenses one has to incur to acquire the diving kit, he said: “The diving gear could be rented out to the enthusiasts through the club. If you have a set of gear it can cost only Rs350 to dive. If you are a certified diver and you need to rent a complete set, it will cost Rs1,500. If you want to buy a set, it can cost Rs55,000 to Rs125,000. The diving season is from September till early April.”

To promote further training, Yousuf plans to establish a Water Sports Academy, which would bring awareness, responsibility and education among the people about the importance of protecting the environment. The training programmes, Yousuf said, could provide valuable data to the universities, coast guard, police, commercial diving, Institute of Oceanography, beach rescue and life guards.

Yousuf has been a strong advocate of protecting the ocean from pollution and seeks help at all levels, public and governmental, in this regard. The club aims to provide leadership and institutional capacity necessary to expand the diving community’s ability to address the most critical coral reef ecosystem and aquatic resource threats.

Training and educating the fishermen and making them cautious can further protect marine life, he says. “Throwing the anchor down can damage coral reefs.” Instead marking buoys could be provided so that fishermen could tie their boats. Yousuf firmly believes that there should be a law to stop divers from picking up any marine life. For example, corals take many years to grow and an irresponsible diver can damage them with just one bad kick. In his view, picking up shells or even pieces of shipwreck should be declared illegal. “This is an offence in the Maldives where a diver could be fined $500 and in California, the authorities confiscate your diving gear.”

Governments are strained by the costs of conducting effective monitoring, analysis, research and restoration of the coral reef systems. In this regard, Yousuf believes that the dive industry has much to offer, but many divers lack scientific training and access to proper equipment, and have no broader connection to ongoing efforts that would serve as a stimulus to get involved.

A major cause for fatalities is the unpredictable behaviour of monsoon, and un-natural acts of human beings shifting sand beds and reclaiming sea for commercial benefit. Those factors contribute to formation of rip currents.

He says it is high time that related agencies provide protection and educate the people towards safe surfing of the sea. Properly trained guards should be posted during rush seasons to meet any eventuality. In this regard, Yousuf plans to train people in his academy.

While talking to this scribe, Yousuf revealed the existence of some mysterious caves near Somiani beach. He said that during the summer when the tides are as high as 30 metres, a jet stream of water emerges from the cracks in the rocks, some as far as half a mile away from the shore. However, he said, those were not only mysterious but also dangerous areas to dive or swim and many ignorant swimmers and even fishermen had succumbed to their violent currents. He said the caves were too narrow at the entrance for a diver to penetrate inside the channel and it should be the responsibility of the government agencies to warn citizens about unsafe shores.

He said the ocean, which was supposed to be a source of pleasure and livelihood, had become a source of terror, as the lives of 150 to 170 Karachites were lost every year due to ignorance and mismanagement.

An opportunity to work under the supervision of Dr Kobayashi of the Institute of Oceanography, California, enabled Yousuf to work with the local oceanography institute and he compiled data on the behaviour of the monsoon in the Arabian sea and the change in ecosystem due to the construction of the DHA Seafront Project at Clifton.

According to a computer professional, Noman Qadir, an ardent scuba-diver: “Its like flying without any assistance. You’re in the water gliding among fish and corals. You go up and down, close and distant from what you want to see at your will. You learn to value life. When you see a beautiful coral, you’re looking at thousands of years of history. The ocean is really ‘uncharted’ from many aspects. One is in a continuous state of discovery. From the personality development aspect, one learns to be responsible while enjoying total freedom when learning scuba. One takes decisions and is conscious of why he is doing so.”

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