Reham Farrash
MY family and I were having a nice vacation at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt when I decided I wanted to try diving. I took a crash course about safety measures so that I would not miss enjoying the beauty of the sea creatures and coral reefs in the Red Sea.
However, I failed and found myself calling for help only a few seconds after I had dived. I was pulled up fast and raised the white flag to show that I would not be able to continue the trip into the deep sea. My other colleagues carried on and came back speaking nonstop about the beauty of their experience. I simply missed it because I failed. I asked myself why we do not have similar diving activities for women and all members of the family in our country. After all, the Kingdom is replete with mesmerizing marine life.
I discussed this issue during a Studio 7 TV Show, which I present, and even invited a number of professional divers, male and female, and government representatives. It turned out that there are over 5,000 Saudis who love and practice diving and the divers I spoke to recommend it for anyone who wants to feel relaxed. However, they agreed that they cannot practice this sport as freely as they want because of some obstacles.
First, diving as a sport is regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture, which considers this sport a form of fishing although divers are not allowed to fish. Many have called upon the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage to regulate diving and be responsible for it and be the organization that issues diving licenses and provides facilities, support and investment options.
Currently, the zones where one can dive seem to be limited and divers want authorities to allocate more zones for them. The guests to the programs said that diving could generate income for the country and investment if regulated as a tourism activity. It could be a form of diversified income and a good escape to anyone who is looking for different entertainment. The Red Sea has the largest number of coral reefs in the world.
Opening diving to family members can strengthen social ties and create the right environment where family members can escape from the pressures of daily life. Parents can strengthen bonding with their sons and daughters as well. The female divers I hosted on the show wished that the authorities would allocate women’s zones where they could dive and enjoy the experience more.
