Pearl Diving Qatar

Pearl Diving in Qatar

Before oil was discovered in 1939, Qatar’s main money-making industry was pearling. Being a spherical peninsula bulging at the north of Saudi Arabia to the Persian Gulf, oysters in Qatar utilize the region’s popularly salty water in creating pearls with distinct luster. Despite being known as a major employment sector, pearl diving in Qatar today is a commemoration of culture.

History of Qatari Pearling

Pearls from the Gulf Region, which used to be mistook as and called fish eyes, have been imported all over the globe since the Mesopotamian civilization in 2000 B.C. Before the 1700s, the Qatari Peninsula was not yet settle, but the coast offered top Gulf access for pearlers, and the industry shoot up immediately. In the early 20th century, Japan started an extreme cultivation of cultures pearl beds, and merchandise poured in the international pearl market. Alongside the Great Depression, this worldwide price decrease of pearl and decreased buying power lead to pearling to no longer be a practical option for many Qatari.

Traditional Pearling Practices

Similar to gambling, diving for pearls as a livelihood is tricky; one in 10,000 oysters contains a pearl.  Pearl diving operations included groups of ships full of divers who works in shifts, and went on journeys of 40 days up to six months. Divers utilized two ropes, a tie on their foot and one around their waist for harness to quickly go up and down in their dives. The other things they brought was a nose clip, finger covers and an oyster bag. Experienced divers boasts their ability to hold their breath for two minutes or more.

Dangers of Qatari Pearl Diving

Traditional pearl diving techniques endanger divers throughout the Gulf. Pearl divers were perpetually at risk of malnutrition and dehydration from limited access to food and fresh water, and diseases were common in close shipboard barracks. Quick dives of up to 200 feet deep put divers at risk of pressure-related headaches and illnesses, and severe cases, they could get tangled in the rope and drown. Also, the Qatari seas carry more life-threatening and immediate dangers -- the marine predators. Barracudas, sea snakes and sharks, from hammerheads to tiger sharks to great whites, were known to target divers striving to get as many oysters they can in their brief dives.

Pearls in Modern Qatar

Advances in modern technology and assets from Qatar’s oil supply have significantly altered both lifestyle and standard of living of many Qataris, moving the emphasis from the strenuous pearl-diving profession. Cultural festivals highlighting the traditional sea culture keep modern Qataris connected with their ancestral living. The yearly Qatar Marine Festival honors pearl diving with a three-day pearling competition with 13 ships and a brief educational cruise near shore. The festival focus is not only on pearling, but also the culture celebrating the leaving and returning of songs, prayers and performances related to the pearl diving trade.