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UAE's diving team carries out salvage operations in Thailand
ABU DHABI — Twenty-seven UAE divers, all members of the Emirates Diving Society in Dubai and representing 13 different nationalities, narrated their experience of helping the tsunami-hit residents of Thailand, where they had gone on a voluntary mission.
Jumaa bin Thalith, coordinator of Heritage Diving Society, said they were the only Arab team to land in Thailand to assist the tsunami victims by taking up salvage operations off the shores of B.B. Island. "The team salvaged a lot of items belonging to the victims through their diving expedition besides making a survey of the damage caused to the marine environment by the tsunami," he said.
"The idea to carry out the expedition occurred to us at a Marine Environment Exhibition in Dubai. A delegation from Thai Airways appreciated the show and the unique experience of the diving society’s members. They suggested that we organise a humanitarian trip to Thailand to learn about the devastation caused by the tsunami, besides making use of the UAE youths’ experience in cleaning marine environment," he said.
He said the 27 divers were selected from the 700-strong membership of the diving society, since they were equipped with the necessary skills to conduct search and salvage operations.
Mohammed Al Bittar, coordinator of Diving Projects in the Emirates Diving Society, said: "The mission lasted five days when the team took to diving from 6am to 5pm every day, following a specific programme at a depth of 10 metres. Visibility was almost nil due to the water currents. We were advised by the natives of B.B. Island not to dive, but we went ahead with the task in hand."
He said the divers were divided into teams or technical groups to conduct searches in specific areas, with each diving session lasting 45 minutes. "Each team had to dive five times a day. We fished out many passports, which helped in identifying people who were lost in the storm. We found clothes and unused children’s belongings in addition to wrapped gift boxes, keys to rooms of hotels all over Thailand, a large number of bicycles and motorcycles. We had done well," he said.
"During our five-day expedition, we explained the civilisational aspects of the UAE and its humanitarian stance towards various peoples of the world," he said.
He said that the governor of one of the Islands received the UAE diving team in his office in the presence of the regional director of Thai Airways in the UAE.
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