The summer is approaching. The Princess and the Sheikh have been working long hours and it has been many days since their last adventure. During the recent months there was a short trip on a dhow and the Princess was reminded of how she loves to be on the water. In fact both the Princess and the Sheikh are water lovers. The opportunity arose when Sheikh Gary Bin Divin Deep and his wife Suzanne of Darwin, who have lived in the desert for 17 years, suggested a short cruise on a dhow.
The tradition is that three times a year a number of desert dwellers gather together at the port in Dibba, load up a dhow with diving and snorkeling gear, food and water, camping equipment and beverages and take a leisurely cruise along the Omani coast to the northern province of Oman known as the Musandam.
The cruise is led by genies of the underwater world with eyes as blue as the seas they dive and a sharp wit to match the twinkle within. The first genie is Jerry, a jolly and rotund spirit who surprises with his agility and skill. Jerry is devoted to the dive. He spends his time checking and adjusting, repairing and tendering the equipment used by all the desert folk to enter the allure of the deep. He hops from one tank to another adjusting valves and siphoning air. His hands are not still and he constantly wields a screwdriver, or a clamp, a nut or a widget that he taps to this or bolts to that. Quick with a crack he laughs out loud at his own jokes and those of his friends.
Jerry is ably assisted by a nymph with startling blue eyes, Debbie of South Africa. She surveys the sea and supports and guides, picking up a piece here, tidying away a bit there, encouraging here, cajoling there, wiping up this, attending to that and smiling all the while with a sparkle in her eye and a skip in her step. Only when the desert dwellers have descended does she sit back and relax, book in hand to enjoy the sun, the breeze and the peace and await the return of Jerry and the others from the deep.
Sheikh Gary bin Divin Deep had a laid back trip. He didn’t visit the deep this time but spent the trip checking that all the snorkeling spots were still delivering their promised wonders. Swimming around the islands and checking out the nooks and crannies he would arrive back on deck with a grin from ear to ear and announce that the corals were great, or that the fish were schooling. He gave reports on water clarity and temperature and every spot was yet another that could not be missed. I think this Sheikh must have relatives in the district, perhaps in the deep, with whom he communes. His spirit is in this place.
I met Nancy from Florida who had a mischievous smile and darted around the boat chatting and laughing and gathering the strength to face the deep. On one dive she emerged with the statement – ‘the equipment was working fine, but I wasn’t’ – she had one of those moments we all experience when fear takes charge and life looks short. By the time we reached the next dive she had conquered the demons within and spent 25 minutes re-establishing her relationship with the deep. On her next emergence from the deep she can be quoted as saying ‘Now I know why I do it…….the equipment, the fear, the hassle of suiting up……it all becomes meaningless when you are swimming with the fish all around you’
On arrival at the campsite the Princess and the Sheikh assisted all the desert dwellers and the genies to unload the boat and head for the shore. There was much merrymaking and the cove resounded to the popping of corks and the pulling of ringtabs. Sheikh Gary built a fire and the desert dwellers all cooked their food over the coals. On finishing dinner another genie appeared. He was a music genie and had a guitar and a repertoire of songs that the Princess and the Sheikh knew and so we all sang along. This genie was Mike and he was nimble of finger and his memory for melody and verse was supreme! The hours passed quickly with a song in the air and a glass in the hand and soon it was time for sleep.
Some of the desert dwellers had brought along their nylon huts to erect on the beach. The Sheikh and the Princess slept simply under the stars on a mat of air. During the night the ‘djin’ came to visit. According to local legend the djin that lives on this beach is a naked black djin and is 3 metres tall. He has flames coming out of his head and his eyes are a scary red. He only has 3 fingers on each hand so he can’t catch you but he can really give you a fright. Fortunately the Princess was told this in the morning and not before she went to bed. The djin did come though and he picked up the coals from the fire and threw sparks in the air, he breathed hot air over the camp and disturbed the desert dwellers during the night. The Princess felt his presence and hid under a towel. The Sheikh stayed watchful through the night to protect his Princess.
The Princess was once again amazed at how small the world can be when in discussion she discovered a young woman from the Fujairah tribe who had attended the same school as the Princess in the town of Glebe in the far off land of Australia. Debra of Annandale found her French Prince Charming, Christophe, in the sands of the Middle East and they have settled into the life of the desert. A kinship was established and the Princess hopes to meet up with the lovely Debra again one day.
Another thing that deserves a mention in this story is the master and his crew. Mohammed of Dibba was ably assisted by some men of the sub-continent, sailors indeed. Now Mohammed looked more like a genie than all the other genies. His skin the colour of tanned leather he was large and sturdy. His arms and legs were strong and nimble and his smile almost sparkled with the reflection of the water on brilliant white teeth. He told us tales of clashes with pirates and Iranian customs officials (I am not sure that he wasn’t confusing the two!). He dived for oysters the size of small plates and handled a runabout boat with agility and speed. A word from this genie and the boys jumped. They watched his every movement awaiting his direction and respecting his experience. He only had to look and signal and the team had the boat where he wanted it in a few minutes.
The Sheikh and the Princess enjoyed all the long hours of cruising and swimming and soon it was time once again to set off for the desert camp. Another adventure to be filed away in the memory of our wonderful Arabian Fairytale.
The tradition is that three times a year a number of desert dwellers gather together at the port in Dibba, load up a dhow with diving and snorkeling gear, food and water, camping equipment and beverages and take a leisurely cruise along the Omani coast to the northern province of Oman known as the Musandam.
The cruise is led by genies of the underwater world with eyes as blue as the seas they dive and a sharp wit to match the twinkle within. The first genie is Jerry, a jolly and rotund spirit who surprises with his agility and skill. Jerry is devoted to the dive. He spends his time checking and adjusting, repairing and tendering the equipment used by all the desert folk to enter the allure of the deep. He hops from one tank to another adjusting valves and siphoning air. His hands are not still and he constantly wields a screwdriver, or a clamp, a nut or a widget that he taps to this or bolts to that. Quick with a crack he laughs out loud at his own jokes and those of his friends. Jerry is ably assisted by a nymph with startling blue eyes, Debbie of South Africa. She surveys the sea and supports and guides, picking up a piece here, tidying away a bit there, encouraging here, cajoling there, wiping up this, attending to that and smiling all the while with a sparkle in her eye and a skip in her step. Only when the desert dwellers have descended does she sit back and relax, book in hand to enjoy the sun, the breeze and the peace and await the return of Jerry and the others from the deep.
Sheikh Gary bin Divin Deep had a laid back trip. He didn’t visit the deep this time but spent the trip checking that all the snorkeling spots were still delivering their promised wonders. Swimming around the islands and checking out the nooks and crannies he would arrive back on deck with a grin from ear to ear and announce that the corals were great, or that the fish were schooling. He gave reports on water clarity and temperature and every spot was yet another that could not be missed. I think this Sheikh must have relatives in the district, perhaps in the deep, with whom he communes. His spirit is in this place.
I met Nancy from Florida who had a mischievous smile and darted around the boat chatting and laughing and gathering the strength to face the deep. On one dive she emerged with the statement – ‘the equipment was working fine, but I wasn’t’ – she had one of those moments we all experience when fear takes charge and life looks short. By the time we reached the next dive she had conquered the demons within and spent 25 minutes re-establishing her relationship with the deep. On her next emergence from the deep she can be quoted as saying ‘Now I know why I do it…….the equipment, the fear, the hassle of suiting up……it all becomes meaningless when you are swimming with the fish all around you’
On arrival at the campsite the Princess and the Sheikh assisted all the desert dwellers and the genies to unload the boat and head for the shore. There was much merrymaking and the cove resounded to the popping of corks and the pulling of ringtabs. Sheikh Gary built a fire and the desert dwellers all cooked their food over the coals. On finishing dinner another genie appeared. He was a music genie and had a guitar and a repertoire of songs that the Princess and the Sheikh knew and so we all sang along. This genie was Mike and he was nimble of finger and his memory for melody and verse was supreme! The hours passed quickly with a song in the air and a glass in the hand and soon it was time for sleep.
Some of the desert dwellers had brought along their nylon huts to erect on the beach. The Sheikh and the Princess slept simply under the stars on a mat of air. During the night the ‘djin’ came to visit. According to local legend the djin that lives on this beach is a naked black djin and is 3 metres tall. He has flames coming out of his head and his eyes are a scary red. He only has 3 fingers on each hand so he can’t catch you but he can really give you a fright. Fortunately the Princess was told this in the morning and not before she went to bed. The djin did come though and he picked up the coals from the fire and threw sparks in the air, he breathed hot air over the camp and disturbed the desert dwellers during the night. The Princess felt his presence and hid under a towel. The Sheikh stayed watchful through the night to protect his Princess.
The Princess was once again amazed at how small the world can be when in discussion she discovered a young woman from the Fujairah tribe who had attended the same school as the Princess in the town of Glebe in the far off land of Australia. Debra of Annandale found her French Prince Charming, Christophe, in the sands of the Middle East and they have settled into the life of the desert. A kinship was established and the Princess hopes to meet up with the lovely Debra again one day.
Another thing that deserves a mention in this story is the master and his crew. Mohammed of Dibba was ably assisted by some men of the sub-continent, sailors indeed. Now Mohammed looked more like a genie than all the other genies. His skin the colour of tanned leather he was large and sturdy. His arms and legs were strong and nimble and his smile almost sparkled with the reflection of the water on brilliant white teeth. He told us tales of clashes with pirates and Iranian customs officials (I am not sure that he wasn’t confusing the two!). He dived for oysters the size of small plates and handled a runabout boat with agility and speed. A word from this genie and the boys jumped. They watched his every movement awaiting his direction and respecting his experience. He only had to look and signal and the team had the boat where he wanted it in a few minutes.
On returning to the port the Princess noticed an auction underway. Men of the sea had gathered with their catch and the auctioneer was selling fresh fish (some of it still jumping in the boat) to the highest bidder. It was a busy day in Dibba harbour with men in the various dress of their country of origin vying for the best produce and loading and off loading boats all around.
The Sheikh and the Princess enjoyed all the long hours of cruising and swimming and soon it was time once again to set off for the desert camp. Another adventure to be filed away in the memory of our wonderful Arabian Fairytale.
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