Despite the general perception of scuba diving as being a difficult and dangerous activity, nearly 90 women found that it was also a lot of fun when they joined a diving course with a training center in Shram Obhur, northwest of Jeddah. “Due to great public demand, we have started a diving course for women in compliance with the country's culture and traditions,” said diving instructor Safi Azhar. The center has hired women instructors to guide the trainees through the course, he said. They go through an intensive training program on safety regulations underwater, he added. “The trainees go from the theory of diving into practice, initially in a swimming pool to find the right weight of equipment and to teach them how to descend, ascend and breathe under water,” said Samar Saeed, head of the women's training section at the center. After a few pool dives, the women are taken for sea dives, she added. After successfully finishing four sea dives, the women will receive internationally-recognized certificates which will enable them to dive anywhere in the world, she said. “There are scheduled times for trainees to sea-dive,” said woman instructor Nuha Shaa'ban. Beginners don't dive at night in open areas, only in the mornings and afternoons, she said. For Bashayer Hamdi, it has been an exciting experience to learn how to dive. “I started with pool dives until I got used to it and then moved to sea-dives,” she said. Hamdi said that she would develop her diving skills to compete in international contests.
