About a year ago, local fishermen told Simon Nadim that they had noticed something strange on the typically flat seabed off the UAE’s east coast.
Spotted on sonar readings, it appeared to be a shipwreck or coral reef and was about 10 metres tall.
Mr Nadim, the Lebanese founder of the XR Hub diving school in Fujairah, knew he had to solve the mystery in the depths.
After months of preparation, what he found at a depth of 144 metres on November 23 was not a shipwreck, however, but a remarkable formation of corals not typically encountered at that depth in these waters. These types of corals are effectively unstudied in this region and could be home to species not previously found here.
“My first impression was that I had landed on Mars,” said Mr Nadim, who has been diving in the Emirates for seven years and said the dive was a record depth for the UAE. “The site was an underwater hill and composed of a very strange rock formation. This is not something normal.”
Part of the coral reef found by the team. Corals are not typically found at these depths in UAE waters. Photo: Simon Nadim / XR Hub
The dive was an advanced type known as a technical dive, meaning beyond the limits of traditional recreational activity that tends to stop at a depth of about 40 metres. Divers use a special blend of gases to go deeper and these depths are off limits to only the most experienced.
Mr Nadim, who previously dived to the wreck of the German U-boat 533 that lies about 110 metres down and discovered part of the Ines, an oil tanker that sank and broke in two in 1999, knew this dive would be harder. Exact depths can vary slightly depending on instruments, tides and changes to the sea floor, especially in this region because the seabed is sand.
The team set off from the base at Fujairah at 6am to the location about 30km east to north-east. Mr Nadim was supported by a team that included members from Abu Dhabi Civil Defence. The support team placed gas tanks on the line at required depths to support the lead diver.
Mr Nadim used what is known as a rebreather ― which mixes the gases he breathes as the dive progresses, allowing the diver to be submerged for longer. Underwater scooters are used to move around more easily although divers must be wary of getting entangled in abandoned fishing lines that can litter the seabed.
As Mr Nadim reached the bottom, he entered the silent world ― a twilight zone of dark blue in the depths. Footage of the dive shows him whirring around the coral reef. There was active marine life including small fish and even some barracuda. Several unexplained phenomena occurred, such as clouds of silt being ejected from the coral and a higher water temperature, about 23°C, at the bottom compared with 21°C at 130 metres.
“I’ve never encountered hills at the bottom of the sea,” he said. “There are no mountains on the seabed here. It is a sloping bottom slowly going deeper and deeper. So to have this suddenly go up is strange.
“I left the site with many questions. Could it be a location of thermal springs? Why did the temperature increase at the bottom? What is the nature of the marine life at the bottom? What is causing the clouds of silt ejecting out of the rocks?”
Mr Nadim said the dive was the deepest in the UAE and Gulf region. There is no database of dives yet but he said this was gleaned from contacts in the dive community. By comparison, the deepest dive in the world was one of more than 300 metres in the Red Sea several years ago. Mr Nadim spent 20 minutes on the seabed and a staggering seven hours carrying out decompression stops on the ascent to prevent sickness known as “the bends”, which can be fatal.
“During this time I observed small bubbles coming from the sea floor. I found this weird. Are these thermal springs or vents? An active one would be more visible.”
Deep sea diver Simon Nadim is based in Fujairah. Antonie Robertson / The National
The footage and photographs of the dive are now being studied by marine biologists and geologists and Mr Nadim is planning more dives there and potentially take samples. One main question is why are corals at that depth in UAE waters ― known as the “mesophotic zone” ― and how old are they?
“While we know of mesophotic reefs occurring in the Red Sea, this is the first evidence that I am aware of for corals being observed at nearly 150 metres depth in eastern Arabia,” said John Burt, an associate professor at NYU Abu Dhabi and an expert in coral reefs.
Prof Burt said while these corals are highly vulnerable they represent a “ray of bright light in the dark era of climate change” because these deep water corals and fish will produce larvae that drift into the shallows and aid recovery of reefs after they suffer bleaching events that occur during heatwaves. “They represent a 'biological insurance' against climate change,” he said.
Prof Burt cautioned that any surveys must be performed very delicately and specimens must be collected in a targeted way to minimise disruption to the ecosystem. “This is a system that has never [previously] had human visitation ― ever ― and we want to maintain that system in as pristine a state as possible,” he said. “It really does represent a natural asset for the Emirates.”
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request
What are the regulations?
Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
Should have a live feed of the drone flight
Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre Power: 150hp Torque: 250Nm Price: From Dh139,000 On sale: Now
