Diver takes plunge in a national first
Adel Abu Haliqa, an Abu Dhabi resident, trains at the Armed Forces Officers Club
ABU DHABI // Every time Adel Abu Haliqa steps into the water he knows he could set another national record. He set two last week alone, which is fairly impressive for a 36-year-old whose day job is running a shop selling traditional clothing.
That is because Mr Abu Haliqa last weekend became the first Emirati to compete in a world championship for freediving, which involves plumbing the depths on only one breath.
He took up the sport only two years ago, but his progress has been so rapid that he competed in the world championships in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands, setting two UAE records in the process.
The sport uses the same skills harnessed by generations of pearl fishermen in the UAE, although practised in a safe and controlled environment.
Mr Abu Haliqa, who trains at the Armed Forces Officers Club in the capital, said he hoped other Emiratis could reconnect with their pearl-diving heritage and become interested in freediving.
The championships in Eindhoven were divided into two competitions. The first saw divers hold their breath underwater for as long as possible. Mr Abu Haliqa, who has also trained as a freediving instructor, recorded a time of three minutes, 31 seconds.
In the second part, competitors had to swim underwater over as long a distance as possible using one giant fin. Mr Abu Haliqa managed to swim 73 metres, almost one and a half times the length of an Olympic-size swimming pool.
“I know I can do better and I have done better before,” he said. “But you need to make sure you are fresh at the end, the judges are looking for a diver to be completely conscious at the end.
“I have seen many people black out and then get disqualified, so I had to be careful.
“The national records are both there now, but I am going to work harder and look to better them, and hopefully Emiratis will start noticing the sport so that, maybe, we will have more Emiratis competing next time.”
The championships were won by Mikko Pontinen, of Finland, who managed to stay underwater on one breath for seven minutes, 31 seconds, and, in the second competition, swim on one breath over 178 metres.
Freediving is seen as one of the most dangerous sports on earth, although Mr Abu Haliqa said it was perfectly safe if practised correctly. In April last year, Loic Leferme, a renowned French diver, died while freediving off the coast of Nice.
Sara-Lise Haith, Mr Abu Haliqa’s instructor, followed his progress in Eindhoven via live web updates, and said he could aim for even greater achievements in future.
“I was in tears. I know it sounds stupid, but I knew how badly Adel wanted to do this and he has worked so hard. There was a lot of patriotism behind him, and through what he has achieved, he has set an example for everybody else in this country, and shown that you don’t have to black out or take risks to be successful as a freediver.
“It was very emotional and he has set a very strong foothold for this sport in the UAE.”
Ms Haith said the next step could be for Mr Abu Haliqa to compete in a team championship in Sharm-el-Sheikh, in Egypt, in April, although he would need an Emirati teammate to do so.
“We would need only one other Emirati to come forward, and if they were to succeed, they will get points and a world ranking. We need to find another Emirati with the same sense of diving responsibly as Adel, and then we could move forward.”
In the meantime, Ms Haith said, some outdoor freediving sessions were at risk because of the “red tide” currently afflicting Fujairah.
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