Captain Hamda Al Mansuri never imagined that the 'corona' pandemic would change the course of her life, moving her from the routine of work to a world of the sea full of adventure, danger, and beauty. At a time when many women were looking for a hobby to set them apart, she chose a completely different and difficult path, starting from the surface of the sea and ending at depths exceeding 100 meters, becoming the first Emirati woman to practice deep technical diving. By combining courage, knowledge, and a love for discovery, she became a role model for a woman who broke barriers and faced danger with a smile, planting a passion for adventure in the hearts of girls in the Emirates. She believed that the sea is not a source of fear, but an identity, a source of healing, and self-discovery, and a field of pride in raising the flag of the Emirates in its depths. She said: 'If we are children of the desert, we are also children of the sea, and we did not leave it, but we reached its deepest point.' About the beginning of her journey At the beginning of her interview with 'Emirates Today', Captain Hamda paused on the beginning of her attachment to the hobby of diving, coinciding with the circumstances of the global pandemic that imposed many restrictions on movement and travel, which made her decide to search for a distant and open place where she could feel freedom and security. She became attached to the sea and went on to discover its secrets, adding: 'My swimming skills helped me enroll in a specialized course in recreational diving, in which I obtained my first license. Then, my passion for the depths grew, as I discovered that it is the only place where I don't feel time and the perfect space for contemplation and tranquility, so I set out to explore its mysteries, raising the ceiling of my ambitions by gaining more experience and embarking on more adventures.' Captain Hamda started at the 'Open Water Diver' level, which is the first and most basic certification in the world of recreational diving and is considered a 'driver's license' for divers. She then went on to obtain more specialized certifications in the field, earning the Advanced Diver, Rescue, Assistant Instructor, and Recreational Diving Instructor certifications, finally reaching the most difficult and dangerous field, which is technical diving, explaining: 'I often heard from instructors that regular diving stops at a limit of 40 meters, so I used to wonder why stop at this limit? And when I didn't find a convincing answer, I started searching myself, to discover that a human can descend to greater depths using certain and precise techniques, because this type of diving trip takes several hours, so I decided to take this step and succeeded.' About her experience Hamda Al Mansuri does not limit herself to deep diving, but sought to expand her experience to include cave and ice diving: 'I dived in many places around the world, starting from the Emirates in the emirates of Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, where I reached a depth of 85 meters, then I continued my journey to Egypt, where I dived to a depth of 110 meters, and it was one of the most beautiful and unique experiences and adventures in my life. I also dived under the ice in Norway, inside the dangerous (Molnár) cave in Budapest, and in South Africa, Europe, Asia, America, and Australia, and even in the islands of Fiji and Palau in the Pacific Ocean. I believe I have not left a continent without diving in its waters, because the sea for me has no limits; it is the world I belong to.' Hamda Al Mansuri's passion did not stop at the limits of a hobby and obtaining accredited certificates, but transcended it to the field of training in various emirates of the country, describing this experience by saying: 'I trained many young men and women, and I also succeeded in training entire families of fathers, mothers, and children of different ages,' confirming her constant encouragement for people to embark on this experience full of discoveries, 'as the depths of the sea are not as scary as some imagine, but rather a space for contemplation and healing, while diving is the only sport in which a person is separated from the noise of the world.' In conclusion, Captain Hamda pointed to her efforts to establish her own school in the field of diving and to raise the ceiling of her ambitions in this difficult field locally and internationally, adding: 'I aspire to establish a school in which I will train lovers of this sport and graduate a new generation of Emirati divers who delve into the secrets of the sea with science and experience.' Unforgettable moments Captain Hamda Al Mansouri recalled her most difficult moments underwater, saying: 'During one of the diving trips inside a sunken ship, the passages were very narrow, and getting out became difficult, but after applying what I learned from cave diving training courses, I dealt with the situation calmly and got out of this predicament safely. And in another deep diving trip, I lost contact with my colleagues, so I stopped and calculated the remaining amount of air, and tried to ascend calmly towards the rope until I found them again.'
Hamda Al Mansuri: • The depths of the sea are not as scary as some people imagine, but a space for healing and separation from the noise of the world. • If we are children of the desert, we are also children of the sea, and we did not leave it, but we reached its deepest point. • Regular diving stops at a limit of 40 meters, while Captain Hamda reaches much further than that.
