Page 467 - 6 Persian Trade rep BUSHIRE 2_Neat

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THE PEARL INDUSTRY IN BAHREIN.
For centuries the Persian Gulf has been famous for its pearls
and at present the centre of the industry and the chief market in
the Gulf is at Bahrein, where over 500 diving boats are registered.
About 15,000 of the inhabitants of Bahrein gain a living by diving
for pearls, and during the season large numbers of divers migrate
annually from Persia and the Arab coast. About another 15,000
divers are engaged in the industry off the coasts of Qatar and the
Trucial Oman, while Kuwait employs another 5,000 men approxi­
mately, but exact figures are difficult to obtain.
The diving season lasts from about the middle of May until the
middle of October and is subdivided into three periods, the first,
known as Khanchieyah, lasting about 25 days; the main season,
known as Ghaus, lasting about 4 months and 10 days; and the
second short season, known as Raddah, lasting about 20 to 25
days.
Every year the Sheikh fixes the beginning and end of the
Ghaus by a proclamation and orders all divers to report to the
captains of their diving boats a week or so beforehand so that the
boats may be prepared for sea. The short seasons are not fixed
by proclamation and the time of commencement depends on the
weather.
When a boat has reached a likely position on the pearl banks,
which are free to all comers, it is anchored and the oars are fixed
horizontally above the water. Two ropes arc made fast to each
oar; one of these has a weight attached to it to help the diver to
reach the bottom while the other is used to pull him up if he is
diving in deep water. The average depth is about 20 feet.

Each diver is provided with a clip, like a clothes peg, which he
fixes on his nose, and a pair of hard leather finger guards to enable
him to dislodge the shells without cutting his hands. Round his
neck is slung a string bag in which he puts the shelTs as he plucks
them. On rising to the surface he hands the shells over to the
oarsmen who heap them on the deck.
The shells are opened every morning before diving begins, and
are then thrown back into the sea owing to a superstition that this
ensures a good crop the next year. The captain of the boat super­
intends the opening of the shells, taking any pearls found and
locking them up in a sea chest. —
Diving is, of course, an unhealthy and very arduous profession,
earl mg boats are very overcrowded and sometimes remain
at sea for two months at a time. The majority of divers
suffer from ear trouble. Rupture of the eardrum is almost
universal, and men are scarcely considered proficient divers
un 11 th,s has occurred. Emphysema of the lungs is com­
mon and generally leads to permanent bronchial trouble.