"In only one hour I can gather more than 300 volunteers to help me on a project," said Ibrahim Al-Zu'bi with enthusiasm that can rarely be observed so late in the evening. Although it is past 9 pm Zu'bi, who is the Director, Environment Department at the Dubai-based Emirates Diving Association (EDA), is still at his office. In an hour's time the young Jordanian will be heading for yet another of the day's meetings.

On seeing enthusiasm like this, one cannot help but believe his statement about being able to gather a crowd of this size in such a short time in a city where life seems to be perpetually accelerating its pace. The volunteers in question are people from all ages and walks of life, whose response to EDA's numerous environmental awareness activities has been so overwhelming as to necessitate the introduction of waiting lists for most of the organisation's activities.

Founded in 1995, EDA has a number of goals. It aims to ensure satisfactory standards for the practices of commercial and recreational diving, to promote and preserve the historical aspects of diving in the UAE and the rest of the Gulf and, last but not least, to conserve the marine environment through observation, reporting and protective measures.

Educating the public about challenges to the marine environment and the little something that everyone can do to help is a key priority for Zu'bi, who is an avid diver and holds a degree in civil engineering of environment and water resources. Zu'bi's working day starts at 8:30 and this seems to be the only conventional thing about it. On a regular day he is involved in a wide array of different activities. He might spend the morning talking to school children about marine life preservation, the afternoon - meeting a government official to propose a joint environmental awareness campaign, and the evening liaising with one of the EDA's numerous international partners.

"I feel very proud by what I do," he said, also claiming that he is 'a positive environmentalist'.

"In the UAE, there is little cooperation between organisations that work to preserve the environment and this is one of the biggest challenges that I am facing," he said. "The public is generally not as educated on how to promote sustainable use of the ocean and a lot needs to be done to overcome this."

Yet, Zu'bi seems willing to concentrate more on what has been achieved so far rather than on the many challenges ahead of him.

"When I first joined the EDA four years ago, it was quite hard to gather volunteers for our initiatives, today this is no longer the case," he said.

Attendance at EDA's latest beach clean-up seems to confirm his words. Over 250 people gathered in October 2003 in Fujairah to support the organisation's 'Clean Up Arabia' campaign. The volunteers collected an estimated 1,000 kilograms of rubbish from the Dibba beach, while in Ras Al Khaimah the same amount of waste was collected by 150 school children, scouts and volunteers and 15 divers.

Zu'bi expects EDA's future campaigns to prove just as popular with the public, and is promising Dubai residents a line-up of exciting events in the next few months. August will see the arrival in Dubai of two Australian Aboriginal artists, whom the EDA is bringing to the Emirates in collaboration with the Department of Health and Medical Services as part of the annual Summer Surprises extravaganza.

The two artists, painter Arthur Colon and musician Adrian Ross, have been touring Europe and North America for 12 years, introducing children from all over the world to Aboriginal people's ancient traditions and heritage. Starting on August 19 and running for a week in Mercatto Mall, the seminar will give children and their parents a chance to learn more about traditional handprint and dot technique painting methods, while enjoying unique didgeridoo melodies that have been passed from father to son for generations on end.

"What we aim to achieve through this campaign is to make children in Dubai more aware about other cultures and ways of life," Zu'bi said.

August will also see the fourth Annual Treasure Hunt Competition take centre stage in Dubai. Over 150 divers are expected to turn up for the event, which is designed to mark the beginning of the pearl diving season. The competition is the culmination of a year-round educational campaign aiming to preserve the UAE's pearl diving heritage. The campaign features monthly traditional pearl diving trips, which the EDA uses to teach the public about this ancient custom. In September, a major beach clean-up campaign will take place in key locations throughout the UAE.

One of the projects that Zu'bi is most enthusiastic about is the recently-launched coral reef monitoring programme, which involves regular reef check-ups performed by a team of certified divers, including two marine biologists. What the team will be looking out for certain species in each area surveyed, which is an indication of how healthy its reefs are. If there is an abundance of butterfly fish, cleaning coral shrimps and soft coral around a reef, this means it is in a good condition, while a profusion of crown of thorns starfish and an absence of tritons has negative implications for a reef's health. Supported by the Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries, Dibba, the project will help scientists determine if the country's reefs are stable or declining, which in turn will allow for appropriate actions to be taken to preserve them.

The welfare of green and hawksbill turtles in the Emirates is yet another topic on which the EDA is hoping to increase public awareness. EDA is at the moment helping develop a research station in Ras Al Khaimah in close collaboration with Dr. Saif Al Ghais. The centre is open for all who would like to learn more about these fascinating species which are now becoming a rare sight in the Gulf's waters.

The EDA works in collaboration with a number of renowned international organisations, including the United Nations Environment Programme, the U.S. 'Ocean Conservancy', Australia-based 'Clean Up the World' and the Arab Diving Federation. For the EDA, this means taking advantage of a vast pool of information related to marine preservation as well as technical support.

"As we are a small organisation with limited funds, we often need technical support from our partners abroad," Zu'bi said. "I dream of the day when we will have our own marine lab - this will give a boost to our research activities and will enable us to intervene quickly if any environmental emergencies arise here."

The EDA enjoys the support of a number of governmental and private organisations including the UAE Ministry of Youth, Dubai Duty Free, Majid Al Futtaim Group of Companies, HSBC, Shell, GM, Philip Morris, Kraft Foods. If you would like to sponsor the organisation or support it through voluntary work, you can contact Ibrahim Zu'bi by emailing him on edadiver@emirates.net.ae.

CORAL REEFS - WHY SHOULD WE CARE?

Coral reefs are the world's most biologically diverse marine ecosystems. They are the natural habitat of thousands of marine species. Coral reefs are important assets to local and national economies as they are vital for an area's fish population. Reefs are also a source of substances for new medicines and they can provide sustainable income from tourism ad recreation.

A coral reef takes centuries to grow; yet it can be completely destroyed in a period of years. Factors that negatively affect coral reefs include shoreline development, trampling by tourists and divers, pollution, over fishing and the use of poisons and explosives by fishermen.

While exploring a coral reef is an exhilarating experience for both divers and non-divers alike, it is important to observe a few rules when doing so to make sure no damage is incurred to these delicate ecosystems. "Take nothing with you, leave bubbles behind you," is Zu'bi's advice. Below are some more recommendations on how to keep the UAE coast waters healthy.

1. When in a boat, do not anchor on corals.
2. When swimming, diving or snorkelling do not break the coral.
3. Do not step on corals.
4. Do not litter.
5. Do not feed the fish.

EDA - THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT

The EDA has 320 members from more than 15 different nationalities. There are only four permanent members of staff and a board of directors, which consists entirely of volunteers. The board of directors is comprised of seven keen divers:

1. Faraj Butti Al Muhairbi, Chairperson. An established businessman and a dedicated pearl and scuba diver, Mr. Al Muhairbi is an expert when it comes to oyster beds. "If the oysters are healthy, the sea is healthy and we are all going to feel it," he says.

2. Essa Al Ghurair, Vice Chairperson. A businessman who has been diving for many years, he is well known underwater for his bright yellow fins and for his excellent underwater photography.

3. Jamal Bu Hannad, Secretary General. A keen diver, he descends from a family of seafarers and sea merchants.

4. Khalfan Khalfan Al Mohairi, Financial Director. An experienced diver, who cares greatly about the sea, Mr. Al Mohairi is present at the EDA office almost on a daily basis, helping out with the day-to-day running of the organisation.

5. Omar Al Huraiz, Head of the Technical Committee. An experienced diver and a computer enthusiast, this army officer strongly believes in the need to defend the seas.

6. Mohd Al Salfa, Head of the Scientific Committee. Mr. Al Salfa comes from a well-known sea-faring family and is of extreme value to the EDA.

7. Ahmed bin Byat, Technical Adviser. Mr. bin Byat holds a number of diving and first-aid certificates, which makes him an indispensable member of the team.