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Guinness World Record holders inspire crowds at Dubai International Boat Show 2022
The Dubai International Boat Show treated visitors to a host of motivating and inspiring talks this weekend, with two Guinness Book of Record holders and the first Arab women to dive at the North Pole taking to the stage at the Middle East’s largest and most popular leisure marine event.
Held at Dubai Harbour for the first time, the 28th edition of the Dubai International Boat Show featured a new Dive Talks section. On Saturday, Ahmed Gabr and Faisal Jawad Hashim provided insights into their respective journeys to becoming Guinness World Record holders.
Gabr, a former officer in the Egyptian army, holds the record for both the Deepest Scuba Dive and the Deepest Sea Dive after descending to 332 metres (m) in 2014. The 42-year-old remains one of only three people in the world to have dived deeper than 300m, meaning, “more people have been to the moon than to where I went”.
“To speak here at the Dubai International Boat Show is beautiful,” said Gabr, who also held the record until recently for the Largest Underwater Cleanup. “There are a lot of people here from all over the world, and to get the chance to speak with them and spread the message is great. I hope to come again next year and start talking about my new focus: restoring corals.”
Gabr said he would soon be looking for volunteers for a new coral restoration project, which he says could even occur in the UAE because of the country’s growing eco-tourism. “Doing it here is something we need to look at because corals are an important part of the economy of any country: fishing, tourism, preventing tides and water disasters, producing oxygen they really are of vital importance.”
Hashim, a paraplegic since losing the use of his legs following a car accident aged 20 and Saturday’s other headline speaker, holds the world record for Fastest 10km Scuba Diving after completing the distance in five hours, 24 minutes in 2018. The Kuwaiti’s time was almost an hour quicker than the previous record holder. His message to the crowd at Dive Talks was simple, “We must improve the way we treat people with disabilities in society.”
Hashim is also the organiser of the “Move To Improve” youth forum, which he says is the Middle East’s biggest show for People of Determination to demonstrate their talents. Held annually in Kuwait, Hashim, who enjoyed a strong turnout for his 45-minute presentation, revealed he hopes to bring next year’s show to Dubai or Sharjah.
“We want to show the world that people with a disability can do anything they wish,” he added. “Before my accident, I had a phobia of water; now I am a rescue diver. After my accident, I was once called ‘the slowest man in the world’. Now I am the fastest man in the world underwater.”
Sunday’s Dive Talks agenda features Mariam Fardous, the Saudi who became the first Arab female to dive at the geographical North Pole, and Yuriy Rakhmatullin, a Ukraine-born World Freediving Championships judge who has lived in the UAE since childhood.
Dubai International Boat Show ran from March 9-13 at Dubai Harbour, the event’s Venue Host.
Tributes have poured in after the son of former Chelsea star Eddie Newton was found dead alongside his friend following a hike in the UAE, where temperatures soared to 50C.
Cassius Newton, 34, and his friend Aran Martinson, 33, were found by rescuers on July 18 after setting out on a hike in the mountainous Wadi Naqab region.
The pair, from Dorset and Essex respectively, both lived and worked in the UAE. Their bodies were discovered between 3km and 4km from their vehicle.
According to a report, Chelmsford area coroner Michelle Brown said their provisional causes of death included cardiac and respiratory arrest.
Cassius, a non-league footballer, was the son of former Chelsea midfielder and coach Eddie Newton, who spent more than a decade with the club.
His wife was in the UK when she became concerned after Cassius failed to contact her following the hike and reported him missing.
The two men had been living at a luxury resort in Ras Al Khaimah.
Tributes after desert tragedy
Tributes poured in after the deaths.
Aran’s wife described him as “incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious”, saying he had recently begun a new chapter in his career and was excited about the future.
Blackfield & Langley Football Club paid tribute to their former player, saying: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the sad news of the passing of former player Cassius Newton; our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and friends during this difficult time.”
National League club Eastleigh, where Cassius had previously played, said it was “deeply saddened” by his death.
Chelsea connection
Cassius’ father Eddie Newton played for Chelsea from 1990 to 2001 and famously scored in the club’s 1997 FA Cup final victory.
The former midfielder also represented Cardiff City, Birmingham City, Oxford United and Barnet.
After retiring as a player, Newton moved into coaching, working as assistant manager at MK Dons and West Brom before returning to Chelsea.
He later served as assistant manager under Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benítez.
(With inputs from BBC, The Sun)
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