My name is Garth Coetzer.  I live in Edenvale, Gauteng, South Africa.

I am 80 years old and I have a mind full of memories and exciting stories. I hope to develop a group of followers and friends. I lived in Kuwait for 10 years, and while there, I was commissioned by a business organization to write a coffee-table type book on the activities of THE KUWAIT DIVE TEAM. This group of young men, fully sponsored by the Kuwaiti government, undertakes various projects.

Sadly, I didn't share any underwater adventures, but I was given many spectacular cloured underwater photos from which to choose illustrations for the book. I was also regaled with many stories of their exploits, and these gave me much material for the text.

Here are a few examples:

When the Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait in August 1990, they began a storm of devastation. Oilfields were set alight, buildings were ransacked, many were destroyed, Vehicles and other large objects were dumped in the sea at the entrances of the two main harbours. Once the Iraqi soldiers were driven out of the country by the Americans, a country-wide clean-up was needed. The Dive Team was responsible for clearing the undersea debris at the harbour mouths to enable clear navigation in and out by vessels. Like most Middle East countries, Kuwait is oil-rich, thus creating wealthy people who, in many instances, drive expensive cars. Up from the bottom of the sea came Cadillacs, Camaros,  SUV's and many other fancy jobs. 

Then there were the four white Bulaga Whales, which were brought in by Russian entrepreneurs to entertain the people of Kuwait. (for a price - tickets sold). At a future date, I'll tell you more about the horrific treatment of animals in the Middle East.  Anyway, the Bulagas were kept in a medium-sized cement pool (seawater), about 20 meters from the sea's edge. In a very short time, their distress became evident as they began circling the pool in an agitated manner. A marine specialist from the Kuwait Aquarium identified the problem. The pool water was heating up from the sun, and it was also becoming impure from stagnation. The Dive Team was called in (like B.A. Barrabas and his teammates), and they sank a 45-gallon drum into the sand, with numerous holes drilled into the drum side. A pump and piping were connected, and fresh seawater was pumped in. An outlet pipe with another pump was installed, and hey, presto, four reasonably happy white beluga whales. Nevertheless, there were sighs of relief when these wild creatures moved on.

I'll be back soon with more true tales and, later, some that are perhaps not so true.