Cameraman The Ocean’s

This month, Hadag catches up with Emirati underwater videographer Nasir Alowais, who has been widely recognised for his work in the field.

Nasir often dives with friends, who capture him doing his thing!

What are your main areas of interest in videography?

My interests are mainly underwater and wild life videography.

And what was it that sparked your interest in this field?

My interest in the environment started by learning diving. By specialising more in diving and visiting many dive sites around the world, the diversity of the different environments captured my attention.

After becoming a diver, how did you eventually become a videographer?

When I started diving, I was introduced to some friends who had common interests. So I was in videography more than photography, meanwhile other friends I have were more in photography. For example, the pictures you see here are some of the photos taken of me by my colleagues Elamjad Kafi, and Khalid Almansouri.

What advice would you give to young people who would like to pursue a similar career?

I would tell them to be more concerned and focused on the underwater environment.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m thinking of discovering new diving spots in the Red Sea.

Nasir would like more of us to focus on the ocean’s environment.

GulF CRaFT have been building boats and yachts in the UAE for 33 years now, having been in operation since 1982. In this regard, they haven’t just capitalised on the incredible growth story of the Emirates, but in fact been a part of it, raising the profile of the UAE as an economic force to be reckoned with through their production of world-class leisure craft.

“I’ve been with the company for twelve years, and when I first came, none of this existed,” says Erwin, gesturing around him to the marina, the neighbouring hotels, and the impressive skyline towering over the Dubai International Marine Club. “I used to drive to this very beach in my four-wheel-drive, as this was the only way you could reach it!”

This position as a leading yacht builder in the rapidly growing economy of the UAE has given Gulf Craft a unique position in the global industry. “In this market, of course, local know-how does give us an edge, but it’s also the place itself,” explains Erwin. “I mean, you’re standing here looking at the skyline of Dubai Marina, where the sky is the limit, almost literally, where people want to do things better and bigger, with people living here and coming here to make their fortune, to be part of this UAE vision. It’s the promised land for a lot of people, and if you have a company like ours that’s rooted in this country, we carry a little bit of that ‘sky’s the limit’ attitude with us, so we’re not only an ambassador for boats and the yachting industry, but also for the UAE’s approach to life.”

It is the craftsmen who employ their skills in the workship who are the lifeblood of the company.

However, it’s not just the company’s position within the UAE that has led to their success, but also the deep involvement from the founders and top management of the company. “They’re very much directly involved with the whole process. Our chairman is in the shipyard every day at seven am, and the people who are the stakeholders are partners in the business. For me it’s important that the management walk around the shipyard, showing the craftsmen that they are the blood of this company, because it’s not all done by robots or machines, it’s done by hand, and therefore you have to respect the craftsmanship that’s happening on the floor itself.

“We have about 2000 employees at the moment across four shipyards, and we produce about 450 boats per year. Things like carpentry and leatherwork, when you do it in house like we do, it’s less like an industry and more like artisanal craftsmanship, so it’s floating between creating art and creating products.”

And last, but certainly not least, comes a fundamental understanding of the experience of owning a boat or yacht.

“We understand that this is all part of a bigger thing, a lifestyle. When we work with a client we are not just selling a boat; we have to figure out what they want to do with it, where they want to go, consider that whole story, and initially we act as almost a consultant on the lifestyle rather than on the product. And when it all comes together for them, and it fits what they’re expecting, then they can consider buying a boat, and make sure that the boat we provide them with is exactly what they want.”