Senyar Championship, Pearl-Diving and Fishing Competition

The pearl diving championship will start on April 4, (Ghaffal) while (Haddag) championship will start on April 14 and scheduled to run until April 22.

Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaity said that there are 67 teams participating with their own wooden boats in the (Haddag) fishing championship and another 15 teams in the pearl diving championship. "The 1st of April will be dedicated to receive and prepare the participating traditional wooden boats at the Katara beach area", Sulaity added.

The competition, stems from “Katara’s efforts to preserve the authentic Qatari culture and heritage, especially the values and practices associated with the lives of Qatari pearl divers and fisherfolk unique to the region by providing a platform to display their skills”, Katara said in a press statement. The championship attracted some 1,100 participants for the pearl-diving and fishing competition.

The opening of the pearl-diving competition will see traditional dhows featuring 11 teams set out from Katara’s beach at 3:30pm on the 4th April. The teams on these dhows will compete against each other.

The festival has witnessed a significant development this year in terms of the duration of the festival which will be a month long instead of five days in the previous ones and the number of participating teams.

Here's a quick look at an overview of this historical event:

A grand closing ceremony, Al-Gaffal, to be held at the Katara beach on April 22, and awards will be distributed among the winning contestants.

Pearl-Diving Leader Abdulah Jassim al-Tamimi will lead this year’s pearl-diving competition, as he was awarded the first position in the competition at the previous championship.
There will be a the hand-line fishing team will be led by Lead Fisherman Mohamed Jawher al-Sulaiti, who was placed first in the hand-line fishing competition last year.

Free
4 - 21, April, 2018 from 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
Katara Beach