Today's guest is a multi-talented person. He is a mountain climber and a diving instructor at the same time. His passions also include photography and he snaps pictures during his many trips, whether it is high mountains or deep seas.
Balancing all these different talents by nature, as well as professional, domestic and other duties, requires both great commitment and good time management.
Such hobbies are not without risk, and hence safety/security standards and adequate training become critical so that one does not suffer injuries or accidents that, God forbid, may prevent fulfillment of obligations.
Abdullah Al-Qattan, Accountant II of the System and Policy Team that follows the Financial Systems & Control Group, has climbed the highest peak in the Arabian Gulf, Jabal Shams in Oman, and did so twice, although it was a major challenge that many could not complete even once.
He has also managed to climb to the highest peak in Africa, the famous Mount Kilimanjaro, where he raised the flag of Kuwait. Moreover, he has been a professional diver for about 14 years.
Al-Qattan will reveal several details about his trips, as well as some tips to balance the aspects of personal and professional life.
The beginnings
Al Qattan says he began his journey in the world of adventure when he was 11 years old when his father took him to the diving center. He got his first diving certificate and, with his passion for the hobby, kept progressing to become a professional trainer.
Since then, he has found himself motivated for more adventures and exploration. The discovery of the capabilities that God gave us and self challenge were also major factors: when faced with the difficult situations of such hobbies, one discovers that inside lies an enormous power, which is endurance that enables him to overcome all the unexpected difficulties that may arise during the practice of various hobbies.
Also, directing a person's abilities and energy to challenge themself instead of challenging others always gives them a regenerating goal in which they aspires to reach and even surpass it.
Adventures risk
Al-Qattan says that his grandfather Ali Yousif Al-Matrouk taught him a lesson he always remembers when practicing his hobbies: It's the soul afraid of dying, which never learns to live. Undoubtedly, the risks he may be exposed to are great, every adventure and every step must bear some risk, thus, and from the beginning, one must depend on God Almighty and have a strong faith in Him first, and then in their personal goals.
Moreover, there has to be actual planning and programming for what a person wants to do. They should also know their interests and abilities, which are part of their preparations during such journeys that gives them positive energy, as well as the willpower that enables them to change for the better and deal with problems and challenges.
Hence, these adventures develop the person internally and do not weaken them, and even more, molds them into a person who is able to face life and change in the future.
During the most difficult circumstances, climbing mountains is easy, but the challenge is to continue in this climb and way. Thus, climbing gives them great lessons in life beyond the physical factor that may appear on the surface for those who do not do such hobbies.
Personal gains
Al-Qattan adventures enabled him to know himself before knowing the areas he visited, as well as his intrinsic capabilities before reaching high mountains or deep oceans.
Moreover, the happiness these accomplishments delivers form an impacting factor within one's subconscious as they seek to build themselves from within, which drives him to maintain his course.
There's also another important point, which is proving the Kuwaiti youth ability to accomplish great achievements in different domains, and hence, the culture of hard work and being active must be nourished.
Difficulties and differences
One of the most prominent challenges he faced was to discover the main goal behind every adventure he does, because every achievement has a special importance for him.
For instance, the main goal for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was to promote the aid of Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, which caused donations to increase after achieving that.
Climbing is different compared to diving/photography in the sense that climbers must be able to spend great mental and physical efforts to reach to the top, but the other two hobbies have no set goal despite having their own challenges.
Commitment value
Al-Qattan remembers a situation during a climb that exemplifies the commitment of climbers: it happened as they were approaching the top. Visibility and oxygen were very low and everyone was exhausted as it was freezing.
In the midst of all that, one of his friends looked at his watch and wanted to stop for prayer as it was due, which made Al-Qattan amazed by his commitment despite all the circumstances.
Stunning images
One of the more challenging images Al-Qattan snapped was for the parrot fish, which has bright colors and can be found in all diving spots, but rarely in Kuwait.
As he was diving during the night in Karooh Island, he felt a sting, but because it was sleeping he had to endure the pain so that it won't run away if he moved suddenly, and was able to take a stunning shot.
Another scene that left an impression was during his climb: the team reached to a big black cloud, and as they felt as it was swallowing them as they were climbing through it and had almost no visibility. After several hours of climbing, everyone was able to see the cloud they passed through, and it started pouring down. The scene left a lasting impression on all of the team members as they saw its lightening and heard the thunder.
Time management
To practice any hobby, one must balance their time between various duties and that hobby, and this becomes more challenging if there's a passion for different hobbies.
Al-Qattan believes that the foundation of all that is to depend on God Almighty and not neglecting your part as well. This can be achieved by adequate planning and physical preparations, and as one becomes more prepared and maintains safety and security standards, the risk factor is minimized.
Part of Al-Qattan future plans is to visit Galapagos, Ecuador to take shots of different creatures of that area, as well as visiting Costa Rica and Peru to climb the highest mountain in that breathtaking part of the world.