Diving for Pearls in Persian Gulf?

Is it really true that tourists can dive for pearls in the Persian Gulf and keep their treasures?

The Kingdom of Bahrain was once the centre of the global pearling industry

Tourists can go on pearl diving trips and keep the gems from up to 60 oysters

Bahrain's pearls haven't been commercially harvested for decades, but the country has opened pearl diving trips to tourists. For £64 per person, as well as £10 for a licensed pass, visitors can gather up to 60 oysters and keep however many gems are found inside.

It's an effort to raise money to protect the Gulf waters and create a more sustainable pearl diving industry.

Thankfully, weighted ropes and nose pegs aren't requirements during my trip with diving company Delma Marine. I'm given a mask, snorkel and flippers, as well as a rope bag to put my haul in.

The instructor, Mohamed, tells me to aim for the oysters with the most barnacles on their shells, as this suggests a weakness which may have allowed a foreign body to enter them and create a pearl.

Read entire article here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-6195905/Diving-pearls-Bahrain-richly-rewarding.html