The UAE people are very much attached to the sea. Apart from pearl diving, fishing played an important role in the life of people, especially those living on the coast. Different boats were locally built, their shapes and sizes determined by the function they were built for. A few cases have been allocated to the sea exhibits. The most important is a small case concerning pearl diving. The nicely shaped stone is a sinker that the diver used to take with him to help diving. The net was used to keep shells (mother of pearls). The small knife was used to break open the shells, an operation that was practiced on board the boat.

There are three strainers of different holes for classifying pearls according to size. A small collection of pearls, small weights, and a scoffer used, by the pearl traders are displayed. It is known that the people in the Gulf, especially the people of the UAE and Bahrain, practiced the pearl trade for thousand of years. The archaeological evidence indicates that women in the UAE adorned themselves with beads made of pearl since the 5th millennium BC. The trade died out due to the strong competition of the cultural pearl industry that started in Japan in the 1930s. Sailing, fishing, and pearling were all accompanied by music. Sailors could not go out to sea without their drums or trampolines. The drum was one of the first musical instruments ever known in the UAE and they are still used in wedding ceremonies and folklore dancing.