Kuwaitis have always kept two calendars: one on the wall, and one written in the sea. For generations, fishermen and sailors divided the year by the water itself โ when to cast nets, when to rest, when the sea gives generously and when it turns harsh. Those traditional names are still spoken on Kuwait's shores today. Here is how the old mariners read the year โ and how that same wisdom now lives on in app form.
Al-barad means the cold, and it rules the winter months. Once the long summer fades, the water clears and cools, and the sea comes alive: fish grow active, move toward the shore and feed well. Old fishermen call it the season of the generous catch. Fish that hide from the summer heat โ the ุงูุดุนุฑู (sha'ri) and the prized ุงูุฒุจูุฏู (zubaidi) โ are at their best now, and a fresh zubaidi is one of Kuwait's great winter pleasures. For anyone with a net or a rod, al-barad is the season to be out early.
Al-qayd takes its name from the fierceness of the summer sun. The shallows heat up, and most fish retreat to deeper, cooler water. Experienced fishermen launch only at dawn, dusk or after dark โ the middle of a scorching day belongs to shade, not to open water. This was never about comfort alone; it was about survival. Men who pushed out in the worst of the heat risked more than an empty net, and knowing when not to sail kept Kuwaiti families safe through many summers.
Between the two great seasons sit two shorter ones. In spring, after the cold months, the water warms and the sea wakes up; in autumn, after al-qayd, the sea cools and the fish begin to move again. These were the seasons of change โ shifting winds, moving water and migrating fish passing Kuwait's shores. They were also working seasons: time to mend nets, repair boats and sharpen the gear for the fishing ahead.
No account of the traditional seasons is complete without the winds, and in Kuwait none matters more than al-shamal, the steady north wind of the Gulf. Old skippers read it closely โ when it brought cool, clear weather, when it raised a choppy sea, and when wisdom said to stay ashore. Wind knowledge was never a luxury for the men of the sea; it decided whether a voyage was safe, and it still shapes how Kuwaiti mariners plan a day on the water.
The seasons have not changed; only the way we track them has. Where the elders read clouds, wind and water by eye, you can now open the B7R app and find the same knowledge in practical, always-updated form โ built for Kuwait's own waters.
The B7R app is free on Google Play, and it carries an old tradition forward: know the sea before you trust it.
Download the B7R app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.q8dm.b7r