The extraordinary women of the sea

They are said to be Asian sirens that climb the depths of sea apnea in search of ears, oysters and other treasures of the underwater world.

According to legend, they are descendants of sea gypsies swimming in the waters of South Asia. The first written reference to them is in a poem which is part of the oldest anthology of Japanese poetry Man'yōshū dating back to the 8th century. Nowadays, they can be found not only in Japan (Mie, Iwate and Ishikawa Prefecture), but also on the Korean island of Jeju.

Jeju Island

Japanese sirens are called Ama, which literally means a woman of the sea. It is a profession practiced almost exclusively by women, who initially collected various types of crustaceans, molluscs and algae. It was not until 1890 that Kokichi Mikimoto, a Japanese scientist and precursor of sea pearl farming, began to associate this profession mainly with fishing. Kokichi employed Ama to collect oysters and place grains of sand inside them, from which pearls were formed, and then put them in a safe place on the underwater bottom. It was also thanks to Kokichi Ama that they gained white cotton robes, which are still considered to be their traditional workwear.

There are currently around 800 Ama working in Japan. Most of them are over 60 years old, some are over 80. There are not many young women who decide to learn diving on one inspiration, because it is a very demanding profession. During one working day Ama dives on apnea to a depth of 10-20 meters even two hundred times, staying under the surface of the water for up to two minutes. This is made possible by a special breathing technique passed down from generation to generation. The result is a squeaky whistle called isobue, which every Ama emits when she emerges to the surface. It protects her lungs from pressure changes and hyperventilation.

Ama during work

In Korea, in turn, there are currently around 4000 fishermen of octopus, sea urchins and sea snails called Haenyeo (their average age is 60 years, 98% of them are more than 50 years old). They are affiliated to one of the 100 special cooperatives located on the island of Jeju. There is a hierarchy among Haenyeo that divides each community into three groups: the novices called Nagun, the more experienced called Janggun, and the oldest and most experienced women called Sanggun. The role of the Sanggun is to pass on knowledge and watch over the group, because according to Korean law, Haenyeo must always dive in the group for safety reasons. Dives usually last 2-3 minutes and are performed from 5 to 7 hours, which allows you to catch about 30 kilograms of seafood. In addition, to protect waters from overfishing, each Haenyeo can only do its job 12 days a month.

In order to save the Haenyeo profession from disappearance, in 2007 the government of Korea established a state school preparing for the profession Hansupul Haenyeo School and introduced a number of conveniences for active fishermen. These include the purchase of diving suits, co-financing of health and accident insurance. The state also sponsors oxygen therapy, which is supposed to help in the fight against diseases affecting diving Korean women. In 2016 Haenyeo was included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

Haenyeo on their way to work