South Korea’s “women of the sea” are carrying on a 400-year-old diving tradition.
For nearly four centuries, groups of women on South Korea’s Jeju Island have made a living by harvesting seafood from the ocean. Known as Haenyeo, meaning “women of the sea” in Korean, these women make up a now dwindling group of mostly older, female divers who risk their lives each day in order to support their children and their families.
Haenyeo and restaurateur Young Nam Kim has been diving for over 40 years. The grueling work has taken a toll on her body over a time, resulting in morning leg cramps and daily medications. “It’s okay on land, but in the water, if you get a cramp, you’re in trouble,” Kim says. After massaging out her cramps and taking her medication, Kim gets dressed in a thick rubber suit to protect her body from the cold waters.
A seasoned veteran of the practice, Kim knows all of the tricks like putting gum in her ears to prevent water from getting in or strapping a net around her body in order to hold more sea snails. The result of these tips and tricks: more abalone, sea snails, and sea urchins harvested and ready to sell. Getting to this level of expertise was not easy for Kim, however. “It was very very hard for me learn to be a haenyeo,” she explains. “It took me 10 years to learn.”
The most important aspect of the work is safety. Haenyeo practice a buddy system when going into the water, never diving alone. While in the middle of the sea, they will whistle to one another as a means of letting their diving partner know that they are alive and well. When they do not hear the whistling, they know that someone is in trouble. “The harvest isn’t worth trading your life for,” Kim says. “Accept what the Dragon Queen-Mother gives you. If you fail today, you can try tomorrow.”
Watch the newest episode of The Vendors to follow Young Nam Kim on a dive and learn more about the four-hundred year-old legacy carried on by today’s Haenyeo.
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