Haenyo, Female Divers

The "Haenyo," or female divers, of Cheju Island are born, grow up and die near the sea. Their lives revolve around the water where they harvest abalone, conch and a myriad of other marine products. These women are a unique breed, hardened by the wind and waves and yet filled with a kindness born from a clear understanding of the human condition.

The female diver's day is tied to the sea, her schedule determined by the changing tides. Many divers supplement their income from diving with other jobs, and when the tides are not right, the women busy themselves with household tasks and work in the fields. But as the peak tide approaches, the female divers make their way to the rocky shores, nets and fishing baskets slung over their shoudlers, although they may be exhausted already.

The divers usually can remain underwater for up to 2 minutes in water up to 20 meters-deep. While most people would be desperate after such a long time under the surface, the female divers methodically rise to the surface and expel a long breath of nitrogen which makes a whistling sound called "sumbi-sori." The female devers' job can be dangerous as well as difficult, because they are occasionally attacked by poisonous jellyfish, sharks and other ocean predators.

In the past, the divers worked for daily subsistence, but with the modernization of the Korean economy and the improvement of relations with Japan, the divers have been able to export many of their products, such as abalone and conches, to Japan, making a good cash income. This additional income has allowed to school, rather than subject to a life of diving. Thus, while there were up to 30,000 female divers on the island in the 1950s, by the beginning of the 1980s, this number dwindled to approximately 10,000, abd is expected to continue to decline until female divers of Cheju Island are little more than a footnote in the history of the island.