Some of the photos I took of sea women in Jeju Island, South Korea.
sea means that haenyeo use free diving to fish and hunt, that is, they do not wear oxygen tanks or any underwater oxygen supply equipment, and only hold their breath to return to the surface. Therefore, haenyeo are very skilled divers. They can hold their breath underwater for 2 minutes and dive to a depth of 20 meters.
Jeju Haenyeo has become one of the most valuable human heritage in the world, and was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. Haenyeo are also the symbol of Jeju Island and one of the core economic cores of the region. As times change, the number of haenyeo has dropped from more than 20,000 in its heyday to less than 4,000 now.
