Legacies in Depth

The Traditional Freediving of the Haenyeo

All photos and captions by Alain Schroeder

When you think of freediving, your initial thought might be something like, “Wow, they must be able to hold their breath for a really long time.” But what you probably don’t think of is the Haenyeo — female divers in the province of Jeju, South Korea. And let it be known that most of these women are in their sixties, with some in their eighties, who don’t just dive as a hobby, but as a traditional occupation to gather and harvest food from the sea.

Freediving for seafood has been an integral part of Jeju culture for centuries, but come the 18th century, the practice was overtaken by women, redirecting the course of history, and changing the region into a semi-matriarchal society. Unlike most other places at this time, the household income was predominantly provided by women. Elderly women at that. Flash forward to today, with many other job opportunities and technology, the art and tradition have not been lost. There are still about 4,000 women collecting from the sea through this practice. No small feat, these women harvest for 90 days of the year, for about seven hours a day, aiming to gather mollusks, shellfish, sea urchins, and whatever the sea might provide that day. Each dive is one to two minutes — after prayers to the goddess of the sea, Jamsugut, for an abundant and safe dive.

Part of the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, this group of women is celebrated, although the practice has been dwindling due to the risks and dangers that come with the profession. But the water knows no age. With most having been practicing this trade for 30 to 40 years, these women live a good portion of their lives in the water. And with that comes a sense of comfort in the water that is borderline superhuman. We often look past aging communities and focus on the upcoming generation, but the Haenyeo community reminds us that our elders are vital to our culture and communities and should be honored for their wisdom, time, and dedication to their practice, whatever it may be. 

French photographer Alain Schroeder was inspired to document the lives of these women after seeing one surface from a dive. He was captivated by the black of the women’s thin wetsuits against the black of the basalt rock that lines the coast of Jeju. Wanting to document such an important cultural tradition, he captured these images of the women, most from the Myeonsu-dong village, during a heavy rainstorm while they waited for the skies to clear up so they could dive again. 

Soon-Ja Hong

69 years old, proudly poses with the live octopus she just caught. Other divers have come out of the water with similar specimens, but this one is by the far the largest catch of the day. By the time she removes her mask, it has already been sold to customers standing by at the beach restaurant ready to eat the fresh delicacy. 

Soon Hwa Kim

71 years old, has been diving for 60 years. She has one son and one daughter, but she did not encourage her daughter to follow her path because the work is too hard. She has just put on her homemade weight belt and is preparing to dive despite the heavy rain. 

Anja Son

76 years old, puts her gloves on and then her hood. She has been diving for 40 years, but has never encouraged any of her children to become free divers as it is a difficult and dangerous profession, for little gain. In fact, like most Haenyeo, she must supplement her income with other work, predominantly farming. 

Oksun Kim

80 years old, adjusts her vintage oval mask. The problem with the traditional masks is that they cover the nose, preventing the Haenyeo from equalizing pressure in their ears, which leads to ear barotrauma, hearing loss, and migraines. The Haenyeo also regularly suffer from decompression illness, blackouts, and hypothermia, just some of the reasons why the fishing cooperatives have established strict rules for diving.

Chunil Ko

70 years old, puts her gloves on and then her hood. As she adjusts her hood she is careful to not tear the delicate rubber suit.