Do you remember when I told you that I had been on a trip with my friends? It was an incredibly active, educational, and emotionally rich couple of days filled with new experiences. I took over 1,000 photos during the trip, but unfortunately, most of them are stored in a private folder, and I can’t share them with others because they are very personal pictures of my friends. It has been a long time since we had such a trip together, but I can confidently say that we will do it again more than once, as these kinds of trips bring us much closer.
I promised to share a little about my trip, and today I want to talk about the extraordinary, strong women, so-called Haenyeo, who are a part of the culture and history of the country, especially the island where we stayed. At first, I considered posting this in a travel community, but then I decided it would be better to share it with Ladies of Hive Community.
So, we were on Jeju Island, also known as the “Hawaii of Korea.” It felt like half of Korea was on the island that week. At least a few of my people I know were there too! This island is famous for its unique geography, a special variety of citrus fruits cultivated on the island, breathtaking nature, culture, dialect, and, of course, the extraordinary women known as Haenyeo.
Who are the Haenyeo?
Haenyeo are women who dive in shallow waters to harvest seafood. It is a real profession! There are even categories—first, second, and third—assigned based on experience, diving depth, and duration. What amazed me the most was that many Haenyeo dive without any special equipment, such as oxygen tanks. They simply hold their breath for several minutes! And they dive to depths of over 15 meters!
Below is a photo of what Haenyeo's house looks like. I took that photo in the Museum of Haenyeo.
Why is this a women's profession?
There are male divers as well, but they are very few. We asked the locals about this, and they told us that the profession of Haenyeo dates back to the Joseon Dynasty, around the 15th century. According to one of the locals, during that time, fishermen suffered greatly and many of them died due to poachers and government-imposed restrictions. As a result, women had to take on the responsibility of diving deep into the sea for long periods to gather even a small amount of seafood. The government taxes had to be paid specifically with abalone.
This job was, and still is, extremely dangerous. Many divers suffer from hearing loss and decompression sickness. They dive all year round—even in the freezing winter!🥶
Haenyeo Today
To this day, women divers still exist, though their numbers have significantly declined. Most of them are over 50 or 60 years old! Many of them started diving as children.
The island even has an entire museum dedicated to these incredible women. Also, along the shore, you can see stone enclosures where Haenyeo change clothes and temporarily store their gear or catch.
Thank you.
Iris.
