South Korea haenyeo divers attract women leaving city grind

South Korea's haenyeo divers, a centuries-old community of women who harvest seafood without oxygen tanks, are drawing some younger women away from demanding city work and into a dangerous coastal tradition.

Jin So-hee, 33, grew up in Busan and worked as a nursing assistant after gaining qualifications in skincare and nail art. Worn down by long hours, one-day weekends and limited pay, she moved to the coastal town of Geoje at 25 and decided to join older haenyeo she saw earning a living from the sea.

The work was punishing. Jin lost seven kilograms in her first year and said she was sometimes so exhausted she “barely had the strength to lift a spoon”. She also suffered severe ear pain and headaches after dives before learning modern freediving and scuba techniques to help equalise pressure in her ears.

Haenyeo dive with wetsuits and goggles, traditionally using mugwort and saliva to keep the lenses from fogging. For generations, the women have held a distinctive place in Korean history as family breadwinners, and their culture has come to symbolise female independence and resilience.

UNESCO recognises the haenyeo culture of Jeju island, where the number of divers fell to 2,371 last year from 3,437 in 2021. The tradition also exists elsewhere on South Korea's coast, including Geoje.

Jin and Woo Jung-min, 40, have used YouTube to document younger haenyeo, though they first had to win the trust of older divers in Geoje's close-knit community. Woo said they wanted to make a record that could help future generations.

Choi Young-hee, 60, became a haenyeo in her late 40s after nearly two decades selling clothes and accessories in Seoul department stores. She now runs an organisation teaching haenyeo culture and training aspiring divers.

The profession remains hazardous, and divers say climate change is making it more precarious by warming seas, disrupting marine ecosystems and thinning catches. Woo said even a small hole in a wetsuit can be critical in winter seas.

Jin said red sea squirts once turned the ocean floor into “a field of roses” each spring, but that display has disappeared.