Elsewhere in the world

[SIZE=7]Korea’s real life mermaids will soon be no more: About the last generation Haenyo[/SIZE]

[SIZE=6]For centuries, mermaids of Korea, Haenyo or ‘sea women’ from the Korean island province of Jeju have been diving into the chilly ocean waters to make their living by harvesting abalone, conch, and octopus.[/SIZE]
https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/styles/user_picture/public/images/reporter/201801/IndiaToday_New_Website_Logo-647x363.png?2Fnj2aoxt1YJe036v4mt5YjJw1X5i9hU&size=56:56
India Today Web DeskNew DelhiOctober 29, 2018UPDATED: October 29, 2018 14:47 IST
https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/images/story/201810/MijooKim01_TheMotheroftheSea-647_1.jpeg?c5TuYcapJ.3KfkQfCGRSQPjOZxv20Z9P

For centuries, the haenyeo, or ‘sea women,’ from the Korean island province of Jeju have been diving into the chilly ocean waters in order to make their living by harvesting abalone, conch, and octopus. (Image: mijookim.com)

Ever seen a mermaid in real life? Visit South Korea before the last generation ceases to exist.
For centuries, mermaids of Korea, haenyo or ‘sea women’ from the Korean island province of Jeju have been diving into the chilly ocean waters in order to make their living by harvesting abalone, conch, and octopus.

Now comes the interesting part.
All modern diving equipment are available nowadays so it’s not really a difficult task but haenyonever used any breathing equipment in their life.
[INDENT]They used to descend up to twenty meters in freezing cold water without any equipment, holding their breath for over two minutes at a time.[/INDENT]

[SIZE=5]Who are the Haenyo?[/SIZE]
1. They are known as the sea women of Jeju and wear old-fashioned headlight-shaped scuba masks, with lead weights strapped to their waists, so they can sink faster.
2. Also known as Korean Mermaids, haenyo are able to dive up to 65 feet (20 meters) under the sea, holding their breath for as long as two minutes at a time.

https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/images/bodyeditor/201810/MijooKim09_TheMotheroftheSea-x1125.jpg?uK9rZpPYSxW6nX6cex0H_pkYlnLMkavJ
Almost 100 per cent of haenyeo are over the age of 50.(Image: mijookim.com)

3. Although these women divers were very independent, they were often forbidden to travel outside their villages or reveal their skin.
4.
There were over 26,000 haenyo in the 1960s and now there are less than 4,500.
[INDENT]5. Almost 100 per cent of these mermaids are over the age of 50.[/INDENT]

[SIZE=5]How do these mermaids search for their food?[/SIZE]

https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/images/bodyeditor/201810/MijooKim15_TheMotheroftheSea-x1022.jpg?_RTGDTS8M9IAiHxj7ZnMZXNZbpzAduw5
The mermaids store their harvest beneath the ‘tewak,’ which is a flotation device left on the surface of the water with a net hanging beneath it.(Image: mijookim.com)

Many of them use various tools to dig conch and abalone from the crevices on the sea floor.
Conch and abalone are shellfishes which can be eaten.
The mermaids store their harvest beneath the ‘tewak,’ which is a flotation device left on the surface of the water with a net hanging beneath it.

[SIZE=5]Korea’s diving tradition[/SIZE]
The Korean tradition of deep-sea diving for oysters, sea cucumbers, abalones, sea urchins, and squid dates back to the fifth century.

https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/images/bodyeditor/201810/MijooKim23_TheMotheroftheSea-770x667.jpg?Prqyl_mCsrHS.XF.SSWCdp0lffsmBg60
By the 18th-century, female divers largely outnumbered the males and thus became primary breadwinners of their families.(Image: mijookim.com)

Diving was originally considered a male profession, but this changed in the 17th century and by the 18th century, female divers largely outnumbered the males and thus became primary breadwinners of their families.

[SIZE=5]History of diving[/SIZE]

[ul]
[li]When Korea was ruled by a king, most of the harvest made by these people were given to him as a tribute. But when Japan occupied Korea, this changed[/li][li]The practice was abolished and haenyo were free to sell their harvest on the market[/li][li]As the years passed, diving became a profitable profession for the haenyo[/li][li]A great number of them were even hired by Japanese merchants to work as wage-laborers in Japan[/li][li]The outcome of World War II in 1945 brought the end of the Japanese rule in Korea, but women divers continued being an integral part of Jeju’s economy[/li][li]Men took care of the home, looked after the children, and cooked, while women took care of the financial well being of the family[/li][/ul]

[SIZE=5]From cotton suits to wetsuits[/SIZE]
For years, Korean mermaids wore homemade cotton suits while diving in the freezing waters of the ocean.
The 1970s became a turning point for them as wetsuits became available in the marketplace.

https://akm-img-a-in.tosshub.com/indiatoday/images/bodyeditor/201810/MijooKim14_TheMotheroftheSea-x1125.jpg?TistOBalA7g.E5zoga4VHyblL4qLP1UL
Wetsuits made it possible for haenyo to dive deeper and spend more time underwater, thus increasing their incomes.(Image: mijookim.com)

[INDENT]Wetsuits made it possible for them to dive deeper and spend more time underwater, thus increasing their incomes.[/INDENT]
However, this led to the decline in income as spending time underwater bought many risks and health problems for haenyo and women slowly abandoned the sea-diving industry.

The tradition of haenyo still exists, though perhaps not for long. New York-based photographer Mijoo Kim, set out to document the resilient women, said
[INDENT]“These women divers are carrying on a Korean legacy and will be the last of their kind.”[/INDENT]
“They are the last generation of Haenyo,” Kim told the Huffington Post.

@Meria Mata Leta summary.

@digi escaped from an asylum in 2015

Shosho anadive and I can’t swim

Wewe ni kama hao wazee wa huko wanaachwa home wakiosha watoi:D:D

Ambia kiyana yeko ndigi anasumbua sana

Huku kwetu kuna baridi sana,sioni julubeng langu

usijali, hata huko ni elsewhere in the world…

Na atige kúmaka

kafitha!

We all know @digi is related to those mofos that feature in Wrong Turn films.

Asian women are extraordinary in the feats they achieve.

Even our traditional ones.

True