For well over a century, women of the South Korean island
province of Jeju – “the Land of Women” – have made their
living by freediving – ill-equipped – to the depths of the
ocean to harvest seaweed and shellfish. Reaching depths of
over 10 metres in chilly waters, and lasting between two to
three minutes on a single gulp of air, over 100 times a day,
the Hae-Nyeo, or “sea women”, are often seen as myth-like
mermaids. For as long as South Koreans can remember, the
Hae-Nyeo have dived the waters surrounding Jeju, and have
become emblematic of the very characteristics of the society
that inhabits the far-flung island, reflecting the independent
spirit, iron will and determination of its people.
The semi-matriarchal family structure of the island, where
women are the main “breadwinners” of each household,
has made Jeju a distant outlier from mainland Korea’s
traditionally patriarchal society. As diving is a job reserved for
the resident women, and drives the main source of income,
they have become the heads of the household. On Jeju and
the surrounding islands, men look after the children and careIMAGE © KANG MAN BOabove left Hae-Nyeo
visit Haesindang Shrine
to pray for safety and an
abundant harvestabove Mulsojungi dive
suits had side openings
so that they were easy
to put on – even for
pregnant womenbelow A Hae-Nyeo diver
in a modern rubber
diving suit – which were
distributed in the 1970s- carrying her harpoon