“Sea women” over the age of 80 earn their living by diving in deep waters

Haenyeo people, who live on Jeju Island, which has 370 volcanic peaks, can dive without a tube to a depth of 9 meters and stay under water for about 1.5 minutes.

Haenyeo people, who are also on the UNESCO World Heritage List, earn their living by selling the shellfish they collect from the sea to tourists on land.

Korean Tourism Organization Marketing Officer Maide Serin Çığ gave information about the Haenyeos and life on Jeju Island.

Stating that the history of the Haenyeos in the region is quite old, Çığ said, “There are Haenyeos in many regions, but the oldest of them are those in Jeju. The Haenyeos here are known for being very hardworking and strong.” said.

Pointing out that the age of Haenyeos is generally 80 and above, Çığ said, “The development of society and the difficulty of the work done cause the number of Haenyeos to decrease. The new generation does not want to do this job anymore. For this reason, the age of Haenyeos is increasing day by day.” he said.

Çığ reported that there was a master-apprentice relationship among the Haenyeo, who were divided into three classes: beginner, intermediate and master.

It became the subject of TV series

Maide Serin Çığ said that Haenyeos, which are frequently featured in Korean TV series, were also featured in “Our Blues”, one of the most popular TV series of recent years.

Çığ explained that the series is about the love story of a young woman who moved from the city to the island to make a living and later became Haenyeo, and a young Jeju Island native.

82-year-old Park Yeonja, one of the Haenyeos, stated that she has been diving for as long as she can remember and said, “I learned this profession from my mother and now I am trying to teach it to my daughter.” he said.