Jejus Female Freedivers; the Haenyeo

I’m here with a very interesting cultural post by request! Jeju’s Haenyeo (해녀; lit. sea women (海女)) are specialized female divers who earn their livelihood by diving without breathing equipment for abalone, conch, oysters, sea urchins, and more. And have been mastering the practice for multiple generations!

History of the Haenyeo

These women have a long-standing history and tradition on Juju Island. Freediving has been long-standing in Korea since around 430AD, but women started to dominate the trade more by the 18th century. Potentially because of more men dying at war, and so the women had to stay and support the family. People attribute women fully taking over free diving to their higher body fat percentage; thus they can more easily withstand the cold waters!

The practice is so long-standing and reliable for the community that it has led to a more semi-matriarchal society in Jeju. Many women were the breadwinners in the family and worked while men stayed at home with the children. In the early 1960s Haenyeo harvests made up 60% of Jejus fisheries revenue, and around 40% of the husbands to Haenyeo were unemployed.

Traditionally the women wore hanbok-style cotton swimsuits but adopted wearing wetsuits around the 1970s, along with a more modern matching diving mask and fins. Young girls train and develop their diving skills around 10-13 years old. They start out in shallow waters and train for around 7 years before becoming an offical Haenyeo. And these women can keep diving and working well into their 70s and 80s! There are 3 levels of experience: 상군, 중군, and 하군.

• Sanggun (상군) are the most skilled, leading the group and helping to teach the less experienced.
• Junggun (중군) the intermediate level, still experienced but not to the level as 상군.
• Hagun (하군) are the beginners and less experienced divers, still learning the skills and traditions.

Haenyeos Daily Work Life

Throughout the years and generations, the best locations, strategies, times, and ways to deal with weather have all been shared to help get more successful harvests. The women dive to depths of 5 (16 ft) to 20 metres (66 ft) without any tools, holding their breath for 1-2 minutes long, to catch their fresh seafood!

Haenyeo works within a group, becoming very close and bonding through the years. When they resurface they make a particular whistling sound, both for breathing and also to signal to the others where they are. Free diving can be dangerous, not just because of drowning but also sharks or jellyfish, or just poor conditions and sudden changes in the weather. An average of four or five Haenyeo die every year.

Before going out they check the weather and gauge multiple factors; from wind, waves, temperature, and the currents. When they go out they attach themselves to an orange buoy at the water’s surface with a net to store their catch. Their days consist of back and forth diving in the water for hours and resting on the shore with the other women warming up and drying up by a fire before heading off into the waters again.

Full-time Haenyeo can make about 4 – 5 million won a month, and many earn extra by doing other work during the off-season. Haenyeo can dive year-round, with winter being a peak season for more abundant catches and calmer seas.

Do Haenyeo Still Exist?

Yes, but it is a dying art! Industrialization has made fishing out on boats much simpler, less dangerous, and more profitable so it has taken over where the Haenyeo used their expertise. Jeju Island also started to focus more on tourism in the 1970’s, and by 1978 tourism passed agriculture as the island’s biggest industry. Seoul has also developed into a huge hub for all things business, entertainment, education, and more; so many young Jeju natives leave to pursue other ambitions.

As of 2014 over 98% of Haenyeos are above the age of 50. Jeju wants to help keep the tradition and practice alive by subsidizing their wetsuits and medical and accident insurance but it doesn’t seem to be enough incentive for younger generations to take it up. Shortly after in 2016, Haenyeo was declared to be a UNESCO ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’. Now there is more interest in their history and impact on Jejus culture. Tourists come to see museums dedicated to the practice, and watch real-life Haenyeo women still at work!

This is a bit of a catch-22; the UNESCO listing increases interest and tourism while turning the women’s work into a performance. In some locations you can pay to watch them dive and work, buying their catches. When a culture becomes a product consumed by an audience, then it can be at risk of being staged or inaccurately represented. Hopefully though, with the increased interest the tradition can stay alive and have a resurgence from young Jeju girls and women who feel inspired and want to follow in their grandmother’s footsteps!