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View all search resultsLegendary Jeju female divers face uncertain future
The growing popularity of Jeju Island’s haenyeo may not be enough to save the fate of a centuries-long tradition, which has seen the number of its practitioners dwindling over the years. Yet, the female divers march on to save it from extinction.
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'Haenyeo', skilled female free divers, from Sagye-ri village in Jeju, South Korea, (from left) Lee Han-ok, 68, Kim Su-seon, 74, and Lee Bok-soo, 71, pose for a photo with the seafood they have brought back from their dives on Nov. 12, 2025. (JP/Yerica Lai)
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or more than half a century, Lee Bok-soo, 71, has plunged into the cold waters off Jeju Island in South Korea without breathing gear, collecting seaweed, abalone and other seafood and treasures from the ocean floor to support her family.
She is one of the remaining haenyeo, the skilled female free divers who descend as far as 10 meters underwater without oxygen tanks, rallying on breath control, strength and intimate knowledge of the sea to harvest seafood.
Like many fellow divers of her generation, Lee did not choose her occupation, but rather inherited it from her mother, who was also a haenyeo. As a teenager, she followed her mother into the sea after school.
“In my generation, all our mothers were haenyeo. [...] There wasn’t much schooling in those days. We simply learned from them,” said Lee, who now can stay underwater for 1.5 minutes, a skill she maintains through years of practice.
“If I were born again, I would not do this. I would like to study and work in an office,” she continued.
Read also: ASEAN ‘benches’ in Jeju celebrate bloc’s ties with South Korea
Lee has supported her family and raised three children on her earnings from selling turban shells, abalone and other harvest. For several years in her youth, she even traveled to Japan to dive professionally, a common practice among earlier generations of Jeju haenyeo.
