“These women divers are carrying on a Korean legacy and will be the last of their kind.” APAHM
Priscilla FrankThe Korean tradition of deep-sea diving for oysters, sea cucumbers, abalones, sea urchins, and squid dates back to the 5th century. Originally, it was a male-dominated profession, not all that surprisingly. However, by the 18th century, women divers, also known as Haenyo, or “sea women,” far outnumbered men.
Fast forward a few centuries to 2016, where the tradition of Haenyo still exists, though perhaps not for long. New York-based photographerset out to document the resilient women who have dedicated their life to the art of diving. “These women divers are carrying on a Korean legacy and will be the last of their kind,” Kim wrote in an email to The Huffington Post. “They are the last generation of Haenyo.
The shooting process was not an easy one. Kim would wake up around 4 a.m. to accompany Haenyo on their deep sea journeys. She drove two hours to South Korea’s Gijang County in the dead of winter ― whose temperatures, in 2013, the year Kim created the series, averaged around 30°F. Yet winter is sea urchin ― or uni ― season, so winter is when the Haenyo get to business.“The first day I tried to take photo underwater, that was the hardest day of shooting,” Kim said.