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Jeju's haenyeo: elderly female free divers draw crowds on South Korean island

A UNESCO-listed tradition lives on as tourists gather to watch the women of Jeju harvest the seafloor

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
A new travel feature spotlights the haenyeo of South Korea's Jeju Island, the elderly female free divers who have harvested marine life from the ocean for centuries and have become a celebrated tourist attraction. The article, published in Good Weekend, describes watching the women dive from Seongsan Ilchulbong, a volcanic peak on Jeju's coast, and the cultural significance of their work.

The article recounts the author's long interest in Jeju, sparked by research into freediving and the island's haenyeo. The women dive without oxygen tanks, holding their breath for up to two and a half minutes while harvesting sea urchins, octopus and abalone from depths of between 10 and 20 metres. Many are in their 70s and 80s and have become celebrities. In 2024 they were the subject of the documentary The Last of the Sea Women, and the practice holds a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage listing.

At Seongsan Ilchulbong, more than 100 tourists gathered to watch as the women prepared for a morning dive. 'It's about the hardships they've endured,' the author's guide said. The article notes the haenyeo have become a daily tourist spectacle, but watching them dive still carries emotional weight. 'This may be a daily tourist spectacle, but watching the women harvest the seafloor in this way, as generations of Jeju women have done before them, makes the hairs on my arms stand up.'

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • Jeju's haenyeo are one of the few remaining examples of a living tradition of female free divers, and their visibility shapes how the practice is preserved.
  • The women have become cultural ambassadors for South Korea, attracting international attention and tourism to Jeju.
  • As the divers age, the question of how the tradition survives is central to the island's cultural future.

Background

The haenyeo are female divers on Jeju Island, South Korea, who have harvested seafood from the ocean without oxygen tanks for centuries. In 2024 they were the subject of the documentary The Last of the Sea Women and are listed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage register. Many continue diving into their 70s and 80s and have achieved celebrity status.

Key Perspectives

Visitors and cultural admirers: The article describes the author's guide describing the dive as 'about the hardships they've endured,' suggesting the practice carries deep cultural meaning beyond the spectacle. Tourism industry: The women's morning dives at Seongsan Ilchulbong draw more than 100 tourists who gather to watch, making the haenyeo a significant draw for Jeju's tourism economy. Cultural preservationists: The UNESCO listing and documentary attention reflect efforts to recognise and protect the tradition, though the article notes the divers have also become 'a daily tourist spectacle,' raising questions about how performance and preservation interact.

What to Watch

  • Whether younger women continue to join the haenyeo, or whether the tradition ends with the current generation.
  • How Jeju balances the haenyeo's role as a tourist attraction with respect for their way of life.
  • Any new cultural heritage measures or documentaries that follow the 2024 film.

Sources

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Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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