The calm of the shoreline is interrupted by a whistling noise. Then, a strange, sleek shape breaks the surface of the Korean Strait, clasping its quarry. Yet there is no need to call David Attenborough just yet – this is no strange new species of seal. In fact, it’s an elderly lady; one of the indomitable diving grandmas of Jeju Island.
They call themselves haenyo (pronounced
hen-yuh), which literally means
sea women and the whistling sound they made preceding their exit from the depths is called
sumbisori. They are representative of a centuries old tradition, one which transformed their island in to a functioning matriarchy but a way of life which today is in danger of disappearing forever.
