Grandma Divers

(click on the picture to see more images and then click miniatures to enlarge the photos) Jeju island, known for its basalt volcanic rock, sits off South Korea. It is the home of the Haenyeo or women of the sea who free dive off the black shores of Jeju harvesting delicacies from the sea. Wearing thin rubber suits and old fashioned goggles, this aging group of women (50 and many are well over 70) are celebrated as a national treasure and inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, but the tradition is slowly fading as fewer women choose this hazardous profession. The series has won 3nd Place Siena + exhibition in Siena, Photo Annual USA 1st Place, Paris PX3 State of the World 1st Place, British Journal of Photography (BJP) 1st Place, Smithsonian finalist, LensCulture finalist, Pollux Award and IPA 1st Place,