Japan’s free-diving ama divers are the stuff of legend. Learn how you can get a firsthand look at these women who harvest the sea’s riches.

From mermaids to mermen: Japan’s ama divers evolve with the times . Ama diver Yushi Ikeda, 37, on his boat. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM. Walter Sim. UPDATED Jan 14, 2023, 06:33 AM. Thanks for sharing!

The 69-year-old is among only 500 “ama” divers in Japan's rural Mie Prefecture, down from more than 4,000 such professionals in the 1970s. Across Japan, only about 2,000 ama divers are left.

Clad in wetsuits, ama divers submerge to great depths ... Japan's 'ama' divers struggle to survive as incomes plummet. Today 06:00 am JST Today | 07:00 am JST 0 Comments By Momoko Yoshino. TSU, Mie.

"I really feel like I am a mermaid among the fish, it's a fantastic sensation," says a beaming Hideko Koguchi, who works as an ama in the coastal town of Toba. Dressed in her full ama outfit -- a mask ...

SHIMA, Japan (AFP) – Mieko Kitai takes a huge gulp of air as she surfaces from the clear, blue waters of Japan's Pacific coast with a large abalone in her hand. Now in her 70s, the dive -- with ...

Clad in wetsuits, ama divers submerge to great depths without air tanks to gather abalone, seaweed and other seafood, and sometimes pearls. They exist only in Japan and South Korea, but in the ...

The tradition of Japanese freediving has been passed down through generations of women since the 8th Century. ... Japan’s last female ‘Ama’ pearl-divers. 29 February 2020. Share Save. Tern TV.

Japan’s free-diving ama divers are the stuff of legend. Learn how you can get a firsthand look at these women who harvest the sea’s riches.

Japan’s free-diving ama divers are the stuff of legend. Learn how you can get a firsthand look at these women who harvest the sea’s riches. CNN values your feedback ...