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User:Pbsouthwood/Women in underwater diving

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Women in underwater diving is the contribution of women to any aspects of underwater diving. This is a large contribution, as there have been women involved in most aspects of underwater diving since the earliest times.

History[edit]

Haenyeo[edit]

Main article: Haenyeo
Haenyeo women in Jeju, 2012

Haenyeo are female divers in the South Korean province of Jeju, whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed, and other sea life from the ocean. Known for their independent spirit and determination, haenyeo are representative of the semi-matriarchal family structure of Jeju.[1][2][3]

Traditionally, girls started training as haenyeo when they were 11 years old. Beginning in shallow water, trainees worked their way up to more challenging depths. After about seven years of training, a girl was considered a "full-fledged" haenyeo.[4] The oldest are over 80 years old, and have been diving for more than 66 years.[5]

Ama[edit]

Main article: Ama (diving)
An ama diver.
Pearl divers in white uniforms, 1921

Ama (海女, "sea women") are Japanese divers famous for collecting pearls, though traditionally their main catch is seafood.[6] The vast majority of ama are women.

Japanese tradition holds that the practice of ama may be 2,000 years old.[7] Records of female pearl divers, or ama, date back as early as AD 927 in Japan's Heian period. Early ama were known to dive for seafood and were honored with the task of retrieving abalone for shrines and emperors. Ama traditionally wear white, as the colour represents purity and also to possibly ward off sharks. Traditionally and even as recently as the 1960s, ama dived wearing only a loincloth, but in the 20th century, the divers adopted an all-white sheer diving uniform in order to be more presentable while diving.[8][9] Even in modern times, ama dive without scuba equipment making them a traditional sort of freediver.

Women divers' hall of fame[edit]

Main article: Women Divers Hall of Fame

The Women Divers Hall of Fame (WDHOF) is an international honor society. Its purpose is to honor the accomplishments of women divers,[10][11] and their contributions to various fields of underwater diving.[12][13] Full membership is restricted to nominees who have been found to meet the WDHOF's criteria, which include being an underwater diver and having contributed to diving in ways recognised as being significant.[14]

Demographics[edit]

The 2015 to 2020 statistics from PADI show ratios of about 35.8 to 38.4% women recreational divers by annual issued entry level and continued education certification, which is a large minority.[15]

Researchers into diving physiology and medicine[edit]

Pioneers of diver training[edit]

Cave divers[edit]

  • Jill Heinerth Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer and film-maker

Underwater photographers and film makers[edit]

Environmentalists and scientific divers[edit]

  • Sylvia Earle Oceanographer and marine biologist (former Chief Scientist at NOAA), author and consultant
  • Dottie Frazier American diver and dive shop owner; the first female scuba instructor and the first female dive shop owner.[17]

Navy divers[edit]

Mary Bonnin First woman US Navy Master Diver; US Navy diving instructor; naval diving safety advocate.[18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Woman Power Deep Below the Sea". Business Korea. January 2003.
  2. ^ "Families of the World: Korea (1975)". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  3. ^ "Documentary on 12 Year Old Korean Haenyeo Diver 1975". YouTube. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  4. ^ Hong, S.K. (1965). "Hae-nyo, the diving women of Korea". In Rahn, H.; Yokoyama, T. (eds.). Physiology of Breath-Hold Diving and the Ama of Japan. United States: National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council. pp. 99–112. ISBN 0-309-01341-0.
  5. ^ Hutchens, Jeff (March 25, 2013). "The Diving Women of Jeju (Part 1)" (Video). YouTube. Imagine Your Korea.
  6. ^ "海女漁業文化-海女漁業の振興、海女文化の保存・継承-" [Promoting and Preserving the Heritage of Ama Divers' Fishing Culture]. Toba City (in Japanese). Archived from the original on Feb 1, 2024. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
  7. ^ Rahn, H.; Yokoyama, T. (1965). Physiology of Breath-Hold Diving and the Ama of Japan. United States: National Academy of Sciences – National Research Council. p. 369. ISBN 0-309-01341-0.
  8. ^ Gakuran, Michael (5 November 2013). "Ama – The Pearl Diving Mermaids of Japan (Warning: Nudity)". Gakuranman. Archived from the original on Feb 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Wallace, Sue (July 2010). "Legends of the Deep: Japan". Sun Herald.
  10. ^ "Women Veteran Divers Assist National Park Service in Underwater Surveys - Channel Islands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". National Park Service. 22 November 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  11. ^ "Women Divers Hall of Fame Inducts Six New Members for 2015". California Diver Magazine. 24 March 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  12. ^ Singh, Vijay (25 June 2023). "Mumbai woman inducted in Women Divers Hall of Fame in USA". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Women Divers Hall of Fame". www.wdhof.org. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Member Nominations". www.wdhof.org. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  15. ^ "PADI Worldwide Corporate Statistics" (PDF). Professional Association of Diving Instructors. 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  16. ^ Denny, Megan (2017-03-23). "7 Women in Diving Everyone Should Know". blog.padi.com. Retrieved 2020-12-16.
  17. ^ {{Cite web|last=Denny |first=Megan |date=2017-03-23 |title=7 Women in Diving Everyone Should Know |url=https://blog.padi.com/2017/03/23/7-women-in-diving-everyone-should-know/ |access-date=16 December 2020 |website=blog.padi.com}
  18. ^ "Master Chief Mary Bonnin". www.navy.mil. Retrieved 17 May 2022.

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External links[edit]

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