Haenyo

Today we had the wonderful opportunity to help our friend Adam move to the beautiful city of Seongsan. Seongsan means sunrise, and it is a major tourist destination on Jeju. After we schlepped Adam’s few worldly positions to his charming new flat we struck out to find some much deserved food. The initial mission was to eat at a pizza place run by the family of one of Adam’s students, but we couldn’t find it, so we wandered over to a restaurant Adam had heard of at the base of Sunrise Peak. Adam said something about a diving demonstration so off we went.

It turns out we arrived just as the infamous Haenyo divers were emerging from the sea with diner. The Haenyo are women divers who can dive 20 feet, and hold their breath for two minutes. As a point of reference a friend of mine dove 25 feet with a tank this weekend. All of the women seemed to be older than fifty. They were smiley and cute.

So we bought a large plate and feasted on delicacies such as sea cucumber and abalone that were alive mere moments earlier. It as chewy, and crunchy, and I didn’t eat my share, but I was so happy for the experience. The beach was stunning, and the energy was vibrant. There were hordes of excited people all over the beach snapping photos and picking their food from the tanks. It was a unique and unexpected experience which was only enhanced by such good company. I knew famous divers were on Jeju somewhere, but I hadn’t researched it, so it was extra fun to just happen upon them.

Coming out of the water with the catch. The plate before it as chopped. Mike with the food. (Mike is so handsome that tourists wanted a photo with him. hahahaha!) Adam at the tank where the fish is chosen and chopped. The view of Sunrise Peak from our seats at diner.