Meet Japan’s ‘women of the sea’: 80-year-old diver dives into cold waters without an oxygen tank

For generations, women along Japan’s Ise-Shima coastline have entered the sea without scuba equipment or oxygen tanks to gather seafood from the seabed. Known as Ama, or ‘women of the sea’, these traditional free divers rely on breath-holding, years of experience and an intimate knowledge of the ocean. Some have continued the demanding work well into their 70s and 80s. In 2012, The Japan Times profiled Reiko Nomura, an 80-year-old former Ama diver in Osatsu, Mie Prefecture, who had spent most of her life diving for abalone and other sea creatures. Today, the tradition survives mainly in coastal communities, although the number of active Ama continues to decline.Japan’s ‘women of the sea’ dive without oxygen tanksAma, a Japanese term commonly translated as ‘woman of the sea’, are traditional female free divers who collect marine life directly from coastal waters. Unlike scuba divers, they do not carry air tanks. They dive on a breath, search the seabed and return to the surface before taking another breath.Japan’s National Tourism Organization says experienced Ama can free-dive to around 15 metres and hold their breath for up to about 60 seconds. Their catches can include abalone, t...