For centuries, South Korea's legendary diving women have scoured the coastal waters surrounding Chejudo, an isolated and mythical volcanic island lying off the tip of the Korean Peninsula.
Their aquatic lives traditionally began at the tender age of 10. Out in the choppy sea, their haunting whistles piercing the frosty air are audible from as far as a kilometre away as they rise for breath after skin-diving to depths of 18 metres in search of sea creatures.
Shellfish and octopus are their usual prey. If they are lucky, the most lucrative harvests of all are a delectable, tiny cuttlefish known as nakji and much sought-after abalone.
Their whistling anthem at the surface is called the sumbi-sori. It cries as they empty their lungs to gasp for air.
When the sumbi-sori falls silent, the haenyeo women return underwater for another three or four minutes.
They are a breed apart but there are no children joining the sturdy fold any more.
