TARGET 00804

Ama Pearl Divers

Diving down

Ama , Uminchu (in Okinawa Islands) or Kaito (in Izu Peninsula) are Japanese divers, famous for collecting pearls. The majority of Ama are women.

Japanese tradition holds that the practice of Ama divers may be 2,000 years old. Traditionally, and even as recently as the 1960s, the Ama dived wearing only a loincloth. Even in modern times, Ama dive without scuba gear or air tanks, making them a traditional sort of free-diver.

The pearls the Ama collect are some of the most prized in the world. The best go to Mikimoto Pearl Company.

Depending on the region, ama may dive with masks, fins, and torso-covering wetsuits at the most. Only divers who work for tourist attractions use white, partially transparent suits.

Ama are famous for pearl diving, but originally they dove for food like seaweed, shellfish, lobsters, octopus, and sea urchins — and oysters which sometimes have pearls.

The Ama boats take them to the oyster beds, and are also built to protect them from the sea storms which arise quickly at sea.

Ama divers can keep diving well into old age. The older divers are generally able to stay submerged longer than the younger.[citation needed] Usually they also have another job, typically working on a farm.

Japanese believe that the majority of ama are women because of how their bodies differ from men: The fat on a female body is distributed differently to men, which ensures that they can stay warmer in colder water.

In the Ian Fleming James Bond series, Bond travels to Japan in the novel You Only Live Twice. He meets and becomes involved with Ama diver Kissy Suzuki.

FEEDBACK MAP

If you gained information in your session which was not covered in the feedback, please take a look at these sites:

The Guardian

Wikipedia

All About Gemstones

You can also look on You Tube for Pearl Divers or Ama Pearl Divers.



Many thanks to Ray McClure for suggesting and programming this target.