Nearly a minute has passed yet the sea in front of us remains still, save for a ring-shaped life preserver bobbing upon its surface. Inside it is a mesh net, known as a sukari, filled with red, yellow ...

The Ama divers of Japan, primarily in Toba and Shima, preserve an ancient tradition of free diving for shellfish and pearls, dating back 3000 years. Around 2,000 divers remain, sustaining their ...

In a coastal hut in Mie Prefecture, a charcoal fire burns at the center as ama — "sea woman" in Japanese, who make a living by free-diving for seafood — warm their hands, or grill fresh catch for ...

SHIMA, Japan (AFP) – Mieko Kitai takes a huge gulp of air as she surfaces from the clear, blue waters of Japan's Pacific coast with a large abalone in her hand. Now in her 70s, the dive -- with ...

Yoshino Uemura came late to the world of female “ama” divers, taking the plunge in her 40s. But now, over two decades later, she feels there is no time to lose if her chosen profession is to survive ...

Yoshino Uemura came late to the world of female ama divers, taking the plunge in her 40s. But now, over two decades later, she feels there is no time to lose if her chosen profession is to survive for ...

Nearly a minute has passed yet the sea in front of us remains still, save for a ring-shaped life preserver bobbing upon its surface. Inside it is a mesh net, known as a sukari, filled with red, yellow ...

Now in her 70s, the dive — with nothing more than a mask — does not get any easier and the pickings get slimmer with every passing year. But she and her fellow divers or “ama” — which roughly ...