Our cab ride from Shinsikaji was about 12,000 won, which isn't too bad, but there are buses that stop at Sanbangsan, which will get you within a 15 minute walk of the village and harbour.
We strolled around for a bit taking photos and video of the coast and the boats in the port, when finally some festivities started to break out. Moving towards the tented area, there were an arrange of performances going on:
The first three rows or more were made up of haenyo, whom where already in their diving gear. Each haenyo had a number for their netting, as they were going to be competing against one another shortly.
I got some very nice video and hopefully audio of some pansori singing, which is this traditional singing accompanied by a drummer; it's quite enchanting and with the right setting is even more pronounced.
It was at this time that I realized my Flip video had died, which was the first time that it has ever happened to me. I guess it was bound to happen one of these days. Thankfully, it booted up again once I fully charged it at home.
Brian was able to get some astounding pictures, and so I'll be posting some of his work here in lieu of my regular video posts.
Once the performances had finished, there was about twenty minutes of this announcer talking in Korean. Which was very long-winded, even some of the Korean audience sighed with boredom.
All of a sudden, the haenyo started to gear up and into action. They posed for the traditional group shot with the sponsors and festival organizers, and then were off towards the dock and the open sea.
Camermen were swarming around the haenyo like vultures, each looking to get the perfect shot. I was obstructed multiple times and even bumped into, it's quite the aggressive sport, but hopefully I'll be a bit more prepared for any future occasions.
Once the divers had put on their masks and fins, they were off like a pack of manatees. I had my HD camera with me and I got quite a bit of the event with that, but who knows when I'll get around to editing it.
Meanwhile, Brian and I started looking for some snack food, as it was about lunch time and neither of us had eaten anything all day. We found this small shop making what they call "toast", which is a sort of ham, cheese, and egg ensemble smothered with ketchup; it was better than the alternative fresh sea food, at least in my opinion.
I don't mind eating cooked seafood, but find it very hard to enjoy, let alone eat, fresh seafood, unless it is sushi; the wasabi gets me every time.
In the midst of snacking down a sandwich I heard a siren erupt, like one you'd expect they would play just before bombs were dropped. Of course the contest must have been coming to a close, and this was confirmed shortly after when I saw Brian sprinting back towards the docks.
It was round two of fight for position and getting the best shot of the women divers as they were bringing in their haul. Some of them had a huge net full of snails, or oysters...it was something with a shell.
Some of them even had octopus, or other strange looking fish, which I can only assume were worth more points in the judging process.
After they had all finally brought their haul onto the pier, the judges started to weigh in on the results. Some haenyo looked to be arguing with some others, not sure what about, but complaining can always be expected when there is a competition and a prize on the line.
Apparently the youngest haenyo present was 44 and the oldest 66-67. I've been told that the reason there isn't as many younger haenyo is because it's such a dangerous profession, and normally women don't take it up until they're older. Coupled with the fact that it's not in high demand, the haenyo are slowing dying out.
Having taken quite a bit of video and pictures, Brian and I decided to move onto our next locale, the Yongmeori Cliffs. Mike joined up with us at this point and we started trekking along the shore and beach towards the rocks.
Photos provided by Brian Miller
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