Oct 22, 2026
From New York to Jeju Island: an American joins South Korea’s famed female free divers
By Lee Hae-rin
For American Kylie Genter, a day at the beach is no longer a day off for sunbathing and swimming.
Instead, it is a place where she prays for her safety before diving into the waters to gather abalone and shellfish for a living. What others see as a holiday destination has become, to her, a workplace and a landscape of possibilities.
Since she began diving as a haenyeo – female divers who harvest seafood by hand – in January 2024, the work has changed how she sees the sea.
Finding...
