I haven't posted for a while, so I thought I'd start a new thread to report what I've gleaned online recently about indigenous freediving equipment. I don't expect this topic to interest others who prefer using the very latest fins, masks and suits, but I'm a traditionalist when it comes to gear, preferring equipment that was current in the mid twentieth century and maintaining the principle "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" If that's not sufficient to justify this thread, then let's just say that Deeper Blue doesn't have many threads covering the history of freediving equipment and could maybe do with one more. So there!
Elsewhere on a different forum I am contributing a series of posts about the historical development of fins, masks and snorkels around the world. I'm familiar enough with trends in Europe and North America, but information from the Far East is harder to source and not just because of the language barrier. I collect basic gear and a while ago I purchased a snorkelling mask on eBay from a Korean seller. The mask came in a good old-fashioned cardboard box with the following on one of the flaps:
These pictures led me to do a little online research into the Daihan Diving Sports company. I located some Korean online retailers stocking the masks pictured left and centre on the middle line and centre and right on the bottom line:
I then proceeded to see what I could find out about the top line of images of fins made by the company. No luck this time on the retail front, but then I chanced upon pictures of the Haenyeo "Sea Women" of Korea who dive for seafood off the island of Jeju and earn their living by selling their catch to dealers and restaurants:
From my perspective, these yellow full-foot fins are clearly the same as those pictured on the top line left and centre on the mask box flap. If you're not convinced, take a look at the toe openings, which are particularly distinctive. Here's another image of a black pair:
The Daihan Diving whale logo is just visible, while the distinctive toe opening and the centre line on the blade are both there. I've also found examples of Haenyeo divers with the blue open-heel adjustable fins pictured top left on the box flap:
So that's as far as I've got in identifying some of the products of the Korea-based Daihan Diving company. If anybody knows anything else about the company or the gear it manufactures, I'd be very interested to hear about it (company logo close-up below):
What interests me as a historian of diving gear is the fact that these women divers have chosen locally made traditional diving gear to pursue their trade as seafood collectors. If the Haenyeo women freedivers have sparked your interest, you can read more about them in their Wikipedia article, which references videos showing them at work.
Elsewhere on a different forum I am contributing a series of posts about the historical development of fins, masks and snorkels around the world. I'm familiar enough with trends in Europe and North America, but information from the Far East is harder to source and not just because of the language barrier. I collect basic gear and a while ago I purchased a snorkelling mask on eBay from a Korean seller. The mask came in a good old-fashioned cardboard box with the following on one of the flaps:
These pictures led me to do a little online research into the Daihan Diving Sports company. I located some Korean online retailers stocking the masks pictured left and centre on the middle line and centre and right on the bottom line:
I then proceeded to see what I could find out about the top line of images of fins made by the company. No luck this time on the retail front, but then I chanced upon pictures of the Haenyeo "Sea Women" of Korea who dive for seafood off the island of Jeju and earn their living by selling their catch to dealers and restaurants:
From my perspective, these yellow full-foot fins are clearly the same as those pictured on the top line left and centre on the mask box flap. If you're not convinced, take a look at the toe openings, which are particularly distinctive. Here's another image of a black pair:
The Daihan Diving whale logo is just visible, while the distinctive toe opening and the centre line on the blade are both there. I've also found examples of Haenyeo divers with the blue open-heel adjustable fins pictured top left on the box flap:
So that's as far as I've got in identifying some of the products of the Korea-based Daihan Diving company. If anybody knows anything else about the company or the gear it manufactures, I'd be very interested to hear about it (company logo close-up below):
What interests me as a historian of diving gear is the fact that these women divers have chosen locally made traditional diving gear to pursue their trade as seafood collectors. If the Haenyeo women freedivers have sparked your interest, you can read more about them in their Wikipedia article, which references videos showing them at work.
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