Over the past 15 years, Kimi Werner has built an impressive freediving career that has taken her around the world, earned her sponsorships with nearly a dozen brands, and won her the title of National Spearfishing Champion. When Kimi became pregnant last year at age 39, the anxiety around continuing her diving career while balancing motherhood was just like any other working mom. In an attempt to calm her nerves and seek inspiration, Kimi traveled at seven months pregnant to the island of Jeju in South Korea to meet her heroes – the Haenyeo women.
The Haenyeo are a group of female divers whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed and other sea life from the ocean. Their unique culture dates back centuries, and these women broke cultural norms by becoming the first group of working mothers in South Korea. These incredible women dive throughout their entire pregnancy, go into labor while in the water, and have even been known to give birth on their boats. In Kimi’s quest for understanding, she learned that these women of the sea, most of whom are elders and grandmothers, never let motherhood slow them down or get in the way of their passion.
In a funny scene from the film, Kimi jokes with the women, “where I’m from, people say it’s not smart to dive while pregnant.” The women laugh! “It’s OK! It’s OK! The hardest part is bending over your belly to put your fins on!”
You can read more about Kimi’s trip here.