Looking for actual pearl-divers

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I do indulge in strange ceremonies...

Ever been nitrogen narc'd? It's quite the buzz :/

I'm a deepsea diver and a pearl hunter, but it's pretty hard to dive in the intertidal zone at low tide and horribly surf swept at high tide. So I just walk around to get pearls when the tide is out.

However, this does remind me of my last trip to Maui. I went on a snorkling boat to Molokini Crater. I met two Japanese girls, who also had their own professional masks, fins and snorkles. I asked them why and they mentioned they were "awabi" (abalone) divers.

Although diving in the crater is an amazing and beautiful place, I marvelled at the grace of these two girls. They could easily get to 60+ feet with what seemed like little effort. Each kick was small, shallow and slow, yet they had incredible power. Every dive was longer than a minute and a half. Even as a seasoned diver, I was doing three dives for each of their one.

 

[pearls92]

Pearl Rodeo 2010

Pearl Rodeo 2010

I try again to make the question: in the Pearl Rodeo on June 2010 were fished 98.000 oysters but is not write how many pearls they found, it can be in interest to know the percent of pearl production in wild Pinctada (I think radiata).

Someone know if in 2011 there was another pearl rodeo?

Gianpiero