Ama (diving)

Ama (海女, "sea women") are Japanese divers famous for collecting pearls, though traditionally their main catch is seafood.

[2] Records of female pearl divers, or ama, date back as early as AD 927 in Japan's Heian period.

[citation needed] In Japan, women were considered to be superior divers due to the distribution of their fat and their ability to hold their breath.

[6] The garments of the ama have changed throughout time, from the original loincloth to the white sheer garbs and eventually to the modern diving wetsuit.

The headscarves are adorned with symbols such as the seiman and the douman,[clarification needed] which have the function of bringing luck to the diver and warding off evil.