Ama divers (Japanese:海女) are Japanese female divers famous for diving for pearls.
The word ama literally means sea woman. Japanese tradition holds that the practice of Ama divers may be 2000 years old. Traditionally, and even as recently as the 1960s, Ama dived wearing only a loincloth. Even in modern times, Ama dive without scuba gear or air tanks , making them a traditional sort of free-diver. Depending on the region, ama may dive with masks, fins and torso-covering wetsuits at the most. Only divers who work for tourist attractions use white, partially transparent suits.
Ama are famous for pearl diving but originally they dived for food like seaweed, shellfish, lobsters, octopus and sea urchins - and oysters which sometimes have pearls.
Ama divers dive until the very old age. Usually they also have another job, usually working in a farm.
