How freediving helps Indonesia’s Bajau preserve traditions and conserve marine life

Off Sumbawa, Indonesia, Bajau fishers led by a ketua named Mahari use traditional freediving methods to catch octopus, including a lure called the pocong that only about ten people in their community are skilled enough to use. A recent ban on compressor-assisted diving, a technique that risks decompression sickness, air embolisms and paralysis, has pushed the value of these traditional skills higher.

The Jari Foundation has partnered with roughly 40 fishermen through a group called PELITA to support the return to freediving, combining the practice with conservation work and ecotourism. A related program, Women for Marine Conservation, involves women in data collection, tourism and environmental education across the fishing communities.

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