‘A dying art’: India’s female seaweed divers look to a brighter future for their girls

Female seaweed collectors in Tamil Nadu spend six hours a day in the sea, diving up to 4 metres deep in the Gulf of Mannar. Photograph: Ahmer Khan

With sacks tied around their saris and well-used goggles as their only equipment, the seaweed collectors of India’s south-east coast have been diving in the Gulf of Mannar for decades, passing skills from mother to daughter.

The women spend six hours a day in the sea, diving up to 4 metres (13ft) to harvest the seaweed from sharp rocks, holding their breath as they tuck the fronds into bags tied around their waists.