Pa-aling divers - Human Planet: Oceans, preview - BBC One
http://www.bbc.co.uk/humanplanet
One of the most dangerous fishing methods of all. A 100 strong crew in the Philippines dive to 40 metres, breathing air pumped through makeshift tangled tubes by a rusty compressor.
Growing up in Davao with my father, who was an avid SCUBA diver, I got the chance to try breathing through these tubes myself. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. The diesel from the pump made the air almost unbearable, I found myself choking and constantly fighting my gag reflex. There was always the danger of the tube getting tangled up in the coral, or yourself getting tangled up in the net. And I even had proper fins on, while these guys usually strap a piece of plywood onto each foot.
Imagine having to do this for a living.
Haha.. in the Visayas we call this “hooka”..
My dad is a marine biologist and a SCUBA diver and we used to work with these hooka divers and educating them on proper decompression and fish stocks management.. I had the chance to breathe through these tubes and yeah it tastes like diesel..Best days of my childhood!
(Source: heypsalm)
