This woman dons her wetsuit, poorly fitting as it is, and dives into the ocean to daily bring back a catch of shellfish, sea cucumbers and water wangs.  Then, still wearing her diving gear, she’ll cut it up for you to take home – or, for the brave of tongue and tummy, eat right there on the spot.

Despite the cloudy and windy weather, we went out to one of the local beaches on Sunday. We found this woman and several other diving azummas selling their catch along the boardwalk.

It was surprising how many people were at the beach given the weather. It was even sometimes sprinkling but that didn’t stop people from swimming in the cold surf.  I walked into it a bit, just to see if getting to this small island was easily accessible.

A small spit of sand stretches toward the island while the surf wraps its arms around it. Waves break on both right and left.  I walked only halfway across and came back. There’s a deep channel near the far shore and I still was carrying my camera and phone. Between the cold and potentially deep water, I gave up in favor of keeping my electronics dry.

Others, more appropriately clad than I, braved the brisk waters to get across. SaTang, meanwhile had a grand time on the beach. She’s not a fan of the water but is very friendly and loved the attention she got from all the strangers. I’d have taken a picture or two of her, but she was flitting around too fast to get a decent shot.  I settled for a picture of my lovely wife.