Meet Real Superhumans With the Unusual Ability to Live Practically Like Fish

Swimming is a skill that many of us find to be very helpful, but we don’t use it for work or survival. The Bajau people of Asia, popularly known as “nomads of the sea,” have developed a technique that allows them to hold their breath underwater for several minutes, far longer than anyone else in the world. They could quite confidently imagine swimming 200 feet below the ocean’s surface for up to 13 minutes. Turns out, these abilities aren’t merely the result of dedicated training.

The Bajau tribe

From old to young, the Bajau are colorful, festive, and musical people that have lived on the coasts of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines for centuries. The Bajau have been a nomadic, seafaring people for most of their history. Many Bajau still practice that same lifestyle to this day, which explains why they are still commonly called “sea nomads.”

For hundreds of years, this ethnic group has lived in the sea.

In order to obtain fish and other marine goods for trade or consumption, the Bajau start learning to swim and dive at a very young age. They may spend 6 to 10 hours a day in the water, with the majority of that time spent underwater. The issue is that there are significantly fewer fish than there were 20 years ago, so you must stay underwater longer to catch the same amount.

Their body structure is different from ours.

In order to survive the sea depths, the Bajau have undergone a number of physical changes. The selection has worked, and they now have a larger spleen, which is necessary to retain oxygenated red blood cells and enables them to survive longer underwater. Scientists have also discovered that young children see perfectly underwater, an important adaptation in that context, where the eye adapts to the situation.

They use certain techniques.

It’s finally been discovered that a group of “sea nomads” in Southeast Asia were able to hold their breath for extraordinarily long periods of time while free diving to hunt fish, and the reason for this is evolution. The Bajau people have developed the ability to dive tens of meters deep without using modern diving equipment. Instead, they rely on weights, handmade wooden goggles, and a single breath of air.

The sea is their home.

They’ve been living in houseboats for possibly thousands of years, moving about the South East Asian seas from place to place and rarely setting foot on dry land. Therefore, they get everything they need from the sea.

Do you know how to swim? How long can you hold your breath under the water?