09 Mar Book Invites Readers to Dive into the History and Lived Experiences of Artisanal Diving in Chile

One of the most overlooked yet essential activities for artisanal fisheries and the management of benthic resources is explored in depth in the book “Vaciante y Creciente: Inmersiones en el buceo artesanal de Chile” (Ebb and Flow: Immersions into Artisanal Diving in Chile). Through multiple testimonies gathered across the country, the work revisits the details of this practice, part of its history in Chile, and the challenges that modernity and lack of support have brought for future generations.

Artisanal diving—an ancestral activity fundamental to coastal communities, built on learning and cultural inheritance passed down through generations—is presented through the research compiled in the recently published book Vaciante y Creciente: Inmersiones al buceo artesanal, by anthropologist Susana Cárcamo, marine biologist Stefan Gelcich (UC), and sociologist Rodrigo Estévez (UST).

The book emerged from a desire to understand and document the perceptions and motivations behind entering this trade among shellfish divers and spearfishers from northern Chile to Patagonia. Estévez and Gelcich, both researchers at the SECOS Millennium Institute in Coastal Socio-Ecology and the CAPES Center, collaborated with Cárcamo to develop the project, initially working with a group of twenty-five divers that eventually expanded to more than thirty.

“This book is written for a broad audience; it is not a scientific article aimed solely at an academic readership,” explains Susana Cárcamo. “The book is an object of knowledge and recognition—a living testimony. The sea is alive, and so is the human relationship with it. It seeks to ensure that its protagonists—hopefully—see themselves represented in these pages, and that people in large cities such as Santiago can incorporate it into their cultural heritage, not merely as something beautiful or exotic.”

A Way of Life Beneath the Sea

The book—unprecedented in Chile in both topic and depth—is an invitation to recognize diving as an activity that structures community relationships, collective forms of organization, and a sense of belonging. Testimonies from divers reveal networks of support, shared learning, and a work ethic grounded in respect for the sea and for those who inhabit it.

For Modesto Santis, an artisanal diver with more than 50 years of experience in Las Cruces, in the Valparaíso Region, diving has shaped his entire life:

“Being a diver means everything. I studied thanks to diving, I built a home and a family, I raised and educated my daughters through diving. I couldn’t ask for more from life—I’m very grateful to have chosen this profession. Participating in the book was very important, because it allows us to express how we feel as people, as workers, as fathers. I would like others to understand the sacrifices behind this very important trade.”

Another testimony in the book comes from Simón Díaz, a shellfish diver from Isla Quigua in Calbuco, in the Los Lagos Region, who has practiced the profession for more than 30 years using a hookah system (semi-autonomous diving):

“For me, diving is something hard to fully grasp, because I believe it is one of the most demanding jobs that exists today. These are people who challenge every kind of weather, storms, navigation, and long distances just to return home with food and livelihood for their families.”

The same is true for Antonia Mayorga, a diver and the main provider for her household in Rolecha, in the municipality of Hualaihué:

“It was something I fell in love with—something incredible that fills me with pride, because it has endured over time and become a livelihood within my family. My husband and my two children also work in this activity as their main source of income.”

Artisanal Fisheries and the Co-Management of Resources

Through multiple testimonies, the book situates artisanal diving as a structural component of benthic resource management in Chile and of marine food consumption. Through stories and historical data, it documents how divers have been key actors in the implementation of Management and Exploitation Areas for Benthic Resources (AMERB), directly participating in the assessment, controlled extraction, and monitoring of natural banks of commercially important species.

However, the research also highlights a longstanding debt: the lack of recognition from both society and the state. Within artisanal fisheries, diving has been essential for the extraction of benthic resources such as loco (Chilean abalone), sea urchins, limpets, seaweeds, and rockfish, sustaining local economies while contributing to food security and the cultural identity of many coastal territories.

“Socially, the image of the artisanal fisher is much more present—people know far more about that role. There are even poems and songs dedicated to fishers, but not to divers,” Cárcamo notes.
“Historically in Chile, traditions linked to agricultural, livestock, and forestry trades have dominated for a variety of reasons, and people tend to have a closer connection—even in their diet—to products from the land,” adds the anthropologist and CAPES collaborator.

The book also shows how diving has generated both direct and indirect employment in numerous fishing coves, forming part of productive chains that include the processing, transport, and commercialization of marine resources. At the same time, it highlights the precarious conditions that have historically characterized the activity: informality, occupational risks, exposure to diving accidents, and limited institutional recognition for long periods.

For the authors—and for the divers whose stories fill the book—one of the most concerning issues is the limited transfer of the trade to younger generations: sons, daughters, grandchildren, nephews, and young people who might carry artisanal fishing and diving into the future.

“There is a significant gap on this topic in academia, especially considering the diversity of experiences and ways in which people from the north and south of the country inhabit the coast,” Cárcamo adds.
“If there is no collaborative effort at the national level involving scientists, academics, government agencies, and people connected to the sea, labor precarity will continue to worsen and abandonment of the trade will increase. Today there are other economic opportunities competing with shellfish diving for young people. Designing how extraction will continue—what species, how, and at what times—is an urgent task.”

Finally, co-author Stefan Gelcich, UC professor and director of the SECOS Millennium Institute, adds:

“We hope this book promotes greater understanding and sensitivity within society about the vital importance of artisanal diving in Chile. We also hope it inspires authorities, researchers, civil society organizations, and divers themselves to work together toward building a more prosperous and equitable future for this sector. The challenges are many, but the opportunities are even greater.”

The book is available for free download on the websites of the CAPES Center and the SECOS Millennium Institute.

Cover and gallery photographs: Susana Cárcamo.