How long can members from the Badjao tribe hold their breath?
Members of the Badjao tribe can hold their breath for 30 to 90 seconds. This is much longer than the average person and they achieve this without any training. Researchers have found that they can spend up to five hours underwater.
Santarawi Lalisan, an 85-year-old tribe member, shared with Giuseppe from Project Happiness that he once held his breath for nearly 10 minutes. He was a champion in Tawi Tawi and could stay underwater for eight minutes. Now, he can manage up to five minutes.
The tribe’s ability to hold their breath for so long is due to a genetic mutation in the spleen. This allows their blood to hold more oxygen. Their life on the water and in boats has given them excellent swimming skills and strong lung capacity. They can now hunt underwater with spears for as long as they can hold their breath.
What is causing the gradual decline of the tribe?
The Badjao village is constructed over water. Homes are built on high wooden stilts and bamboo and driftwood bridges link the various sections and houses. However, plastic waste is now polluting the water. A villager explained that this is partly because some villagers are adopting a more Western lifestyle and gradually abandoning their traditional way of life. This includes a significant shift from using paper to plastic.
He said that the influx of plastic is due to the Badjao now shopping at supermarkets where plastic is used instead of paper. In the past, the Badjao only used paper when making purchases.
This is a skill that has been handed down through generations. Lalisan, like the others, fishes underwater using handmade wooden goggles with lenses made from broken glass and a spear. His father taught him this skill. He said his father taught him to resist and hold his breath underwater no matter what happens. He always wonders if he will make it back to the surface. He then puts his trust in God to give him his life back when he returns to the surface.
Another villager said that fishing is a sacred moment for them because it connects them to their ancestors.
