WHILE mermaids are a familiar figure in folklore, with their waist-long tresses and shimmering tails, their existence has long remained a mystery.

But on Jeju island, some 50 miles off the coast of South Korea , live a group of “real-life mermaids ” who spend their days trawling the ocean’s floor, harvesting seafood for hours on end.

One of the group's youngest, Sohee Jin, is leading the next generation of mermaids - turning her back on days spent glued to an office chair, opting instead for the sea's glistening and chilly waters.

Haenyeo women - "women of the sea" in Jeju - have been diving to the seafloor without oxygen for hundreds of years, collecting fish to sell at market.

Their ability to hold their breath for prolonged stretches of time and swim in harsh, cold waters has

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