YOSHINORI MAEDA-JAPANESE DIVER
Pearling stories

Yoshinori Maeda is one of just five Japanese divers still situated in Broome. He was born in Yutai, Ehime-Ken, Japan on the 1st of May 1932 and arrived in Broome in 1955, where he commenced work with a firm owned by Wally Scott. He began diving as a trainee and first dived as a second diver in 1956. During these times, divers dived between 20-23 fathoms. Throughout Maeda's career as a diver, he experienced, first hand, many dangers which could have been fatal.

'THE MANTA RAY'

One particular bad experience was brought about by a manta ray. While Maeda was searching the bottom for pearl shell, the ray became tangled in the life line and continued swimming in the opposite direction to the lugger, theraby actually dragging Maeda away from the boat. The crew consequently assisted by tugging on the lifeline (rope attached to the breast plate) endeavouring to pull the diver up to the boat. After quite a struggle, (with the diver upside down between the two opposing forces!), the screws holding the helmet suddenly snapped and his helmet was torn off, thus releasing the diver who shot up to the surface.

'THE DREADED BENDS'

Maeda contracted the bends after a dive in 1959 where the only current treatment was to go back down under water and ascend slowly in stages. He stayed down underwater for 35 hours, slowly ascending. If pain was felt by the divers while coming up slowly, they had to go back down to a point where the pain stopped and begin the staging again. After 35 hours Maeda reached the surface, however never fully recovered from the disease, as when he tried diving again, he felt the terrible pains. Maeda consequently gave up pearl shell diving and worked as an engineer on the luggers.

'SHARKS'

Most divers were never usually worried about shark attacks because although the sharks were often curious and would sometimes circle the divers a few times, no attacks usually eventuated. Sharks would often 'bump' the diver as they passed however Maeda only knew of one attempted attack which was not serious.

Many thanks to Yoshinori Madea for supplying us with these invaluable pearling stories.