The Bajau people are the last ocean nomads (they are not citizens of any country).
They can breath underwater for up to 5 minutes (by way of comparison, Alessia Zecchini of The Deeptest Breath documentary on Netflix) held her breath for 3 minutes and 21 seconds.
Here’s a teaser about how incredible these Bajau folks are at swimming and fishing:
The above is a clip of a Filipino Badjao tribe member from a BBC documentary (I haven’t found the longer film it’s an excerpt from) . It describes how “This man descend 20 meters (65feet) to sea floor, hearts slows down to 30 beats per minute, squezzes its lung to 1/3 of its initial volume, even without weights he is negatively bouyant enough to strive across the bottom of the sea as if like hunting on land, 2 1/2 minutes of hunting under pressure. He can still manage to stay as long as 5 minutes!
Some of the Bajau people live on stilted houses. Others live on boats at sea.
In some cases, they catch fish better than dolphin or whales.
They are called “Hunters of the Ocean” by locals.
And, as one local put it, “They never come home empty handed.”
But, they don’t over-fish. They catch just what they need for the next day or two.
This reminded me of how Dick Proenneke hunted in Alaska (see “Alone in the Wilderness” — one of my favorite documentaries! ). Proenneke could have killed a lot of game (moose, deer, etc.) but he chose to just catch a small amount of trout because that’s all the nourishment he needed.
It’s an enormous respect of nature.
Enjoy my list of the best documentaries on the Bajau people.
Oh, and thanks to author David J. Linden for bringing the Bajau people to my attention in his excellent book: “Unique: The New Science of Human Individuality”.
1) Hunters of the South Seas (The Bajau)
This is the best comprehensive documentary on the Bajau people.
I loved it so much I wrote a more in-depth review of it here: https://dailydoc.com/hunters-of-the-south-seas-the-bajau/
Hosted by British writer, TV presenter and fisherman Will Millard, the doc visits a Bajau family in Indonesia.
It centers on the father of the family: Kabei.
He learned to swim from his father. His father swam down 15 feet holding him. They he would put him on his shoulders and send him to the surface.
Kabei’s father (75 years old) still swims 45 feet down to fish!
When Millard watches this Bajau family fish, he says “I’ve never seen anything like it…it’s like watching underwater ballet”.
Watch “Hunters of the South Seas: The Bajau” documentary for free by clicking the video embed above or here: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ne9uv. (I find playing the embed is better than the link because the embed appears to be ad-free).
2) Meet the Bajau Laut (60 Minutes Australia)
We’re introduced to three families—17 people—all born and raised at sea, currently off the coast of Borneo.
Unlike the Bajau people in “Hunters of the South Seas (The Bajau)” above, these Bajau people live on a boat. They have no house.
Watch as Sorbent, a family member, prepares to fish. He smokes a cigarette, then dives 60 feet down, achieving negative buoyancy.
His heart rate drops to 25 beats per minute as he walks along the ocean floor, hunting. He eventually spears a large stingray, a perfect catch.
The ocean provides everything, but it’s not without dangers—tropical storms, deadly pirates, and the constant battle for survival.
Their physical adaptations, allowing them to hunt as efficiently as ocean mammals, are both fascinating and terrifying.
Watch “Meet the Bajau Laut” from 60 Minutes by clicking the video embed above.
3) Badjao Spearfisherman in Bohol, Philippines
We follow Jimmy, a local hunter from Bohol, Philippines, as he dives 65 feet down, his heart rate dropping to 30 beats per minute.
Without weights, he achieves negative buoyancy, walking along the ocean floor like he’s on land. It’s incredible to watch him hunt, sometimes staying submerged for up to five minutes, using nothing more than wooden fins.
Filmed for Earth Diary, this 24-minute segment captures the Badjao’s remarkable adaptations to life at sea.
With over 100,000 members across Southeast Asia, the Badjao have lived primarily on the ocean for generations.
Watch “Badjao Spearfisherman” for free by clicking the video embed above.
4) Discovering the World of the Bajau Tribe | The Free-Diving Sea Nomads
It’s under 12 minutes, but this doc has perhaps the highest quality video footage of the Bajau people in Indonesia. (Sampela near the Banda Sea).
Sampela is typical of a Bajau village.
A family member, Lauda, shows us around. He estimates that there are at least a dozen villages on stilts in the archipelago alone (meaning a couple of hundred villages over the whole Sulawesi).
They show the tradition of the Bajau’s use of the speargun. And how he can dive where “regular fisherman” can not.
Watch “Discovering the World of the Bajau Tribe” for free by clicking the video embed above.
5) The Sea Nomads of Borneo
This is just a short video clip from a longer “Islands of Wonder” documentary about Borneo that aired on PBS September 23, 2020.
The clip is about just the Bajau Laut tribe.
It describes how Bajau are “sea nomads” who spend “most” of their days underwater.
Generations of diving have transformed their bodies.
PBS reports that the Bajau have spleens 50% larger than average, allowing them to hold their breath for over three minutes.
Note: While this doc says they can hold their breath for 3+ minutes, other docs have mentioned ranges from 2 to 5 minutes.
These remarkable adaptations highlight a fascinating intersection of culture and biology.
6) Sea Gypsies (Bajau)
Release date: January 12, 2024
I almost didn’t include this one because the YouTube poster used a thumbnail of a beautiful young woman who is not actually part of the documentary.
But the rest of this documentary is solid.
The doc features The Bajau, known as Sea Gypsies, with stunning aerial footage of their ingeniously built stilt homes.
The doc also explains how the homes are made from locally sourced materials and are designed to adapt to the tides’ constant ebb and flow.
It also delves into the construction of the traditional Lepa Lepa boats and offers an intimate look at a Bajau wedding ceremony.
Of course, it wouldn’t be complete without showcasing the Bajau’s impressive spear-fishing skills.
Spread across Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines, different Bajau subgroups each bring their own cultural uniqueness, but all share a profound connection to the sea.
You can watch “Sea Gypsies (Bajau)” by clicking the video embed above.
7) Bajau Laut – Underwater Hunter Gatherers
This raw, unfiltered footage by Erik Abrahamsson offers a captivating glimpse into the lives of the Bajau Laut, also known as Sama Dilaut, Southeast Asia’s underwater hunter-gatherers.
Recorded during field trips to the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia (circa 2010 to 2017), this six-minute film captures the Bajau Laut’s rich maritime tradition.
With no narration, just video and captions, you’ll feel like you’re diving alongside one of the most widespread indigenous peoples of Southeast Asia, who have lived on the sea for over 1,000 years.
8) Bajau Catches 2 Fish at Once with a Speargun
Here’s another video (just 2 minutes) from Erik Abrahamsson from April 2023.
It’s of Sama Bajau fisherman Kabei catching two fish using a speargun. The location is Sampela, a village in Indonesia’s Wakatobi Marine National Park.
You might remember Kabei from “Hunters of the South Seas” (the #1 documentary on the Bajau (see above)).
Thanks for reading!
Rob Kelly
Chief Maniac, Daily Doc