Pearl oyster fishing on the island of Ceylon, 19th century. Freediving, the men, usually naked, carried a heavy skandalopetra, a rounded stone tied on a rope to the boat, to take them down to the bottom of the ocean quickly and carried a basket or net to hold the oysters. From Le Savant du Foyer ou Notions Scientifiques Sur Les Objets Usuels de la Vie, published 1864.

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