The Bajau tribe's ability to stay underwater for a long time is a marvel of genetic evolution

Free divers spend years training to hold their breath underwater longer than most human beings can, and it takes a lot of persistence for them to attain expertise. But turns out the Bajau tribe of Indonesia are born with the ability to do the same effortlessly thanks to genetic evolution driven by their dependence on fish for survival at sea, per Tribes World. They are also known as a community of sea gypsies or sea nomads with their unique cultural practices.

Apart from Indonesia, the Bajau people can be found in other geographical locations such as the Phillippines, Malaysia, and Brunei, and mostly live on houses above water and supported by stilts, surviving on fishing and trading. The Bajau people rarely step on land and use their boats called lepa-lepa to move around. Since they have been living a life surrounded by water for generations, their genetic makeup has changed over time, giving them extraordinary lung capacity and swimming skills.

The Bajau people are known for their spearfishing as well and they often dive up to 230 feet with a set of weights and wooden goggles on, as per indy100. These sea nomads have a unique genetic mutation dubbed as the "sea nomad gene" that helps them with their fascinating diving abilities. They have extra large spleens in their bodies to filter blood and release oxygenated red blood cells, which gives the Bajau people an added advantage to stay underwater for a long time.

"For possibly thousands of years, they have been living on houseboats, traveling from place to place in the waters of South-East Asia and visiting land only occasionally. So everything they need, they get from the sea," author Melissa Ilardo, from the University of Copenhagen, told the BBC's Inside Science. "When they're diving in the traditional way, they dive repeatedly for about eight hours a day, spending about 60% of their time underwater. So this could be anything from 30 seconds to several minutes, but they're diving to depths of over 70m."

She further explained that "since their spleen is a reservoir for oxygenated red blood cells, so when it contracts, it gives you an oxygen boost. It's like a biological scuba tank." The life of the Bajau people was also mentioned by Venetian explorer Antonio Pigafetta in his writings from the 16th century. Pigafetta was part of the first voyage to circumnavigate the globe, per BBC. However, the lifestyle and population of the seafaring Bajau folk have dwindled in recent years due to numerous causes including global warming that has affected the availability of fish and climate.

According to The Diplomat, only 100-200 people of the community remained on traditional Lansa houseboats near Borneo’s coast as of 2023. The future of the Bajau is challenged by factors such as climate change, particularly the increasing water temperature that continues to affect their hunting grounds and consequently threatens their traditional way of life. These dire situations have forced them to adapt to the changing environmental conditions, as per the outlet.