On the water with the sea gipsies

The Bajau people are known as the 'sea gipsies,' as they spend most of their time living on boats and working in the turquoise Pacific Ocean. 

Photographer Réhahn spent eight days among the sea nomad children in Borneo, learning about their fascinating aquatic lives. 

The Bajau live in small boats or stilted huts, relying on their extensive knowledge of the ocean to make a living through fishing. 

The young children learn from a young age how to swim or dive, and start their hunting as young as eight years old. 

Despite many of them not knowing their ages, or written communication, Réhahn described the peace and serenity that emanated from the water tribe. 

'The children are like fish in the sea. Young children are sometimes on the boat alone, but all seemed very happy to see a foreigner,' the 35-year-old French photographer said. 

'Children were jumping from a wooden bridge and they wanted me to take their photo. They were perfect models.' 

The Bajau tribe's beliefs centre around a combination of animism and Islam, with their relationship with the ocean and its inhabitants being at the heart of the nomads' existence.

Being around water from a young age results in the best divers being able to stay submerged at depths of 20 metres for several minutes, while they hunt for fish.

The hunter-gathers mainly use spearfishing to get their produce, but can dive for pearls and sea cucumbers.  

Studies have shown that youngsters have exceptionally good underwater-vision due to being constantly in the ocean environment.

As diving is such a big part of their lives, often their ear drums rapture at an early age.  

Réhahn, who has over 180,000 fans of his work on his fan page, said: 'They are very welcoming and friendly. When I arrived, children jumped on the boat to come near me. Some families invited me to their house.' 

Although some of the seafaring tribe are born on the ocean and never live on the land, more frequently the sea gypsies are heading to the shore for trade and to gather materials to build boats.  

Réhahn said the Bajau roughly know about age but time doesn't matter much to them, and they live in the present, and live only for and by the water. 

(dailymail.co.uk)