Necessity of Lifestyle
When the mentor divers bring the young divers down deep underwater, the intention is to rupture their eardrums. Every diver in the Bajau Laut tribe has to undergo this process to make sure that they have the physical capability to withstand the extreme pressure conditions that they are regularly put under. Although it is brutal, this personal mutilation is necessary, and it does not affect the hearing of the young individuals after the ruptures heal.