The last nomads of the sea in a WWF photo feature

bajau-laut-1

Enal plays with his pet shark. Wangi Wangi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-2

An area of the Coral Triangle. West Papua, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-3

Spearfishing is a traditional fishing technique used by the Bajau Laut. Palau Pagan, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-4

Lepa lepa boats. Sulawesi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-6

Ibu Diana Bothtihe is one of the few people left in world who have lived their entire life at sea. She visits land only in case of necessity. Sulawesi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-8

Catching octopus. Sulawesi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-9

bajau-laut-10

These children are part of a family that lives on an uninhabited island. Sulawesi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-11

Hand fishing for grouper. Wakatobi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-12

A grouper being fished in the traditional manner, with hook and line © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-13

Fishing with a traditional hand-made speargun called 'pana'. Pulau Papan, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-14

Wrenching clams from the reef with a tyre iron, which requires the fisher to hold his breath for various minutes. Sulawesi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-15

Moen Lanke spends most of the year at sea and sustains himself on what the ocean offers. Sulawesi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-16

Bajau people commonly burst their eardrums at an early age to circumvent the problem of equalising, i.e. balancing the pressure of the inner and outer ear underwater © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-17

Mother and son spend months at sea together. Here the son forages for clams. Torosiaje, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-18

Ramdan hunts with his handmade pana speargun © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-19

Catching lobster © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-21

Free diving. Togian Islands, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-23

bajau-laut-24

Stingrays are caught using nets and lines. The tail is used to make a curry. Torosiaje, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-25

The Indonesian government is involved in resettling Bajau people on land. This stilt village was built by Bajau who left their government-provided homes. Sulawesi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-26

Foraging in shallow water is a low impact way of gathering the ocean's resources. Sulawesi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-28

bajau-laut-29

bajau-laut-31

A mosque on stilts over the ocean. As well as Islam, the Bajau practice Pamali: a set of rites and taboos that regulate their relationship with the sea. Wangi Wangi, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-33

bajau-laut-34

Ibu Hanisa lost both hands and sight in one eye when a homemade fertiliser bomb went off in her house © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-35

Many Bajau engage in compressor diving, a deadly practice. They dive up to sixty metres with air pumped down to them through a hose pipe © James Morgan/ WWF USA

bajau-laut-38

Groupers are one of most sought-after fish in the live fish trade. They are stored by export companies in 'cages', large underwater nets. Tomian Island, Indonesia © James Morgan/ WWF USA