"Hunting" for sea urchins

From dawn, along the coast of Hon Chua, Hon Dua, Hon Lao, and Hon Tien, many fishermen have been out in motorboats, rowing basket boats, and diving deep beneath the rocky shores to hunt for sea urchins. Sea urchin hunting is considered the livelihood of the people here.

At dawn, I was already in My Quang Nam fishing village (Tuy An Nam commune) to join Mr. Tran Van Ty, a local fisherman, on his trip to Hon Chua, located 800-1000 meters from the shore, to hunt for sea urchins. Before leaving, Mr. Ty and the other fishermen had prepared their equipment for "hunting" sea urchins, including: a piece of iron about half the size of a little finger, 0.5 meters long, with one end bent like a hook and the other end attached to a wooden handle; a basket tied with styrofoam to keep it afloat; diving goggles; and an oxygen tank.

According to Mr. Ty's experience, sea urchins are available year-round, but the main harvesting season is from April to August in the lunar calendar. The peak season is in June and July; during the remaining months, the sea is rough, with rain, strong waves, and high winds, making it very difficult to catch sea urchins. Mr. Ty's group usually only goes out during the first four days and the middle four days of the lunar month. On those days, the tide is low, making it easier to catch sea urchins.

Fisherman Nguyen Van Tuy proudly shows off his catch after two hours of diving to catch sea urchins.

Once they've chosen a spot, fishermen dive to a depth of 10-20 meters to find sea urchins. These creatures usually cling to rocks, feeding on seaweed suspended in the water. Once found, the fishermen use iron hooks or gloves to grab them and bring them to the surface, placing them in baskets. While diving for sea urchins seems simple compared to other fishing methods, collecting even a few kilograms is arduous work. To get baskets full of fresh sea urchins, hunters must spend the whole day submerged, constantly surfacing and diving, or clinging to rocks to search for them. By evening, their bodies are sore and aching. Many people think it's easy, but after a few days of diving, they give up.

"People liken sea urchin hunting to 'collecting money' from the sea. However, diving to catch sea urchins is very hard work; the fishermen spend almost the entire morning underwater, eating and resting at sea, only coming ashore for about an hour for lunch. In addition, sea urchins have many sharp spines, and if fishermen are not careful, they can get stung on their hands and bodies, causing swelling and pus that takes many days to heal," added fisherman Nguyen Van Tuy.

Sea urchins resemble rambutan fruit in shape, dark black in color. When mature, they are round and flattened, about 8-10 cm in diameter and 3-4 cm thick, with bodies covered in sharp spines 3-4 cm long, which they can project when moving. According to the experience of many fishermen, sea urchins are most abundant in beaches with plenty of seaweed, clear water, and calm waves.

Sea urchins are considered the ginseng of the sea. Not only are they an ingredient in many delicious dishes, but sea urchins are also regarded as a health-boosting remedy. Therefore, for many years, in the coastal areas of Hon Chua, Hon Lao, Hon Dua, etc., during the peak sea urchin season, hundreds of fishermen go out to catch them. Every day, from around 8 am to 5 pm, the rocky shores are always crowded with people diving to hunt for sea urchins. If they are lucky, they can catch 70-100 small sea urchins to sell to cage owners after 2-3 months of harvesting, or 10-30 large sea urchins to sell to restaurants and seafood eateries. With current prices of 2,000 VND per small sea urchin and 250,000-300,000 VND per kilogram of large sea urchins, fishermen earn several hundred thousand dong a day diving for sea urchins, enough to support their families.

According to fisherman Nguyen Van Bi, the coastal waters of eastern Dak Lak typically have four types of sea urchins: black sea urchins, spiny sea urchins, silver sea urchins, and spotted sea urchins. Despite their spiny exteriors, the sea urchin meat inside is firm and has an attractive golden color. Many delicious dishes are made from sea urchins, such as grilled sea urchins with scallions and butter, sea urchins stewed with banana blossoms or unripe bananas, and sea urchin porridge.

"The sun was blazing, but hunting for sea urchins required diving deep into the icy cold water, causing our skin to turn purple. When we got back to shore, our teeth were chattering. We spent the whole day diving, and by evening our bodies were exhausted, but we still woke up early the next day to go again," fisherman Bi said.

Tourists grill sea urchins themselves at Hon Chua Island.

After a day of hunting sea urchins with the fishermen, I left the boat and went ashore. In the distance, at the seafood restaurants on Hon Chua Island, while diners were raving about the dishes made from sea urchins, the sea urchin hunters' bodies were turning purple from prolonged immersion in the cold water…

Sea urchins, also known as spiny sea urchins or sea hedgehogs, are mollusks that typically live in groups in rocky crevices and seaweed beds along the eastern coast of Dak Lak province. Sea urchins are a delicious seafood with high nutritional value, and are commonly prepared in three ways: eaten raw, grilled, or cooked in porridge.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/du-lich/202508/sannhum-bien-1b41d85/