The Bajau people have lived their lives at sea for generations, so much so that they've developed special adaptations to their oceanic lifestyle
The traditional Bajau lifestyle is mainly spent on boats organized into flotillas that meander around the waters of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
A Bajau individual might spend five hours underwater in total. The only equipment they use are handcrafted wooden goggles and a speargun.
In order to facilitate their freediving lifestyle, some Bajau deliberately puncture their eardrums to deal with the intense pressure they experience underwater.
Simply diving frequently also helps them become more capable swimmers. The lung wall and abdomen become more compliant, and diaphragms become stretchier.
Researchers have discovered that the Bajau also possess a useful genetic trait.
Specifically, the Bajau possess variants of the PDE10A gene and the BDKRB2 gene, variants that are absent from their closest neighbors, the Saluan, who do not live their lives at sea.
Bajau have spleens that are 50 percent larger than the Saluan.