The Pearl-shell Diver
- Kay Crabbe
Sario lives with his clan in a remote Torres Strait island, which he never wants to leave - but the winds of change are stirring. The year is 1898 and the pearl-shell trade is at its height. When his father is coerced to join a white trader on his pearling lugger, thirteen-year-old Sario must go to work as a swimming diver to support the family. He wants to dive in a breathing helmet and walk the sea floor, but Hiroshi, another young pump-diver, is determined to stand in his way.
With the constant danger of shark attack and the storm of the century approaching, can Sario provide for his family and realise his dream?