BY BEN BILUA
Gizo

BEFORE the first rays of sunlight touched the calm waters of Saeragi in Western Province, long before the morning birds stirred from their mangrove shelters, Maeva Kuse was already awake.

For decades, this was her rhythm. An unbroken ritual anchored in devotion, resilience, and the quiet pride of a woman who mastered one of Western Province’s most treasured livelihoods: sea grape harvesting.

Kuse, known today by many as the Sea Grape Master, never imagined her childhood fascination with the ocean would one day define her legacy.

Growing up in Saeragi village, where turquoise shallows hug the shoreline and corals glow beneath the surface, she found comfort in the sea. At 17, she turned that comfort into her calling.

Each morning, Kuse woke before dawn. She stepped into the cool sand, grasped her wooden paddle, and pushed her dug-out canoe across the glassy water.

The 15-minute paddle to her diving grounds was a quiet journey, her only companion, the sound of her canoe gliding through the sea and the seagull singing above.

Upon reaching the shallow reefs, she prepared her diving glass, took a deep breath, and slipped off the side of the canoe. Below her lay carpets of sea grapes, small green bubbles clustered along corals and sand. With skilled hands, she harvested the fragile strands, careful not to disturb the young shoots. It took an hour, sometimes more, to fill her basket.

“It’s always a stunning scene for me to the carpets of sea grape. Unlike others, I also have a sense of care for this resource. I picked the ones that are ready. You can differentiate the ready ones and the young one by looking at the colors,” Kuse said.

When her canoe was finally heavy with the day’s harvest, she paddled home. Evenings were spent sorting and preparing the grapes; washing, cleaning, and packing them for market.

Before sunrise the next morning, Kuse was already on her way to the Gizo Market, where her bright green sea grapes were always a favourite among customers.

The effort earned her a few hundred dollars—modest, but enough to support her family. Over time, her technique sharpened. Kuse’s speed, precision, and ability to locate the healthiest clusters earned her a reputation: she was the woman who could harvest sea grapes better than anyone else in Saeragi.

“During our time, the sea grape was not popular. Few people eat sea grapes. Today this seafood is getting popular everywhere even beyond Western Province,” she said.

Years of diving strengthened not only Kuse’s lungs but her knowledge of the ocean. She learned to read tides, identify healthy coral patches, and understand the seasonal rhythms of sea grapes. Fellow harvesters respected her for her experience; buyers trusted the quality of her product.

Her mastery was not declared—it was earned, one dive at a time. But at 55, the sea that had always been her sanctuary became a blurred world. Maeva’s eyesight began to fail, making diving difficult and dangerous.

The corals she once saw with perfect clarity became shadows. The sea grapes she loved became patches of green she could no longer distinguish.

The Queen of the Shallows, as her community fondly called her, had to leave the world beneath the waves.

“It was painful. “The ocean raised me. It fed my children. Letting go was like saying goodbye to a part of myself. But my health is more important right now. I have my two daughters who are now growing the passion,” Kuse said.

Though she no longer dives, her story continues through her two daughters. They watched her paddle out every morning, saw the dedication she carried, and admired the pride she took in providing for her family.

Today, they follow in her footsteps, paddling the same route, harvesting from the same reefs, and carrying the same commitment their mother embodied.

Kuse may no longer be underwater, but her legacy lives in every strand of sea grapes brought to Gizo Market by the Kuse family.

To the people of Saeragi, she remains the Sea Grape Master—a woman who turned a simple village livelihood into a lifelong journey of strength, love, and purpose.

This is the story of Maeva Kuse, daughter of Saeragi, Queen of the Shallows, and the woman who mastered the art of sea grape harvesting.

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