BAHIA DE SAMANCO, PERU
 A black-hooded diver bobs to the surface of the wind-ruffled sea. Even his thick wetsuit doesn't keep him from shivering as he slithers up over the side of the 16-foot, red-blue-and-yellow painted wooden boat named "Virgin de Guadelupe." His partner, who's been manning the long, compressor-driven air tube connecting him to the surface as he scours for scallops fires up the 20 horsepower engine on the back of the boat. (They are among the lucky ones; some of their compatriots in the bay still power their boats by oar.)
Despite the cold water and lonely conditions, they are far from alone out here on the wide bay. BAHIA DE SAMANCO is known for its FARMED SCALLOPS and in its heart float a handful of processing barges, where men in orange waterproof pants and rubber boots spend all day sorting and bagging scallops delivered to them by divers and their drivers. Though the floating barges look rickety, and no doubt are, they boast small kitchens, even bunk beds, even though on some the floors are occasionally washed over by a wind-blown sea.
The men - and it is an all-male enterprise - have homes in the dusty hills nearby but spend their days here, happily afloat. I jump on board for a closer look at their wares, 50 and 60 pound black, net bags filled with red-and-orange scallop shells. They are imported all over South America and even north of the Equator. Before they can put me to work pulling scallops out of nets and stuffing them into the sacks - or before they can toss me into the sea for some kind of ritual initiation - I'm off again, with a wave.
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