Li Du harvested more than 20 large abalones a day.
It wasn't many, but he wasn't in the area where the abalone was abundant, and he had to hold his breath and pick up the abalone again and again. It wasn't like looking for a gem in a national park, where you only needed to bend down and pick it up.
Often it took him more than ten minutes to harvest a black gold abalone.
Under the water, it was cold and the current was strong, so Li Du had to rest for half an hour after diving, drinking hot cocoa and basking in the sun.
However, he was already doing his job more efficiently compared to others. By putting the abalones in a freezer by late afternoon, they were ready to go and sell in the market the next morning.
Melbourne had a seafood market with a collection booth for black gold abalone.
