Seaman doing what seamen do, we hear — making a sharp descent? (9)
I believe the answer is:
abseiling
'seamen do we hear making a sharp descent?' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'seaman doing' is the wordplay.
'seaman' becomes 'ab' (short for able seaman).
'doing' becomes 'seiling' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'ab'+'seiling'='ABSEILING'
'what' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for abseiling that I've seen before include "coming down rope" , "Letting oneself down" , "descending rock face" , "outdoor pursuit" , "going by rope" .)