Discovering Coastal Community Life Beyond the Beach
Fishing communities remain part of everyday life along the coast of Cha-am. Here, the sea is not only a place for holidays and recreation. It is also closely connected to local livelihoods, from fishing and bringing the day’s catch ashore to community efforts to care for the marine resources on which these livelihoods depend.
Around Ban Khlong Thian and the Saphan Hin community, traditional fishing can still be seen, particularly blue swimming crab fishing. Fishing boats use the canal to travel between the sea and shore and to bring their catch back to the community. Visit at the right time of day and you may catch a glimpse of local fishermen at work, revealing a side of Cha-am that feels quite different from its main tourist beach.
One local practice associated with this area is known as “Pu Chak.” Rather than being the name of a dish, Pu Chak refers to a way of keeping blue swimming crabs alive before they are sold. The crabs are placed in mesh bags tied to ropes and lowered into the canal.
When a customer arrives, the bags are pulled back up so the crabs can be selected. It is a practical method shaped by the canal environment and the way local fishermen sell their catch, and the name continues to be used locally today.
Fishing is only one part of the story. Several coastal communities in Cha-am have also been involved in restoring blue swimming crab populations through Blue Swimming Crab Banks. The network connects fishing communities at Ban Khlong Thian, Saphan Hin, Ban Pak Khlong and Ban Nong Chaeng. One of its approaches is to place female crabs carrying external eggs into a hatching process, helping more young crabs return to their natural habitat.
Marine conservation takes other forms as well. According to Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, the Khlong Thian small-scale fishing group worked together to install 30 “Sang Ko” fish shelters. These structures provide shelter, habitat and spawning areas for juvenile marine life. The initiative offers a practical example of how local fishermen can care for marine resources while continuing to make a living from the sea.
Further along the coast, Bang Sai Yoi community also has connections with local fishing traditions. Community knowledge includes traditional salted-fish making, while the area has also been involved in a blue swimming crab bank and activities to release aquatic species into the sea at Bang Sai Yoi as part of local resource restoration efforts.
Exploring Cha-am’s coastal communities does not necessarily require a long list of organised activities. Much can be learned simply by paying attention to what is happening around you: fishing boats coming and going, places where boats are moored, seafood being bought and sold, or the ways fishermen handle their catch after returning to shore. These everyday scenes offer a different view of Cha-am beyond its familiar holiday beaches.
Visitors interested in seeing a blue swimming crab bank, learning directly from local fishermen or joining a conservation activity should contact the community or a local coordinator before travelling. Activities depend on timing, sea conditions and what is taking place within each community on a particular day. Taking time to observe and respecting the working life of local residents can turn a visit into an opportunity to understand Cha-am through the people whose everyday lives remain closely connected to the sea.
