The Stilt Fisherman Of Sri Lanka

Feb 2016, I was here on my birthday month, taking a break from India and looking for some special fishermen. It happened after weeks of waiting, looking out for the best locations to capture the scenes of the stilt fishing culture here, I finally got my images. Being waist deep in the seas, getting beaten by strong waves, almost falling over with my camera, didn’t stop me from capturing the images of the stilt fisherman of Sri Lanka.

Stilt fishing is a traditional style of fishing practised by local fishermen mainly in Sri Lanka, especially on the southern coast. I met some fisherman at the Ahangama and Weligama coast, as I rode by with my scooter, I watched them fish from a distance. Most of the young fisherman were just there for the tourist, ‘setting’ up their stilts, waiting for passing western tourist and asking money for some photos.

Which happens in many Asian cultures today, we take real life traditions and turn them into a business for western tourist. I guess it’s also a means of survival. Since this stilt fishing had been made famous by the media and other photographers, so I had to take my time, I had to get to know more local fisherman, turn away offers to pay them, and just wait.

On the third week, which wasn’t much time to know the local fishing culture, I met some older fisherman by the coast, they were heading back after the early morning catch, with a small bucket filled with little fish, some bags and bait. They looked rough, not well dressed, not as colourful as the images I’ve saw, wearing rags and not very pleasant looking. This was my first impression, but deep inside I was just loving it.

This finally felt a little real to me. Why would you be dressed with a new turban, clean lined dhoti (Indian sarung), colourful head gear, when you are out fishing on stilts daily? It’s not easy work, your fashion don’t matter, you wear what is functional, the same thing everyday, till it is worn out. That is how daily life of a fisherman is usually, when you are out fishing, not trying to be photographed by paying tourist.

So when I met some of these guys, I felt closer to their reality, they smelled like fish, wearing old slippers, smoking hard cigarettes, infused with their fisherman personalities, which came with some experience and wisdom too.

I asked one of them, with the colourful head wear, “Why do you do this?”, why not just take a boat and go out to fish, like back in Malaysia. He replied, “Ah, we are already old fisherman now, this is what we do, we don’t have the energy to follow the big boats. All fishermen here do this, once they are older, the seas are too rough and take many hours, our old bodies can’t handle that anymore. Here we can take our time, we sit still, the seas are calmer and makes it easier to catch them on the stilts. So we still continue to fish.”

They then invited me to come meet them the next morning, at 7am. I told them my intention, to photograph their day, they were pleased but not surprised. So I came back the next morning, with a fresh view of where I am, met some new faces and some familiar once, we had a quick tea and they started heading into the sea via a wooden jetty. One by one, took turns throughout the morning to sit on the stilt for like an hour. It’s usually starts earlier in the morning till about 9am.

The wooden stilts were already there, with old bags hanging down, as they slowly climbed up, found a comfortable sitting position, put the bait, had some chats with each other and start fishing. One of them walks into the sea passing some snacks and cold drinks. I was just there present with them, observing them, getting washed down by the waves and trying to get into different positions. Moving about wasn’t easy as I soon realise how deep it got when the waves came in.

I had to time myself, wait for the right moment, look out for rocks below and not fall over. While capturing the scene and focusing on their behaviours too. Slowly it started to get easier, as if I started to follow the patterns of the waves and their fishing. They soon got comfortable with me, my camera and I with them.

Somehow the day ended up well for us, they slowly started heading back, gathered around a tree shade and we had some cold drinks waiting. I showed them some of their images, which came with smiles and laughs. it was a special moment for me to see their reactions.

They offered me to join them for lunch. I had a quick snack there, as one of the men prepared a fish type sandwich, while the rest of the catch might be for their families tonight. I was already exhausted by this time and while riding back on my scooter, I thought to myself, how long more will they be doing this.