If you’ve looked at a brochure of Sri Lanka tourism before, you’ll find that there is at least one picture of men with hats, sitting on stilts, fishing in the sunset. Yes, it is one of the most iconic scenes in Sri Lanka, lets learn more about these gravity defiers.
World War ll
After World War ll, there were shortages of food and fishing grounds towards the deeper part of the sea became overcrowded. It was then that a few fishermen decided to fish in shallow water, and this became known as Ritipanna.
How it works
The fisherman would fix a tough stilt in the bed of the shallow parts of the shore. Onto the vertical stilt, a horizontal stilt was fastened creating the seat. Fishermen would acquire a natural balance and sit for hours during low tide for a small catch.
The science behind this method of fishing
When you visit Koggala on tours organised by Sri Lanka luxury resorts, the fishermen on stilts might look calm and collected and enjoying the moment. But in fact, it is a quite tedious task. They have to think of balancing on the stilt, not moving and keeping an eye on the rod as well.
Best time to visit
Stilt Fisherman | Img by: Knthabrew via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The fishermen are usually out at dawn and dusk, so if you are staying at Fortress Resort and Spa or other hotels close by, try to head over to watch them at work and capture mesmerising moments.
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