Pulicat Lake

A couple of weeks ago a school faculty member organized a day trip to Pulicat Lake located a couple hours drive north of Chennai. We were hoping to see an annual migration of flamingos which I am told will sometimes flock to the lake by the thousands. We never did see flamingos, but there were plenty of other sights to see.







Our departure point was a small fishing village, where these men were happy to show off their prize Marlin type fish they were loading for market.

At the beach we boarded 3 fishing boats for a day of sightseeing on the water.

Pulicat is a very large lake, but very shallow. The water is brackish, and only separated from the sea by a permanent sand bar. The lake is shallow enough that the numerous fishermen often use poles to maneuver their boats around. It was odd to see groups of men in water up to their chests in the middle of this huge expanse of water, as they set up their fishing nets.

More often the fishermen worked by themselves on their traditional boats, which are nothing more than several roughly shaped logs lashed together.

It is quite a sight to see the men cast and haul in their nets from these boats with amazing balance.

If the wind is favorable, sails are often set on the fiberglass boats.

At noon we were able to stretch our legs on the sandbar where the lake is open to the ocean.

Here we were able to watch the fishermen riding the surf, bringing in their mornings catch.