SHAPLAPUR FISHING FLEET

Fishing Boats at Shaplapur, Bangladesh

Few fishing communities in the world today can perhaps be home to such a numerous fleet of fishing boats. Add to that, the distinctive and unique curvature of the hull shapes, the brightly painted bows, and the multicoloured signal flags and you have a great photograph.

Shaplapur, named curiously for the lotus flower, of which none are visible and frankly, so close to the beach, none expected, lies about half way along the 120 km world’s longest continuous sea beach south of Cox’s Bazar.  Getting the catch to market used to be a tortuous business, but the recently constructed coast road, offering wonderful vistas of this largely unspoilt beach, has now been built as far as this small community, en route for Teknaf, on the Myanmar border.

No visit to this coastal resort area can possibly be complete without making the journey, a mere hour or so from the town of Cox’s Bazar. The people are still unused to visitors and find time, even whilst readying the boats to put to sea for a long night of fishing, for smiling, and even chatting, their welcome clear.