Palk Strait coral barrier (Thalaimannar): hydrodynamic sand drift and seasonal chank diving?
How do changing monsoon currents affect the manual skin-diving harvest of commercial Sacred Chank shells (Turbinella pyrum) across sandy sandbars in Mannar?
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3 Answers from travellers
The commercial harvest of Sacred Chank (Turbinella pyrum / Hakgediya) along the sand spits of Talaimannar and South Bar is an artisanal skin-diving fishery regulated under the Chank Fisheries Ordinance. Divers free-dive to depths of 3 to 10 meters over sandy substrates where chanks feed on tubicolous polychaete worms. Diving is viable only during the calm northeast inter-monsoon (February to April); during the southwest monsoon, heavy littoral drift currents churn sand over the beds, reducing visibility to zero. Chanks measuring under 7cm in shell diameter are legally protected and must be returned to the seabed alive.
Rare sinistral (left-turning / Valampuri) chank shells are valued as sacred items in Hindu and Buddhist rituals, commanding high values at regional auctions.
Divers tow floating wooden logs or car-tire tubes to hold catches and provide surface visibility against fast open-bay fishing longboats.
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