Climate Witness: Pak Azhar, Indonesia I have been living in
Balikukup since 1999. Balikukup is a small island of 18 ha
consisting mainly of sandbanks. However, the island’s size is
not fixed as it depends on the tides. During low tide, a large
sandbank is exposed, extending 1 km towards the sea. The weather
is a significant factor in the work of a sea cucumber fisherman
I started collecting sea cucumbers in 2001. There are 2 ways to
catch sea cucumbers; some fishermen just search on the beaches
around the island during low tide at night, while others dive
underwater, down to depths of 10 m. Sea cucumber fishermen are
highly dependent on the weather to do their job. Fishermen
cannot catch good harvests during rainy or stormy weather, as
sea cucumbers hide underneath the sand during that time.
Therefore, it is important for a sea cucumber fisherman to
predict what the weather will be like before going to work.
Usually I observe the weather at dusk or in the early evening to
predict whether it is going to rain o