THE BUBBLES OF WRATH

An illustration depicting fishers predicting rough sea conditions.

Before modern weather prediction systems, fishers relied on their knowledge of currents, wind, and waves, along with various natural signs and phenomena, to predict weather conditions and potential natural hazards. The following are key observations and their interpretations.

Clouds appearing in the western direction were consistently associated with the possibility of heavy rain. Rain clouds shaped like hills that remain unmoving despite the wind are also considered a sign of heavy rainfall. Fishers often recognise cyclones and typhoons by observing whirlwinds—rotating columns of air in a funnel shape. They refer to this phenomenon as “Kadalil Kaliranguka,” which means “the leg is touching the water.”

The formation of unusual bubbles in the water is taken as a sign of disturbance on the ocean bed. Sometimes, the smell of Chelli (a type of seabed mud) is also considered an indicator of such disturbances. Seagulls and certain marine birds, such as Thavidan Aala (brown noddy), some terns, and Karivandu (a type of seabird), when sighted inland, are believed to signal approaching cyclones or storms.

These observations demonstrate that, unlike formal meteorological forecasts and modern forecasting tools, traditional weather prediction relies on environmental cues such as wind direction, cloud formations, wave behavior, the color and temperature of the sea, and even animal behavior. However, as fishers now receive accurate weather information at sea—including wind patterns, wave heights, and precipitation—this body of traditional knowledge faces the risk of fading, along with the fishers’ ability to observe microecological and climatic changes in a holistic way.