For seafront villagers in the South, maritime transport has been key to their way of life, shaping how they get around, connect with one another, do business and keep tourism alive.
Along the idyllic Andaman coastline on the Thai western peninsula, Satun is richly endowed with natural marine resources and draws tourists from near and far.
The province has seen a spike in tourism in recent years. It is promoted by the government as a magnet for both Thai and foreign visitors drawn by the postcard images of island attractions, better known among them being Koh Lipe, dubbed "Maldives of Thailand".
Satun is gaining prominence as a regional hub for transportation, as the government develops the Pak Bara Pier in Langu district as a main transit point to the island.
Tourists queue at passport control as they prepare to depart the kingdom from Pak Bara Pier. After immigration clearance, they board speed boats taking them to destinations in Malaysia.
The flourishing tourism industry has been the driving force for progress for many local tourism operators faced with the prospect of "moving up or moving out".
The Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club Co Ltd, a marine transport operator, decided to change the way it conducted its business in order to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded market.
Samart Charoenrit, the company's executive also known as "Phuyai Mong", said he registered the firm in 2002 after gaining first-hand experience of the marine transport business in the years he spent travelling back and forth between Thailand and Malaysia.
Fifteen years ago, Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club was seen as a pioneer of maritime business in the province.
The firm's foray into the tourism business came as maritime transport from the mainland to many Andaman islands was being rapidly upgraded.
In the past, fishing boats were used to transport tourists from Pak Bara Pier to Koh Lipe, Mr Samart told the Bangkok Post.
He said the vessels were later replaced with speed boats, many of them operated by the firm, to meet the growing tourist demands for faster and more comfortable transport.
"In 2002, we were the first company to bring in speed boats to accommodate tourists from Pak Bara Pier to Koh Lipe. Many tourists found it more convenient to travel in this way to their destinations," he said.
Mr Samart, 52, said his company faced many obstacles in the early stages of its business. It suffered losses of about four million baht during the first two tourist seasons as awareness among tourists of what he offered was limited.
Soon, the word got round about the new speed boat service on offer and the company was slowing returning to the black.
The number of tourists to Satun has risen by 25% since 2010.
Samart Charoenrit, left, owner of Satun Pakbara Speed Boat Club Co Ltd, meets with Malaysian business partner, Dato' Azhar Bin Mansor, an executive of Telaga Harbour Marina.
However, the speed boats ferrying people from Satun to the Malaysian holiday destination of Langkawi were banned by the Malaysian authorities due to safety concerns in 2013. The boats were replaced by the slower-moving larger ferry boats.
But the speed boats remained popular among tourists travelling from Satun to the offshore islands in the province. Mr Samart said the vessels helped shorten travel time from the pier to Koh Lipe to around 2-2.5 hours compared with the 4-5 hours it normally takes fishing boats.
During the first year of business, Mr Samart tested the service with the modern speed boats he rented from a company in Phuket. Although far fewer tourists visited the province at the time, the service was well received by customers.
He then decided to buy his first speed boat in the second year and later acquired more in the subsequent years. Today, the company owns 12 speed boats.
After that, the company launched several new shuttle routes connecting Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta, another holidaymaker attraction, in nearby Krabi. The routes from Satun to Malaysia's Langkawi island were also expanded.
"We believe that more tourists will knock on our door if we make travelling easier and more convenient," the businessman said.
Mr Samart said his company is also in partnership with Dato' Azhar Bin Mansor, an executive of Telaga Harbour Marina -- one of the three largest piers on Langkawi island.
Dato' Azhar, who specialises in maritime business, also holds the Guinness World Record for his 190-day trip around the world by sailboat.
Faster, safer and more comfortable boat services have brought the Andaman tourist provinces closer together as more routes continue to link popular islands in Phuket, Krabi, Trang and Satun.
More and more visitors have boarded shuttle boats from Pak Bara Pier to Koh Lipe and islands in neighbouring countries, after an immigration checkpoint opened at the pier.
Previously, tourists from Langkawi island had to arrive at the Tammalang Pier in Satun for immigration clearance and wait two hours for a boat to take them to Koh Lipe.
The Pak Bara checkpoint is credited with pulling in foreign visitors.
Mr Samart believes a tourism company should run on an integrated business model. His company, apart from offering sea transport, also runs a tour agent as well as operating a 3,200-room resort, called the Bu-nga Resort, on a seven-rai plot on Koh Lipe.
Looking back on the past 15 years, Mr Samart, who also chairs the Satun Tourism Business Association and the Tourism Council, said he never expected to make it this far.
His first priority, back when the firm was in its infancy, was to keep the company afloat and keep employees together.
Now that the company is financially stronger and branching out, its priorities have changed. He is focusing on improving the living conditions of the communities and building trust with the tourists.
"Some projects are funded by our company and this is a worthwhile cause because the activities help grow the economy, from the grassroots to the national level," he said.
He is to attend a meeting of the Thai Federation of Provincial Tourist Associations in Satun at the end of this month and he plans to pass on an important message.
"Satun people have to think harder about what they can give visitors rather than just what they can gain from them. With this mindset, Satun stands to gain more than it loses," he said.
The meeting, Mr Samart said, will be an opportunity for locals to publicise their home town's scenic natural attractions and traditional culture to the tourism business operators attending the session.
"Compared to other islands in the Andaman Sea, we can say that Koh Lipe holds the most astonishing natural resources. With such strength, Satun will undoubtedly be the cash cow of the tourism industry," he said.