The need to integrate localised settings of coastal communities within its wider marine and landscapes calls to provide contextualised assessments. Drawing upon the ambition of the Philippines to identify opportunities for enhancing coastal livelihoods, the potential of seaweed farming accruing to high productivity in many of its regions is worthy of examination. Here, we advance our knowledge on the mixed success of diversifying livelihoods based on data collected through a survey and interviews in the province of Sorsogon, the Philippines. Livelihood trajectories bounce up and down. Around 50% of the respondents indicated a decline in their farming operations and an increase in difficulty since before the Covid-19 pandemic, with many indicating that seaweed farming presently contributes less to their household income. These trends are explained by investigating the asymmetry of environmental pressures, economic opportunities and organisational capacities. We argue that just coastal transition requires a stronger conceptual and analytical underpinning with respect to the nexus of economic and organisational capacity building, as well as local social geographies. We present policy implications related to place-based challenges, the opportunities for sectoral policies and bouncing forward to more inclusive and sustainable livelihood trajectories.