The study aimed to analyze the social position of the maritime community in the context of maritime economic behavior and attempt to determine the direction for socio-cultural transformation in an effort to build a maritime civilization in State Bugis Makassar South Sulawesi. This study uses Verstehen (qualitative interpretative) to the maritime community's social position and the possibility of choice over the direction of its transformation process. The results showed that the social position the maritime community in the position marked with the mentality of economic behavior kelemah adab ~ karsaan, where on the one hand weak capital owners tend to behave in manners (exploit workers) as a consequence of the influence of capitalism and on the other, workers tend to behave weak intention (not productive, excessive dependence ~ resigned, and consumptive life style) as a consequence of the influence of classical Sufism. Worsened by the presence of modernization (acceleration technology ~ carbide) that are not relevant to the potential maritime and impartiality of policy makers resulting in further social pathology (each claimed), environmental destruction, and the destruction of the local culture. This study merekomendir necessity of directing the transformation of socio-cultural community of the maritime community in efforts to grow ~ develop economic behavior that mentality kekuat adab ~ karsaan as a major foundation in building a maritime civilization. In this effort the government alignments and selection of appropriate technologies to realize it is absolutely necessary.