Shoreline dynamics, a continuous process that is influenced by natural factors and also human interferences, leads to the phenomenon of coastal erosion. India’s west coast tends to exhibit a more stable coast, but approximately half of the Kerala coast is subjected to erosion. This study attempts to comprehensively assess shoreline dynamics on the Ernakulam coast of Kerala using remote sensing images and geographical information systems (GIS). The historical shorelines were obtained from the Landsat images for the last 35 years, from 1988 to 2023. The statistical parameters such as End Point Rate (EPR), Linear Regression Rate (LRR), and Net Shoreline Movement (NSM) derived within the Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) were employed to compute the shoreline change rate. The result revealed significant changes involving erosion accretion in the entire coast of Ernakulam, while additionally, the study observed no region remained unchanged during the study period. Further, it was understood that the combined effects of natural factors and human activities were responsible for the changes in the study area. The findings imply that regional studies are important to understand the complexity of shoreline dynamics as an indicator of environmental changes.