Ochamchire evolved as a town from a small maritime settlement, which was a scene of fighting between the
Russians and
Turkish-
Abkhaz forces in 1877. The
ancient Greek colony of
Gyenos () is supposed to have been located near Ochamchire, though the identification can't be considered as definitive because of doubts as to the actual location and the very poor preservation of the archaeologic site itself. The archaeological evidence demonstrates the influence of the Greek culture, if not necessarily Greek settlement starting from 6th century BC. According to
Itar Tass, in 2009, Russia began discussing plans to construct a new naval base for its
Black Sea Fleet ( based at
Sevastopol) in Ochamchire. The
invasion of Ukraine and the attacks on the Russian fleet in
Crimea provided new impetus to those plans in October 2023. After
Aslan Bzhania met with
Vladimir Putin in Moscow in October 2023, he told the newspaper
Isvestiya that a treaty about the establishment of a Russian naval base in Ochamchire had been signed. As the town is notionally in neutral Georgia, if the prospective base were to be built, it would be considered to be relatively safe from Ukrainian attacks. In January 2024,
Russia signed an agreement with Abkhazia to host the Ochamchire Russian naval base. Some Abkhazians believe the agreement is principally a manifestation of political and information war conflict between pro-Russian and more independence-oriented Abkhazians, but have allowed that, at minimum, if the base is built, it would be a vital refueling port facility for the Russian Navy. However, no
deepwater port facilities exist around the beaches of Ochamchire as of 2023. ==Notable people==