Sri Lanka boasts amazing wildlife reserves on the land, where it has more fantastic marine life beneath the ocean. This small island with 1650 km long palm-fringed coastline is an amazing destination for diving. The waters of Sri Lanka are home to an incredible range of marine creatures. It protects a large number of marine life, corals, and large aggregations of schooling fish. A wide variety of marine life and year-round warm waters offers a marvelous diving experience in Sri Lanka.
Other than the marine life, Ocean around Sri Lanka is abundant with great shipwreck sites, which gives some extraordinary sightings. Discovering these wrecks scattered off the coast is a wonderful chance for divers interested in underwater life. Here we are going to give you a brief explanation about the best diving sites in Sri Lanka and things you will see in these diving sites.
When to dive in Sri Lanka?
When to dive in Sri Lanka depends on the seasonal monsoons in the country. Dive sites are open on the eastern coast from May to September or the western coast from October to April. Sri Lanka considers as a year-round diving destination, either the south or east coast is available for diving at any time of the year.
Who can dive in Sri Lanka?
Anybody 10 years old or more with a diving license can dive in Sri Lanka. You can get your diving certificate from the PADI diving centers of the country. You need adequate swimming skills and need to be in good physical health. Since there are beginner diving courses available, no prior experience with diving is required. Before the diving training, you’ll be trained to swim 200 m and float for around 15 mins. Then you can try the beginner diving courses such as the Discover Scuba Diving program.
What is PADI?
PADI means Professional Association of Diving Instructors. This is an international company with branches in many countries, including Sri Lanka. It helps divers to get their diving license by training them. PADI Open Water Diver course (OWD) is one of the world’s most popular diving courses.
How to get the PADI certificate?
If you don’t have a driving license, it is quite easy to get it in Sri Lanka within 3-4 days. You can get your driving license with the PADI certification, in one of the diving centers in the country. You’ll find diving centers in Unawatuna, Hikkaduwa, Polhena, Kalpitiya, Trincomalee, Nilaveli, and several other places. There are divemasters and coaches who have several years of experience, with expert knowledge of diving to assist you. Without a doubt, you can get the license within a few days with their support.
Best places for diving in Sri Lanka
1. Trincomalee on East Coast
Trincomalee on the east coast with amazing marine life and coral reefs is one of the best places in Sri Lanka for diving. Most of the divers flock to Trincomalee, where you can find many wonderful diving sites. There are amazing dive sites around Koneswaram Hindu Temple. One place is Swami Rock, where you’ll find many religious statues and artifacts under the water.
World-class diving spots can find in off the coast around Nilaveli and off Pasikudah. Rays and black-tip sharks are abundant around Pigeon Island Marine National Park. These Black-tip reef sharks are totally harmless and you’ll enjoy diving with them. It is one most reliable places to capture some magnificent underwater shots, with colorful corals, turtles, and crystal clear water.
2. Unawatuna on South Coast
Stunning Unawatuna Beach is the most famous diving spot on the southern coast. Both locals and foreigners come to get their diving licenses from PADI diving centers in Unawatuna. It is excellent with diving sites consisting of rocky formations and black coral, many shipwrecks, and numerous varieties of fish.
One of the wonderful sightings in Unawatuna is an endangered, rare species of Napoleon wrasse. The length of this fish can reach 2 m, and it has a mouth decorated with big lips. It can find off the coast of Unawatuna among coral reefs at a depth of 10 m.
Do you like to see Whale sharks while diving in Sri Lanka? Whale sharks are ocean giants which grow up to 20 m and 15 tons. You are likely to meet them on the Unawatuna coast. Whale sharks are vegetarians and harmless. You can swim with them closer at a distance of 10 m.
3. Hikkaduwa on South Coast
Hikkaduwa is highly famous among divers. There are also PADI dive centers to get your license. Hikkaduwa Marine National Park offers a wonderful opportunity to witness colorful marine life. There are 60 species of corals and more than 170 species of reef fish in that area. Hikkaduwa coast has around 20 dive sites within easy reach which are excellent for photography and exploration.
4. Weligama on South Coast
Situated in the deep south, Weligama is excellent for diving with beautiful rock formations undersea and a variety of marine life.
5. Negombo on West Coast
Rich in marine life, the shallow reefs in Negombo give an easy, but rewarding diving experience. Expect to see schooling fish in large numbers, but also cuttlefish, turtles, Moray Eels, stingrays, octopuses, and many of the smaller, vibrant reef fish.
6. Kalpitiya on West Coast
In Kalpitiya, vivid marine life can be spotted with numerous species of fish. In particular, you’ll spot dolphins and whales on the way to and back from dive sites. The Bar Reef in Kalpitiya is ideal for spotting Moray Eels, large Groupers, and Sting Rays.
Great Shipwreck Sites in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka considers one of the top places in Asia for shipwreck diving. There are lots of stunning wrecks dotted around the coast of Sri Lanka. These wrecks often have corals growing on them, forming artificial reefs and sheltered spaces for fish making a marvelous underwater scenery. Deep-sea divers will be lucky enough to see Sri Lanka’s exceptional wrecks and the variety of marine life associated with them.
There are several great World War II shipwrecks hidden on the off coast and they are highly famous among experienced divers. Based on historical records, over 200+ estimated shipwrecks can find around the coast of Sri Lanka. Following are a few of the great historical shipwreck sites, completely worthy of diving.
1. HMS Hermes in Batticaloa
The world’s first purpose-built aircraft carrier HMS Hermes sunk on the 9th of April 1942 by the Japanese air attacks. The wreck HMS Hermes is resting at a depth of 58 m off Batticaloa on the eastern coast. This is a world-class diving spot that includes the world’s top 100 wreck dives.
2. British Sergeant in Batticaloa
British Sergeant is a large ship sunk in the same Japanese attack in 1942, lies in depth around 24 m on the eastern coast. According to history, the British Sergeant saw Japanese planes attacking Hermes about 5 miles away and the Captain ordered to alter the course of the ship for shallow water. But she also got attacked and lying in a relatively shallow area than HMS Hermes.
3. SS Conch in Hikkaduwa
This is one of the best and most easily accessible wreck dives in Sri Lanka. SS Conch is a British steamship, the very first oil tanker built in the world. It struck a rock at Akurala Reef near Hikkaduwa and sank on 3rd June 1903. The wreck site spreads over a fairly large area in-depth of 20 m. The visible parts include a large engine block, boilers, and a propeller.
4. Car shipwreck in Colombo
Car shipwreck near Port of Colombo, 4-5 km from shore is one of the many shipwrecks scattered on the West coast. This wreck has been identified as Honda heavy industries-built vehicle carrier MV Chief Dragon. It Sank on 18 March 1983 and lies at the depth of 20-32 m. Its main hull is intact and the car chassis are scattered on upper deck parts. It is a superb, scenic wreck to dive and explore with hard and soft corals and lots of fish species.
5. Rangoon Shipwreck in Galle
At 32 meters depth in Galle harbor mouth, you’ll find another great shipwreck site. It is the SS Rangoon shipwreck, standing proudly upright in the beautiful white sandy bottom. The SS Rangoon is a 60 m long 1800 Ton heavy steamer. It sank in 1873 during routine trips from Colombo to Australia.
This amazing and marvelous shipwreck is full of many fish species. The visibility is very clear even at 32 m depth and it is one of the best places for underwater photography.
If you want to take diving lessons and experience the world beneath the waves, Sri Lanka is the best choice. You can learn and get your diving certificate easily and more cheaply than in any other country. Diving in Sri Lankan waters gives the opportunity to witness an endless number of marine creatures, colorful reef systems, and dramatic offshore sites with historical shipwrecks. Come and see the unparalleled adventurous marine world of the Indian Ocean in Sri Lanka!
Text by Magnificent Sri Lanka. Images from Wikimedia Commons, Pixabay, PADI, Unawatunadive and Picuki. All copyrights are reserved by the original authors.
