Best dive sites in Sri Lanka
Barracuda Reef – This is a great dive site waiting to be explored and it
never disappoints. The reef provides shelter for a wide variety of
aquatic creatures including lionfish, rays and nudibranch. Located off
the coast of Mount Lavinia near Colombo, this is a popular dive site.
Cargo Wreck – A 90 metre/295 feet wreck, which was a cargo carrier named
Pecheur Breton, offers certified divers a massive wreck to explore. It
sits at around 20 metres/65 feet at its shallowest point however the
starboard side sits deeper than this. It is a haven for a wide variety
of marine life, both big and small.
Panadura Wreck – Sitting in around 12 metres/40 feet of water, this is a
popular wreck for certified divers, which is also known as the Panadura
Nilkete Wreck. The dive site is accessible by a short boat ride from
Panadura. This is a great site to get a taste of the wreck diving
available in Sri Lanka.
Taprobane Reefs – Well offshore, some of the most pristine diving in Sri
Lanka can be found on these reefs immortalized by Authur C. Clarke in
his book The Reefs of Taprobane. Large patch reefs punctuated with
massive coral domes are typical here. Marine life is abundant including
large rays and schooling fish.
Goda Gala Diyamba – This underwater rock formation, about 10 minutes by
boat from the resort town of Unawatuna on the south side of Sri Lanka,
lets divers explore reef systems loaded with large fish such as trevally
and Napoleon wrasse. Discovering the dive site’s real charm requires
shifting focus and trying to spot some of the many types of nudibranchs.
HMS Hermes – Near Batticaloa, in the north-east, divers can descend on a
rare World War II artifact: HMS Hermes. The ship was the world’s first
purpose-built aircraft carrier. It sank off the coast after 1942 and is
one of only a handful of carrier wrecks accessible to divers anywhere.
Because it’s very deep, you will require PADI TecRec training to dive
this wreck.
British Sergeant – Sunk under fire along with HMS Hermes, but lying in
shallower water, the British Sergeant is another WWII wreck that lies
upside down and broken into two halves sitting at right angles to each
other. Many features are still easily identifiable on this popular
wreck.
Boiler Wrecks – Lying in shallower waters at around 9 metres/30 feet, this site is made up of both the SS Brennus and SS Sir John Jackson which both met the same fate of running aground. Both wrecks are still largely intact with many of the propellers visible.
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