There are many Scuba Diving sites in Sri Lanka that spread out across the Western, Southern and Eastern coasts of the island. These locations are of such variety and beauty enabling even amateur scuba divers as well as the experienced ones revel in the opportunities presented.
Popular Diving locations:
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Scuba Diving at Kalpitiya [North of Colombo]
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The Bar Reef at Kalpitiya beach is one of the purest coral reefs in Sri Lanka. Rich in corals and fish, the Bar Reef is one of the main Scuba Diving sites in the island.
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Scuba Diving in the Southwest Coast
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The bay beaches of Beruwala, Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna, and Weligama are also fine Scuba Diving destinations of the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka.
Further offshore of these bay beaches, the reefs are abundant with marine life: Titan, clown triggerfish, moray eels, lobsters and the usual brilliant assortment of smaller fish can be found here.
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Scuba Diving – Great and Little Basses Reefs in the Southern Coast
Great Basses and Little Basses, a couple of enormous reefs 10km and 20km off the beach at Kirinda of the southern coast are the most adventurous diving sites in Sri Lanka. However, since the reefs are exposed to both monsoon seasons of Sri Lanka, i.e. southwest and northeast monsoons, diving isn’t safe outside the period of March to early April. The submerged reefs with a lighthouse erected in each of those, are abound with big fish: sharks, dogtooth tunas, barracudas and groupers.
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Hikkaduwa Scuba Diving [South Western Coast]
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Between 30 minutes and an hour from the coast, offshore of Hikkaduwa you will come across a fine stretch of Scuba Diving sites which consist of wrecks, corals, caves, rocks and plenty of marine life. Hikkaduwa is a fine base to enjoy Scuba Diving since the diving sites extend from the north to the south of Hikkaduwa.
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Beruwala Scuba Diving [South Western Coast]
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A half an hour boat ride offshore from Beruwala you will find magnificent rock formations abound with marine life. In fair weather conditions, the water is so clear while sunrays stream deep up to 30 meters under water. Schools of fish are seen at these rock formations. Trevally, Snappers, Barracuda and Wrasse are the main marine life of the Scuba Diving sites at Beruwala.
Other Scuba Diving points are Shark Point with rocks and fish, the Barracuda Rock with rocks, caves and fish as well as Hataragala with rocks and fish. There is another site by the name of Malugala which also consists of rocks and fish.
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Scuba Diving at Weligama [Southern Coast]
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Within a half an hour’s boat ride from the pristine beaches of Weligama, there are scenic rock formations that affords Scuba Diving opportunities. The main diving sites are Prince Hienrich Patch , Bridge Rock and Yala Rock all which consist of rocks and fish.
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Scuba diving at Batticaloa [Eastern Coast]
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The main Scuba Diving site at Batticaloa is the shipwreck of a vessel named the British Sergeant. A half an hour’s boat ride takes the Scuba Diving enthusiasts to the wreck. Split in half and separated with a distance of about 10 meters is the 100 meter long shipwreck lying on its port side. Allison and McLeelan is another ship wreck in Batticaloa. Though much smaller than
British Sergeant, Allison and McLeelan has a considerable amount marine life around it and around the small rocky reef next to it.
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Scuba Diving at Trincomalee [Eastern coast]
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Trincomalee, the largest natural harbor in Sri Lanka features numerous wrecks. The star attraction is the aircraft carrier Hermes. The British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, which was sunk off the east coast by the Japanese Air force in 1942 during the World War, now sits upside down, 53 meters deep, with decks and superstructure within the 30-40 meter range. HMS Hermes is recommended for divers with minimum technical training to 50 meters.
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