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Sri Lanka is an island country in Southern Asia and surrounded by the waters of the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka is known to sport the best locations for wreck diving. Its seafloor is literally littered with splendid reef and overhangs teeming with rich marine life. Sri Lanka's diving is akin to the diving in Maldives. It is also famed for sea turtles nesting in the coasts of Gallel and Hambantotal.
One of the popular diving sites is the Leather Coral Reef, which is suitable for beginner divers. Colourful variants of fish including the animated anemones are common sightings in the area. There are also several coral species in the area.
The Gorgonian Gardens just off Colombo is famed for its thriving colony of Gorgonian sea fans where hundreds of Triggerfish frolic. This dive is suitable for advanced divers only because of its depth at 35m with very strong currents.
The most popular wreck in Sri Lanka is the world-class wreck of the British Sergeant at 24m deep, which is a steam-powered oil tanker that served the British Royal Navy and sunken by the Japanese bombing raid in 1942. She is now home to the shoals of Blue Striped Snapper. Technical divers could drift and examine its interiors through a large cavern created when its hull collapsed.
Another popular wreck is the Taprobane East Wreck at 30m deep, just a 2-hour boat ride from Colombo. This is suitable for divers with open water training. The fishes that frolic in the wreck lying in pristine waters with excellent visibility are Stingray, Napoleon Fish, shoals of glassfish, and Red Lions.
There is also the HMS Hermes wreck at 50m deep that once sailed the seas as proud aircraft carrier and also sunken by the Japanese bombing raid. She is now the haven of Black Coral including large pelagic fishes such as the Giant Trevally, Eagle Rays, WhiteTip Shark, and shoals of Spadefish.
Experienced divers would love the Great Basses Reef, off the southeast coast. This is the smorgasbord of rich marine life from the untamed currents coming from the Antarctic and South East Asia.
The government of Sri Lanka is an active participant in marine conservation efforts. There is an ongoing program to protect the sea turtles nesting in its coastlines including the island’s rich marine biodiversity.
Sri Lanka has a tropical climate.
There are two monsoons in Sri Lanka: the Northeast monsoon that starts in October to January and the Southwest monsoon that starts in May to July.
The water temperature hovers around 28°C/82F for the entire year.
The diving season is year round.
Natural hazards include rare cyclones and tornadoes.
The main point of entry to Sri Lanka is through the Colombo-Bandaranayake International Airport, its main international airport. Its flag-carrier, SriLankan Airlines serves both international flights and domestic flights but there are plenty of international carriers that offer flights to the island.
The American cruise operator Zegrahm Expeditions includes Sri Lanka in its destinations.
In the mainland, the most popular mode of transportation is the three-wheeler automobile known as Tri-Shaw.
There are also buses, trains, taxis and rental cars.
The general transportation system of Sri Lanka is excellent.
Use the following links for more information about;
- Decompression Chambers in Sri Lanka
- Foreign Travel Advice for Sri Lanka (UK Government)
- More about Sri Lanka (Wikipedia)
Colombo, Sri Lanka
Colombo is the commercial capital and has a range of new bars and restaurants as well as a fascinating old quarter, centered around the Dutch Fort, called Pettah for the history buffs. Mount Lavinia is the nearest beach to the city and...
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Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka
Known as a place of sanctuary to ship wrecks and also to turtles (which are usually fairly close to the shore) there are a good variety of dive sites at Hikkaduwa. Here you can find good quality reef formations, underground caves...
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Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka
Kalpitiya is a newly emerging tourism destination in northwestern Sri Lanka. Where diving here is just as sensational as the on land beauty. With minimal developments thus far, it is a stunning coastal escape. The main attraction in Kalpitiya, are the whales...
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Unawatuna, Sri Lanka
Unawatuna is one of the best beaches in Sri Lanka, it is close to the Unesco site & world Heritage Galle Fort alond with the international cricket stadium. The area has many budget & boutique accommodation sharing great beaches with excellent restaurants....
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Weligama, Sri Lanka
Weligama translates to mean “sandy village”, in reference to the town’s sand-swept bay. Located only 2.5 hours from the capital of Sri Lanka, this area is visited for its large number of nudibranches, pinnacles, blue whales, whale sharks and manta rays. The...
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