Advice on Diving from Colombo, Sri Lanka
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ocdiver1
Contributor
Nishan from the board is based in Sri Lanka and was incredibly helpful with all the questions I've had in the past regarding SL diving
Nishan
Contributor
The most popular wrecks are the Pecheur Breton, Medhufaru and the Chief Dragon but there are several others as well. Many wrecks are fully or partially intact, offer penetration and are located in the 20-35m depth range. Currently there are 2 dive centers (Island Scuba and The Dive Shop Sri Lanka) operating in Colombo. Both are based in the southern beach suburb of Mount Lavinia. A third, Colombo Divers is currently closed and I am not sure if they will reopen. For full disclosure I am a partner in Island Scuba which we started last December.
Generally early December has good conditions with calm mornings and afternoon winds. Visibility in the 10-30m range depending on site. I'm more than happy to answer any questions and if you need specific information about Island Scuba just PM me.
Cheers,
Nishan
Generally early December has good conditions with calm mornings and afternoon winds. Visibility in the 10-30m range depending on site. I'm more than happy to answer any questions and if you need specific information about Island Scuba just PM me.
Cheers,
Nishan
scorpio84
Registered
Nishan
Contributor
Hi, August is not a great month for SL either. The west coast is off season and dive shops are closed as the monsoon seas can be very rough. The wrecks I mentioned in the previous post are all in Colombo.
The east has some good wrecks around Batticaloa but many of them are deep tec dives. The British Sergeant is an easy (depth 13-24m) WWII wreck north of Batticaloa. You can dive on the east coast in August but again not one of the better months for viz and it can be windy, especially at offshore sites. If you were coming to SL primarily for diving I would skip July/August.
The east has some good wrecks around Batticaloa but many of them are deep tec dives. The British Sergeant is an easy (depth 13-24m) WWII wreck north of Batticaloa. You can dive on the east coast in August but again not one of the better months for viz and it can be windy, especially at offshore sites. If you were coming to SL primarily for diving I would skip July/August.
Where is the best spot for diving in Sri Lanka and what time of year is best?
Nishan
Contributor
Really depends on what you are looking for. If its healthy hard coral then Batticaloa/Passikuda areas, especially around Kayankerni and some areas off Trincomalee on the east as well as the Bar Reef in Kalpitiya. Extensive coral gardens in 1-8m of water thats ideal for snorkeling or a shallow dive. Negombo also has good fish life and interesting macro.
The highlight of diving in Sri Lanka are the wrecks. These include everything from WWI and WWII wrecks to modern freighters. The wrecks have some of the best fish life in Sri Lanka as there is very little net fishing on them and many are covered in coral as well. Best places for wreck diving are Colombo on the west coast and Batticaloa/Passikudah on the east. While some of the reefs are interesting they don't really match up to better known Asian destinations such as the Maldives and Indonesia. You wont see a lot of pelagics but on good sites you will find big schools of snapper, fusiliers, rabbitfish etc., the usual reef fish, hunting tuna and trevally, stingrays and the occasional eagle ray or mobula.
West coast season is from Nov-Apr with the best conditions usually in Feb/Mar. East coast season is from Apr-Oct with the best conditions usually in May/Jun.
The highlight of diving in Sri Lanka are the wrecks. These include everything from WWI and WWII wrecks to modern freighters. The wrecks have some of the best fish life in Sri Lanka as there is very little net fishing on them and many are covered in coral as well. Best places for wreck diving are Colombo on the west coast and Batticaloa/Passikudah on the east. While some of the reefs are interesting they don't really match up to better known Asian destinations such as the Maldives and Indonesia. You wont see a lot of pelagics but on good sites you will find big schools of snapper, fusiliers, rabbitfish etc., the usual reef fish, hunting tuna and trevally, stingrays and the occasional eagle ray or mobula.
West coast season is from Nov-Apr with the best conditions usually in Feb/Mar. East coast season is from Apr-Oct with the best conditions usually in May/Jun.
Might be going to Trinco in a few weeks any tips with which centre to use and which sites?
Nishan
Contributor
The ones I know are International Dive Center and Poseidon Diving Station. I have not dived with their Trinco shops but know they run well organized and safe operations down in Hikkaduwa on the south coast. Unawatuna Diving Center runs a good op in Unawatuna and has a branch called the Nilaveli Diving Center. Sri Lanka Diving Tours also seems to get good reviews. The owner tends to look for new sites and is a bit more adventurous than most others.
Trinco diving is mainly on shallow hard coral gardens and rocky reefs in the 10-20m depth range. You can snorkel at Pigeon Island where you can see lots of blacktip reef sharks. Go early to avoid crowds and get better shark sightings. Marine Park fees apply. General fish life is low on most sites but you can find lots of morays, anemonefish, nudibranchs, cleaner shrimps, anemone crabs, pipefish and even a harlequin shrimp. Swami Rock has interesting topography and a rock wall going down from the surface to around 20m. Another site I like is Kotuwe Gala (meaning Fort Rock). Its located close to Swami Rock and the Dutch Fort in Trincomalee town. There is an American Revolutionary War era British war ship off Uppuveli but none of the operators seem to dive it.
Most shops are in Nilaveli and Uppuveli, north of Trincomalee town. Dive shops located in Uppuveli dive more towards Trincomalee town and Swami Rock. Those in Nilaveli tend to dive more around Pigeon Island.
August can be a bit windy with low viz but hopefully you get decent conditions.
Trinco diving is mainly on shallow hard coral gardens and rocky reefs in the 10-20m depth range. You can snorkel at Pigeon Island where you can see lots of blacktip reef sharks. Go early to avoid crowds and get better shark sightings. Marine Park fees apply. General fish life is low on most sites but you can find lots of morays, anemonefish, nudibranchs, cleaner shrimps, anemone crabs, pipefish and even a harlequin shrimp. Swami Rock has interesting topography and a rock wall going down from the surface to around 20m. Another site I like is Kotuwe Gala (meaning Fort Rock). Its located close to Swami Rock and the Dutch Fort in Trincomalee town. There is an American Revolutionary War era British war ship off Uppuveli but none of the operators seem to dive it.
Most shops are in Nilaveli and Uppuveli, north of Trincomalee town. Dive shops located in Uppuveli dive more towards Trincomalee town and Swami Rock. Those in Nilaveli tend to dive more around Pigeon Island.
August can be a bit windy with low viz but hopefully you get decent conditions.
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