Diving in Sri Lanka will delight you not only with amazingly warm water and good visibility, but also with a variety of dive sites and wrecks. In general, there are three diving regions in Sri Lanka: eastern, western and southern. Moreover, each is unique in its own way.
West of Sri Lanka
The best places are around Negombo, Beruwala, Kalpitiya and Bentota.
Along the entire coast of Negombo, three large reef bands stretch strictly parallel to the coast. And if the first two are simply beautiful, then many fans of diving come to admire the third reef.
Slightly north of Negombo is the Kalpitiya Peninsula, near which is the largest reef of the archipelago - Bar Reef. Due to its rather impressive size, it has become home to many species of fish. Reef sharks and sea turtles can also be found here.
The beach resort areas of Beruwala and Bentota are located just south of Colombo. Here, divers will be especially interested in multi-level rock formations located at twenty meters depths.
South of Sri Lanka
The most interesting dive sites are located near the coast of the resorts of Hikkaduwa and Unawatuna. Great and Little Basses will also be interesting.
The resort town of Hikkaduwa is the real diving capital of the archipelago, located south of the official capital of Sri Lanka. In the immediate vicinity of the coast, there are quite a few wrecks that beckon divers. More than 20 racks can be traversed by boat in just an hour. Basically, these are ships dating back to the 19th century, but more "recent" specimens are found periodically. In particular, the first oil tanker SS Conch or the steamer Norsa, which went to the bottom in 1889.
Unawatuna is located just two dozen kilometers from Hikkaduwa and, according to the rating of the Discovery Channel, is the best beach in the world. You should definitely visit the sunken SS Rangoon, once a magnificent passenger steamer, but now resting at a depth of thirty-two meters.
On the southern tip of the island is the Great Basses Reef, which has caused more than one ship to wreck. You can admire the "creations of her hands" only in spring, starting from mid-March, but by mid-April the season ends. The largest and most interesting local wreck is rightfully considered a ship that belonged to the Mongol emperor Aurangzeb. This dive site is designed exclusively for experienced divers, as there are very strong currents at rather shallow depths (no more than 14 meters).
East of Sri Lanka
Excellent dive sites are found off the coast of Trincomale and Batticaloa.
The depths of the sea around Trincomalee are fraught with a huge number of all kinds of wrecks, but since they all belong to the period of World War II, you will need to get official permission.
Batticolao is a quiet and one might even say sleepy town, but this makes it no less interesting for diving. The local diving sites can chronologically tell their guests about the course of the Second World War in the region.
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