Getting there

Batticaloa is about 300 KM from the Capital City Colombo (See map on right). Getting there is generally a 7 to 8 Hour affair. (But leave at 3.30 AM and you can get there by 8.30 AM) Public Transport is available but is more time consuming and may take upto 10 to 12 hours.

Flying to Sri Lanka: The only International Airport in Sri Lanka is the Bandaranaike International Airport situated about 30 KM north of Colombo.

Dive Operators

Sri Lanka Diving Tours has now opened the Deep Sea Resort specializing in Technical Diving at the the. H.M.S Hermes which is a world class deep dive for very experienced divers. There are also many other shallow ship wrecks and reefs in Batticaloa to dive.

For information about other dive centers in Sri Lanka and directions and contact information, click here.

Accommodation

Good accomodation is sparse and hard to come by as Batticaloa is still not developed for tourism. However, we can reccomend the Riviera by the lagoon and the Bridge View Guest House as decent and moderately comfortable accomodation options.

See the our resources on Accommodation for more choices.

Where to eat

We reccomend that you make arrangements for meals at your hotel or guest house. If you fancy local vegetarian meals (quite close to sourthern Indian cuisine in taste) there are plenty of options in the town of Batticaloa. These could be a bit crowded but nevertheless a fun & unforgetable experience and the food is clean.

Transport within Batticaloa

Public transport is available but could be sporadic and not reliable. You could also use the omnipresent Three Wheelers (Tuk-Tuks). Always agree on the price before you get in. Prices vary and it is best you get advice from your Hotel about prices before you hail one. The hotel you stay at may also be able to organize transport.

Emergency Numbers

Keep these emergency numbers readily accessible before diving.

Batticaloa Police: 065-2224423
Batticaloa Hospital: 065-2222261

Blog about Batticaloa Diving!

The journey to Batticaloa is through the ancient Sri Lankan kingdom of Polonnaruwa.
This is one of the best places (if not the best) to see remnants of a 2,500 year old civilization.
The journey from Polonnaruwa to Batticaloa is through very arid and harsh bush like terrain.
Sightings of Elephants, Pea Cocks, Deer and Mongoose is a common occurrence.