Barracuda Reef is a long reef formation located a few kilometers off Colombo. Our favourite area to dive it is the southern end towards Mt. Lavinia . With the majestic hotel as your backdrop and the Colombo skyline to the north it is a perfect place to see the contrast between the chaos of the city and the peaceful and natural world beneath the waves. Small schools of Fusiliers and Barracudas often hover above the reef and greet you as you descend along the anchor line. Once on the bottom, the large limestone blocks that form the reef are covered in thousands of small blue sea fans and other soft corals. A few sea whips reach towards the surface while Damselfish flutter around them like butterflies. The reef itself has large cracks and ledges which provide shelter to millions of Glassfish and Sweepers. Hunting Blue Line Groupers move stealthily among the rocks looking for prey. Many display a lazy, uninterested attitude, lulling the Glassfish into complacency before pouncing on them. A large Honeycomb Moray Eel looks out from its hiding place surrounded by soft corals. It truly has a beautiful garden many of us would be proud of.

The reef top is at around 19 M with a maximum depth of around 24 M so there is adequate time to explore before your dive computer starts getting angry with you! For a fun, relaxed Sunday morning out in the city, this is surely hard to beat.

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