F.A.Q: All you want to know about diving in Sri Lanka.

Welcome to Sri Lanka, a beautiful paradise island with hundreds of fabulous dive sites. Come dive the dozens of famous ship wrecks dating back to the colonial era and also visit coral reefs, under sea caves & rock formations all around our island.

Q1: Which regions in Sri Lanka can I dive? When is the best to dive there?

Sri Lanka is an island! Which means you can dive almost every where! But we have two major seasons which dictates which side of the island we can dive. These are the West Coast Season (November-April) and East Coast Season (May-October).

Look at this Dive Calendar for more information on dive regions and when to dive those!

Q2: What type of diving do you get in these regions?

We have several popular regions for diving.

Kalpitiya - Rocky/Coral Reefs including the Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary (Snorkel)
Negombo - Rocky/Coral Reefs and great marine life
Colombo - Rocky/Coral Reefs and Ship Wrecks (Best wreck diving in the island)
Beruwala -Deep rocky outcrops and Coral
Bentota - Rocky outcrops and Coral
Hikkaduwa - Rocky outcrops, Coral Reefs and Ship Wrecks. Can Snorkel in Lagoon
Unawatuna,- Rocky reefs and Ship Wrecks
Weligama, Shallow Rocky/Coral Reefs
Tangalla - Not explored and documented by us yet.
Basses - Fantastic limestone reef with ship wrecks and amazing fish life
Trincomalee - Rocky/Coral Reefs
Batticaloa - Rocky/Coral Reefs and shallow & deep Ship Wrecks

Q5: Are there shore dives? How do you access dive sites?
Shore dives are a rarity. Operators generally have small boats (for about 6 divers). Some do have larger boats for about 15 divers. Most dives are before noon and, depending on the operator, could mean a two tank dive or a trip back to the shore to reload for the second dive. The boat trips are pretty quick ranging from 10 minutes to 45 minutes depending on the location. All most all major dive operators have an on board supply of pure Oxygen in the unlikely event of a Decompression Illness emergency. The boats are also equipped with radio and cell phones to activate Emergency Medical Services if required. The dive objective could change depending on what you encounter on the way! Sometimes the visibility is so good that you would see interesting rock formations on the way and wish to dive then and there, or the boat could bump into a Whale Shark or Manta Ray and everyone will forget all about diving and snorkel with the beast for the rest of the morning!

Q5: Can I get my PADI certifications in Sri Lanka
Most of the reputed dive centers offer certifications up to Instructor. The Open Water, Advanced and Rescue Diver courses may take about 3 to 4 days each at costs ranging from EURO 350 to EURO 450.

Q6: What else can I do in Sri Lanka?

Our little country is an amazing place! We love it and we are proud of it! Here is a quick tour on what you can enjoy top side!