www.DiveSriLanka.com - Wrecks and Reefs of Colombo




	Dive Colombo (www.DiveSriLanka.com) Diving in and around the capital city West Coast Diving - November through May

	Colombo as seen from the Sea - From "Ghosts of the Deep - Diving the Shipwrecks of Sri Lanka

		"No Way!" and "Really?!" are two of the most common responses with tone of incredulity when divers hear the statement "Colombo is the best place in Sri Lanka for a great wreck diving experience!". Indeed where else can you dive a dozen wrecks ranging from 30 Meters to 57 Meters (Tec Dive) in Sri Lanka? Where else can you dive World War I Armed Merchant Ships to a brand new ship recently sunk in 2009? Not only Colombo has the best array of Wrecks in Sri Lanka, it has some great reefs too. For example, the Gorgonian Gardens are a unique dive site found no where else in Sri Lanka, and the far of Taprobane Reefs are simply outstanding. See below for all the dive sites you can dive in Colombo!

Site Name	Type	Depth	Boat Time	Our Rating	Worth mentioning.
Black Coral Wreck	Wreck Fish	40M	40 Min	Excellent	A medium sized wreck witha single boiler covered with beautiful black coral. Reccommended for technical divers.
Lotus Barge	Wreck Fish	28M	35 Min	Excellent	A small barge resplendent with marine life. Simillar to the Toilet Barge
Cardinal Barge	Wreck Fish	29M	90 Mn	Below Average	A small wreck, in a bad state but with reasonably good marine life, namely Cardinalfish and Snappers. Not really worth diving if you are diving off Mount Lavinia, South of Colombo
Clarke Wreck	Wreck Fish	29M	70 Mn	Good	The wreck on which world famous Science Fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke conducted his last SCUBA dive at the age of 74 in March 1992.
MV Astoria(?)	Wreck Fish	24M	45 Mins	Average	Special permission is needed to dive this wreck which sank off very close to the Colombo Harbour in 1997
Toilet Barge	Wreck Coral Fish Scenic	32M	45 Mins	Good	An age of steam ship off the shores of Colombo. A small dive site but a ship with great marine life and an unusual feature that gives it its name - a toilet!
Thermopylae Sierra	Wreck Coral Fish Scenic	23M to surface	20 Min	Excellent	The Cypriot owned Wreck Thermopylae Sierra was parked at the Colombo outer anchorage for more than 3 years as a result of a wage dispute between the owners, workers and the Sri Lankan Ports. Neglect took its toll and finally, on the 23rd of August 2012 it sank before our very eyes. One and a half years later we return to the ship and enjoy a fantastic dive to a unique ship wreck that is trapped between two worlds...
Taprobane North Wreck (Perseus?)	Wreck Coral Fish Scenic	40M	1.5 H	World Class	A massive ship, intact and lying on pristine sand. A haven for shoals of fish and a place of pristine wilderness and 30M+ Visibility! We suspect this to be the British Armed Merchant Perseus sunk off Colombo in 1917 by a German Mine Layer. Investigations underway to ascertain this ships identity.
Taprobane Wallet Wreck	Wreck Coral Fish Scenic	40M	1.5 H	Excellent	A smaller wreck located not far from the above wreck. Similarly pristine conditions and covered with colorful soft coral
Taprobane North	Coral Reef Fish Scenic	26M	1.5 H	Excellent	A unique garden of Soft Coral. A rare find in Sri Lanka!
Taprobane East Wreck	Scenic Coral Fish Wreck	32 M	45 Min	World Class	To be seen and not to be described least it does injustice, this our heaven on earth.
SS Worcestershire	Scenic Coral Fish Wreck	57M	40 Min	Excellent	Technical Decompression Dive. We The ship is badly broken but marine life is simply amazing. We have now identified this to be the World War I sea mine casualty the British Armed Merchant Ship SS Worcestershire sunk in 1917! Dive Sri Lanka is the first to capture pictures of the ship after it sank and the only team that has done extensive dives to the SSW.
Chief Dragon - The Colombo Car Wreck	Scenic Coral Fish Wreck	34.5M	45 Min	Excellent	The "Chief Dragon" also known as the Colombo Car Wreck is now divable again! Just 4 KM off the city of Colombo this is a superb wreck to dive and explore. A very large area of wreckage provides a haven for shoaling fish and big Groupers. The caves of sorts at stern is a place to be!
Gale Reef South Gorgonian Garden	Coral Reef	35.7M	20 Min	Excellent	Truly an amazing place! Deep within the open ocean a flat terrain FULL of sea fans. For experienced divers only. Rapid negative buoyancy insertion required with fast descent. Anchors should NOT be used in this site.
Bora Bora	Rock Coral Fish	29M	20 Min	Good	A jewel in the Colombo dive sites these scattered formation of rocks provide for a delightful dive experience for both the Macro enthusiast and the general diver who enjoys schooling fish life.
Battery Barge	Scenic Coral Fish Wreck	45M	30 Min	Excellent	A deep wreck dive beyond the recreational limits. A very small barge broken up into three or more pieces and harboring a profusion of ocean life. Resting on a clean white sand bottom this small wreck represents a cradle of life bordering surreal.
Taprobane - East	Scenic Coral Fish	22M	120 Min	Excellent	Far far away from the shores of Colombo, lie the exotic reefs of Taprobane. A flat terrain with sporadic bursts of large coral domes it is the home for many types of marine life from coral fish to the visiting pelagic's. The journey to Taprobane is long and rough and the conditions challenging.
Serendib Reef	Patch Reef Coral Fish	21M	30 Min	Excellent	A high plateu rising up to 20m about 8KM west of the city of Colombo. Often blessed with good visibility Serendib Reef has scattered coral domes and pelagic fish life. Passing giant Stingrays, Wahoo and Giant Trevally are quite a common site. The reef itself is home to prolific fish life including Snappers, Moray Eels, Anemone fish and other macro life. Newly discovered areas in 2012 include the Serendib North Ridge and the South Slope.
Serendib North Ridge	Patch Reef Coral Fish	25-35M	30 Min	Excellent	Discovered in October 2012, this is a unique area with a sloping ridge. The depth changes from 25M to 35M in a few meters with a perceptible slope. The ridge area is prolific with fish life and full of Surgeonfish, small Groupers, Moray Eel, Stingrays and other reef fish.
Cargo Wreck (Pecheur Breton)	Scenic Wreck Fish	33 M	20 Min	Excellent	An intact general cargo carrier lies on its starboard side and provides a huge area for exploration. We have now identified this to be the Pecheur Breton (French Fisherman) that sank in 1994!
Medhufaru	Scenic Wreck Fish	29M	20 Min	Excellent	The newest ship to sink in Colombo, the Maldivian Medhufaru (Formally AL TAREK of Malta) went down with a couple of Backhoe on deck! Sitting perfectly upright its an amazing dive full of Batfish, Lionfishes and other schooling fish. The ship still looks new!
Nilgiri TRUG	Scenic Wreck Fish	32M	45 Min	Average	The Nilgiri is a large barge/tug that sank a decade ago. Head over keel and intact. The massive enclosed space provides a cavern diving experience. Condition of the interior is not assessed yet and should be dived with caution.
The Coal Ship (Hardingham or Delhi Coal?)	Colombo	26M	30 Min	Average	A nice dive. The ship is broken into two parts and lie about 20m/30m to each other. Can find schools of Snappers and Blue Spotted Stingrays in the sand. A bunch of over enthusiast Cleaner Wrasses can be quite annoying sometimes specially if you hadn't had a bath for a while.
Snapper Alley	Scenic Rock Fish	32 M	35 Min	Good	A really long reef which runs South East - North West. Multiple ridges and huge rock slabs resonate of the Japanese Yonaguni structure! For a dive site just off the main city, fish life is quite profuse and this dive site is very scenic specially given the sandy bottom on which it rests. Plenty of dives to cover this one! The major sites include - Triggerfish CIty, Rock Highway and discovered in 2012 the Adams Peak and Deflection Rocks (with small gardens of sea fans)
Balalgala	Scenic Rock Fish	34 M	35 Min	Excellent	On a vast sandy plain off the Snapper Alley, we encountered a little oasis of life...
Barracuda Reef	Sandstone Limestone Fish	24M	10 Min	Excellent	A sandstone and limestone ridge between Formosa Reef and Snapper Alley. Lots of small sea fans and soft corals. Schools of glassfish are often seen here. Stingrays can be seen on the sand and fish life during certain time can be insanely prolific. The school of small Barracuda, Snappers, Trevally and Rabbitfish shower the reef. Its also an excellent place to spot Nudibranch and Pipefish.
Barracuda Reef - Mid Point	Stands tone Limestone Fish	24M	10 Min	Excellent	The northern extension of the above reef this is a great place for small things in life such as the beautiful Nudibranch
East Approach	Sandstone Limestone Fish	25M	15 Min	Good	The south extent ion of the Barracuda Reef. A more flatter terrain but no less interesting. A great place for muck diving with Nudibranchs of various colors inhabiting this reef
Formosa Reef	Sandstone Limestone Fish	14M	15 Min	Average	Not very far from the city this long ridge like sandstone and limestone reef running almost is not the best place in terms of visibility. Its a great place for beginners and training dives and also night dives. Great macro life and other reef fish. It is also covered with sea whips and soft corals
Uncle Sumathy Point	Sandstone Limestone Fish	18M	30 Min	Average	A small sporadic collection of sea debris named after one of our beloved boatmen who passed away in 2011. Great place for the patient macro hunter but don't expect wonderland here.
Temple Rock	Sandstone Limestone Fish	20M	30 Min	Good	Temple Rock is located off Moratuwa and is about half an hour away by boat from Colombo but much closer if approached from further south. It is similar to the Black Coral Point but has a higher reef structure which provides more habitat for reef fish. Batfish are often seen here and if you are lucky you will spot the rather shy Napoleon Wrasses who make this reef their home.
Guruvam Rock	Sandstone Limestone Fish	20M	30Min	Good	A massive reef complex! Huge shoals of Fusiliers and even Trevally can be seen here.
Panadura Nilkete Wrecks	Wreck Fish	12M	45Min	Excellent	A shallow ship wreck graveyard off Panadura. A great wreck dive for beginners or a great dive as the second dive for experienced divers! 22/11/2014 - In 2010 a brief survey of this location led us to believe that there was only one ship. Further exploration recently reveals that the site off the coast of Panadura actually has 2 ore more ships that has run foul over a huge rock known as the Nilkete rock. Dive Sri Lanka has recently found that one of the ships here was a steam ship known as Justitia Click here for more information.
Pandora	Rock Outcrop Fish	18M	45Min	Good	A vast rock complex not far from Panadura Wreck. Not a Bar Reef unlike other reefs off Colombo. Pandora can be dived in conjunction with Panadura Wreck on a trip to Panadura.