Sublime Sri Lanka Diving: The East and West Coasts, Wrecks, Reefs and Culture

Jayne Jenkins heads east to experience the Sri Lanka diving scene off the east coast, as well as dip into the rich cultural heritage and tradition on land

Nestled in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka is a stunning island destination known for its rich cultural heritage, lush landscapes and golden beaches. Whether you’re seeking an adventure-filled experience, a relaxing beach getaway or a dive into history and tradition, Sri Lanka offers something for every kind of traveller.

Although Sri Lanka is known for its tropical beaches and lush landscapes, it is also a great place for scuba divers to explore. With warm waters, rich marine life, and a great range of dive sites, it’s an ideal destination for both beginners and experienced divers. Whether wanting to explore vibrant coral reefs, encounter shipwrecks or swim with whales, turtles and teeming fish, Sri Lanka has something for every diver (and snorkeller).

Sri Lanka Diving Seasons

Diving is available all year around, but the two major seasons dictate which side of the island you can dive. These are the West Coast Season (November-April) and East Coast Season (May-October).

Both coasts offer very different types of diving, and we were there to visit during the east coast season. We were lucky enough to spend three and a half days diving the wrecks and reefs around Trincomalee and Pasicuda.

Sri Lankan Airlines has direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne and one stop flights from Perth arriving in Colombo on the same day. As the next day we were driving across to the east coast to dive, we stayed overnight in Colombo to be refreshed for the six-hour drive. The drive was in a comfortable, private air-conditioned bus and we had a few interesting stops along the way for refreshments and landmark viewing. You really believe you have landed in Sri Lanka when you see elephants roaming freely and monkeys leaping around along the roadsides. It was a great pit stop for us to photograph the playful little primates.

The dive shop is a short drive from most hotels where dive briefings and gear checks were done.

One thing that became evident on the trip across the land was the friendliness of the local Sri Lankan people and on reaching our destination, we were greeted with so much warmth and enthusiasm you forget you have been on a bus all day. Waking to a beautiful Trincomalee sunrise the next morning and an amazing Sri Lankan breakfast, we were ready to head out diving.

As this was a beach launch, we had a quick stroll down to the beach to join our dive boat. All the talk about the beautiful white sandy beaches in Sri Lanka, we were standing on one – blue water, white sand and sunshine.

Exploring Trincomalee’s Historic Dive Sites

Our first dive was a short boat ride along the coast to a dive site called Swami Rock. Our land mark for the dive site was the Koneswaram Hindu temple, a historical and cultural landmark of the region. The historical and cultural importance of Koneswaram Temple adds a special significance to the Swami Rock dive site, as many of the underwater relics, including statues and stone pieces, are believed to have originated from the temple complex.

Swami Rock dive varies from 5m-24m with a sandy bottom and small pinnacles. Lots of rays, anemones, morays and pufferfish and seeing the underwater statues believed to be from the temple complex that was destroyed in the 17th century.

Our next dive took us to an area called The Underwater Museum. This dive site was established by the Sri Lanka Navy in 2020 off Sandy Bay. Apart from the history of the site, this was probably one of the most unique dive sites I have dived. A sandy bottom in about 18m, this vast area was like a step back into history. The underwater displays include sculptures made from eco-friendly materials, reflecting Sri Lanka’s rich history and culture. Over time, these structures have fostered coral growth, enhancing the site’s ecological value. In among the statues are two gunboats the Jagatha and Veera, which have become great artificial reefs hosting plenty of marine life. Big bull rays were cruising the sand, so many lionfish, morays ells and plenty of schooling fish on the wrecks.

We felt we had not had enough time to experience this whole site so opted to stay there for our next dive. This dive site is a photographers’ dream and a great place for an introduction into wreck diving.

A few of us did the afternoon dive at Coral Cove which was a very relaxing reef dive with swimthroughs, bommies and plenty of marine life. I do not think I have ever seen so many moray eels on one dive, plus lots of lionfish and pufferfish with some huge barrel sponges.

Pasikudah and the Wreck of the SS British Sergeant

The next day was a drive down the coast to Pasikuda, which is famous for the British Sergeant wreck. The SS British Sergeant was a British tanker built in 1922 by Palmer’s Ship Building & Iron Co Ltd. During World War Two, on 9 April 1942, the vessel was attacked and sunk by Japanese aircraft during the Indian Ocean raid. The wreck, now split into two main sections, lays in 24m on a sandy bottom.

On arriving at the wreck, the swarms of bait fish and fusiliers almost block out you have arrived. They are like starling murmurations swooping in, over and below, hiding the entries and among them large snapper. The wreck is accessible for penetration due to the huge openings at the split. A huge black coral tree was my marker for the anchor line and once inside there are large areas and plenty of openings, plus lots of schooling fish life. Seeing the superstructure and swimming through the wreck was fantastic. Not only do you have the wreck, but the marine life is also amazing. Plenty of pufferfish, lionfish, grouper, angelfish, moray eels and even nudibranchs for the macro lovers. Inside the wreck there were also very pretty tiger anemones. We opted to do our second dive here to appreciate such a beautiful site. It is too large a wreck for one dive, and the second dive was just as good.

Kayankerni Reef and the SS Lady McCullam

Our last dive was off the Kayankerni Reef, where the SS Lady McCullam lies, a British passenger and cargo ship built in 1908. In 1926, while enroute from Kalkudah to Trincomalee, she struck a reef and sank. The wreck now rests at a depth of about 13m-15m and has become a favourite dive site especially for new divers. The wreck is scattered along the sandy bottom with anchors, passageways to swim through, boiler and plenty of fish life. It was a perfect way to end our diving on the east coast.

We were also lucky enough to have Rasika Muthucumarana, the Maritime Archaeologist / Research Officer, working for the Maritime Archaeology Unit of Sri Lanka, give us an engaging talk on the wrecks and their history of Sri Lanka. There are so many there to be explored, with roughly 100 or so throughout the coastline.

Cultural Adventures Beyond the Water

Apart from the diving, the unique land experiences in Sri Lanka are not to be missed. En route back to Colombo we visited Polonnaruwa, an ancient city complex.

Polonnaruwa took its place in history after King Vijayabahu I defeated the invading Cholas and moved the capital from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa. It is renowned for its well-preserved 12th-century ruins and impressive stone culture. Exploring Polonnaruwa, which is today a UNESCO World Heritage site, you can see Brahmanic monuments built by the Cholas and the monumental ruins of the fabulous garden city created by Parakramabahu I in the 12th century.

From here we moved onto Minneriya National Park for a four-wheel drive to see ‘The Gathering of the Elephants’ and bird watching. From May-October each year mid-afternoon, around 150-200 individual elephants come out of the forest into the open to graze on the fresh green pasture by the water’s edge at Minneriya and Kaudulla National Parks.

We were up close and personal and able to observe the social dynamics of the Asian elephant as the large bulls in musth compete among each other and seek the females within the herd, while young calves get up to their mischievous antics often to the displeasure of their alert mothers within the herd.

This was such a great way to finish our brief adventure and experience some of Sri Lanka’s best. ‘The Gathering of the Elephants’ is ranked among the world’s top wildlife viewing spectacles runs.

The west coast of Sri Lanka is also a hidden gem for divers, offering diverse dive sites with beautiful coral gardens, shipwrecks, and abundant marine life. The best time for diving on this coast is from November to April, when the waters are calm, and visibility is at its best. Diving on the west coast of Sri Lanka offers a perfect blend of adventure, history, and vibrant marine life, making it a must-visit destination for underwater enthusiasts.

The author visited Sri Lanka as a guest of Classic Destinations, Sri Lankan Airlines, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Thema Collection and Tamarind Tree Garden Resort.

Plan Your Dive Trip to Sri Lanka

Diveplanit Travel has partnered with Classic Destinations to curate a selection of Sri Lanka dive safari itineraries which can be found at diveplanit.com/srilanka. Contact the team of experts at Diveplanit for more information.

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