Dive Batticaloa (www.DiveSriLanka.com)
The extreme east.

East Coast Diving - May through October

   About Batticaloa About Batticaloa
- Map location
- Getting there
- Dive Operators
- Accommodation

The famous Batticaloa Lighthouse at dusk 		 
The beautiful and yet untouched Batticaloa lagoon and Kalladi bridge 		 


This is the eastern most town in Sri Lanka. A region frozen in time. A terrain fraught with hardship. Its residents recovering from ravages of a fierce war.

The journey to Batticaloa (Batti)is as exciting as the destination. From the ancient kingdom of Polonnaruwa, the road to Batti is tortuous; winding upon a arid terrain covered with bush and occasional stray cattle. To see herds of wild elephants on the way is not unusual. The skies are fiercely blue. As fierce as the heat that beats unmercifully on this bush land. Yet the eyes never tire gazing over the endless swathes of arid land and into the distant mountains. This is strange and fearsome beauty.

This is the road to exciting diving.

This is the land of H.M.S Hermes. The king of dives in Sri Lanka. After the war was over life in the small town of Batticaloa has returned to complete normalcy and still exotic in nature. Development is progressing fast hotels and facilities improving day by day.

Sri Lanka diving tours has now opened the Deep Sea Diving Resort near the lagoon specially targeting technical diving at the Hermes.

 
 
  Site Name
Type
Depth
Boat Time
Our Rating
 Worth mentioning...
  H.M.S Hermes

Wreck
Scenic
Fish

53M
45-60 Min
Excellent
(Lifetime Experience! )

At great depth, resounding with the echoes of World War II, this is the ultimate wreck dive in Sri Lanka, and undoubtedly one of the best wreck dives in the world. Click here for more information and pictures. This is a Technical Decompression Dive.

  Boiler Wrecks (SS Brennus & Sir John Jackson)

Wrecks
Scenic
Rock
Fish

9M
20-25 Min
Good

The ideal post Hermes dive. If not still a great dive for divers of all calibre and one of the top fun dives in the country. We now believe that these wrecks are the SS Brennus and Sir John Jackson. It has been earlier incorrectly identified as Lady Blake. The existence of this ship is doubtful and not verified.
  Mushroom Reef - Passikudah
Scenic
Rock
Fish
14M
15Min
Good
 Short boat ride away from the beautiful shores of Passikudah this reef boasts large inverted coral domes and plush macro life engulfed in turquoise blue waters. Visibility is not the best at all times however 10 to 15 meter is quite promising. Patience is required to spot the tiny dwellers hidden beneath the small enclaves. Reef stretches south and is quite a long strip and one could get lost. Colonies of different life thrive from dome to dome and very healthy coral life can be clearly seen. This reef is best dived in the early hours of the day as towards afternoon surge activity creates an added challenge to get back into the boat. In all a promising dive and for that avid photographer it is a color palette for the taking. You just have to descend and start painting..
A word of advice - Take ample water and food to Passikudah as the post-dive exhaustion crave for food will get you nothing, its a desolate town. - By Jezeem Jameel

  Passikudah Reef - Passikudah

Rock
Fish
6M
5Min (or shore dive)
Good
 Almost a shore dive for the daring but a short hop on the boat. Due to the silt bottom and surge at the top the viz is pretty bad (down to about 5 m in some places) but a lot of marine life, mostly shoaling fish and diverse coral life. If only this particular reef had amazing visibility I would not have ventured any further because it had it all. I would say the Suda of Passikudah. Take care as you can board the boat completely covered in silt. - By Jezeem Jameel
  White Rock (Ven Paarai)
Rock
Fish
16M
20 Min
  Dive site just a kilometer southeast of the Boiler wreck and as one descends the first thing you notice is the fishnets around the rock. (would be doing the fauna a favor by cutting it off). Amazing landscaping and healthy colorful coral and sponges around the rock. The current is almost always strong (according to the boatman) and generally you get a free ride over the rock and around the reef. You have to be careful with navigation as if you get drifted too far and lose sight of the rock, only a compass will bring you back. Powerful strobes would capture the shrimp and nudi life in small but deep caves. Permanent residents include Parrot Fish, Fusilier, Trevally, Sweetlips, Emperor and Bannerfish. - By Jezeem Jameel
  Marrakkala Gala
Rock
Fish
20M
20 Min
  Wholesomely amazing reef and a must dive during an east coast trip. The reef is dominated by trillions of rainbow runners who inquisitively follow you around the rock. Gargantuan boulders make up this reef and standing at the seabed makes one feel very small next to the rocks. Many crevasses, nooks and crannies to hunt for small life and around the bottom of the rock is a lobster city. The scenic landscape would be the boast of this site and one should begin from the biggest and tallest rock and descend east towards deeper stages. The east most of the boulders sport a shoal of (resident according to the boatman) Giant Trevally and we are informed that Tuna and Seer are also spotted and fished daily at this site. If not anything else the rocks are a sight to behold. Look out for the Giant Morays around the corner..
- By Jezeem Jameel