www.DiveSriLanka.com - Trincomalee World War II



	Dive Trincomalee (www.DiveSriLanka.com) The place of the second largest natual harbour in the world East Coast Diving - April through October.




	Welcome to the ancient port city of Trincomalee! Lot of history here and what a beautiful place both for sight seeing and diving. It is said that the sea around Trincomalee is littered with ship wrecks as well as remains of Japanese Zero fighters which bombed the living daylights out of the massive fuel silos near the harbor and also of the British Hurricanes that attempted to defend the town that day during World War II

Site Name

Type

Depth

Boat Time

Our Rating

Worth mentioning...

SS Sagaing Historic Wreck 20M 5 Mins Average to Good
A world war II passenger ship SS Sagaing was partially destroyed during world war II. It was sunk to create a pier later and then in 2018, refloated, relocated and resunk to make space for a new pier in the Trincomalee Natural Harbour.

The wreck lies in a highly secure restricted area controlled by the SL Navy.

World War II Aircraft Historic Wreck 24M 15 Mins Average to Good
Believed to be one of eight British RAF Hawker Hurricanes that was felled down by the fierce Japanese Zero onslaught during the second attack of Ceylon by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Might be a boring dive to the average diver but exciting as hell to the wreck diver/historian.

(This dive site is only accessible through the Sober Island Resort within the Trincomalee Naval Bay. The one of a kind resort is owned and run by the Sri Lankan Navy. Click here for more information)

Sri Lankan Navy Chinese Gun Boats Wreck 18 M 25 Mins Good
Two Chinese build Navy Gun Boats sunk by limpet mine damage in the 1990's. A very rare twin site where two ships are side by side just a few fin strokes away.

(This dive site is only accessible through the Sober Island Resort within the Trincomalee Naval Bay. The one of a kind resort is owned and run by the Sri Lankan Navy. Click here for more information)

Admiralty Floating Dock 23

Wreck

Un

None

Unkonwn

One of the largest ship wrecks in the world, this 80,000 Ton dry dock is over 1000 ft long and 200 ft wide. AFD26 was moored beside the 30,000 Ton battleship Valiant when a giant buoyancy tank broke loose. The impact of these tanks from AFD26 caused extensive damage to the Valiant and thus she was retired from service.

Here is an amazing and hitherto unheard account of the sinking of Admiralty Floating Dock 23 on August 08, 1944 at the Trincomalee Harbor. This account is brought to us by Geoff Spooner as narrated to him by his father Commander Spooner RN Rtd. At that time Commander Spooner was Executive Chief Engineering Officer in HMS Renown and experienced the sinking first hand.

(This dive site is only accessible through the Sober Island Resort within the Trincomalee Naval Bay. The one of a kind resort is owned and run by the Sri Lankan Navy. Click here for more information)

H.M.S Diomede Historic Wrck 42M 30 Minutes (from Uppaveli) Below Average H.M.S Diomede, a 44 gun 5th rate built by James Martin Hillhouse, Bristol in 1781 for action in the American Revolutionary Wars. She was sunk after running aground on a rock during the campaign to capture Trincomalee from the then Dutch occupation of Sri Lanka. This is an interesting dive for those who are interested from an history or acheology sense but for those who wish for clear visibility and fish life this site is nothing much.

MV Cordiality
Wreck
18M 10 Mins from Pulmudai or 2 Hours from Trinco World Class One of the best ship wreck dives in Sri Lanka! The massive MV Cordiality with a full load of the mineral Ilmonite was sunk off the coast of Pulmudai by LTTE Terrorists in the late 90's. Now more than a decade later this is a haven for Fishlife!

Black Tip Rock
Reef
Fish

6M
15 Min from Nilavali Beach
Excellent

The coolest thing to do! Swim with about 20+ Black Tip Reef Sharks early in the morning at Black Tip Rock

Sub Aqua Club Reef Cleanup Pictures

Kotuwey Gala
Scenic
Reef
Fish
30M 15 Mins from Uppaveli Beach
Excellent
A scenic rock outcrop about 1 KM east of Swami Rock. Great dive site full of soft coral, anemones and other forms of sea life like Lobster, Moray Eel, Anemonefish, Pufferfish, Schools of Snappers, Lionfish, Mantis Shrimp. Has great visibility most days.

Swami Rock

Scenic
Rock
Fish

22 M

15 Min from Uppaveli Beach

Excellent
Dive to the past and peer at the replica of Lord Ganesh! Click here for pictures.

Sitanampara

Scenic
Rock
Fish

18 M

20 Min from Nilavali Beach

Excellent
A beautiful "rock called Sita". A lovely rocky terrain full of Stingrays, Moray Eels and other reef and pelagic fish.

Eel Rock

Scenic
Rock
Fish

18 M

15 Min from Nilavali Beach

Good
The rock of the Morays. A good place to see at least 5 kind of different Moray Eel species. Here, we bumped into the biggest ever Giant Moray we have ever seen in Sri Lanka! Also has lovely Sea Anemones, Nudi Branch's, and rarely seen species of a Pyramid Boxfish.

Small Grouper Rock
Scenic
Rock
Fish

15 M

15 Min from Nilavali Beach

Excellent
What a lovely dive site! The uneven rocky terrain was fully covered with beautiful hard and soft coral appears very colorful at this shallow depth. Hiding in crevices were all sorts of little denizens of the ocean ranging from Pixy Hawkerfish to spirited little odd looking Crabs waving their agitated claws at us. The abundance of color and reef life reminded us of our recent expedition to Great Barrier Reef. We were also intrigued by the very large and artificial looking square slabs that looked the work of man than the work of nature. Await pictures soon!

Muttigala
Scenic
Rock
Fish

15 M

40 Min from Nilavali Beach

Good
A Brand new site! About 5 minutes boat time east from the Irrakandy Ship Wreck. The place was full of Magnificent Sea Anemones, Maldives and Clarks Anemonefish, Panther Torpedo Rays, Blue Spotted Sting Rays and Trumpetfish. Click here for pictures

Coffin Ray Point
Scenic
Rock
Fish

20 M

25 Min from Nilavali Beach

Good
Another rarely dived site. This is just about 5 minutes boat ride east of Pigeon island and has a rock formation about 20 meters and deeper. However the best scenery is towards Pigeon island side. Over here you are guaranteed to see an Electric Coffin Ray which can pack a nasty 200 Volt punch. Click here for pictures.

White
Rock
Scenic
Rock
Fish

12 M

10 Min from Nilavali Beach

Good
A good place to bump into different species of Ray. Click here for more info and pictures.

Knife Rock
Scenic
Rock
Fish

15 M

10 Min from Nilavali Beach

Good
A nice site with lots of fish. Click here for more info and pictures.

Ship Wreck

(SS Ava?)

Scenic
Wreck
Fish

9.5 M

40 Min from Nilavali Beach

Excellent
One of our favorite dive sites in Trinco. The ship is really a wreck but full of fish all the time. If you are lucky you'll be visited by the Captain... Click here for more info and pictures. www.DiveSriLanka.com research team believes that this is the SS Ava.

Pigeon Rock

Scenic
Coral
Fish

10 M
15 M

10 Min from Nilavali Beach

Good to
Excellent

Pigeon island can be seen from the Nilavali beach. It's that close. It's a lovely little island, uninhabited but surrounded by robust growth of beautiful coral. Ideal place for Snorklers as well as divers. There are good sites all around the island and you will always see lots of Bannerfish, Butterflyfish, Flutefish, Crocodile Needlefish, Turtles and Pufferfish. Be A.W.A.R.E and take care not to step and brake Coral as this eco system is very fragile and requires our protection. Click here for pictures.

Sub Aqua Club Reef Cleanup Pictures

Site Name	Type	Depth	Boat Time	Our Rating	Worth mentioning...
SS Sagaing	Historic Wreck	20M	5 Mins	Average to Good	A world war II passenger ship SS Sagaing was partially destroyed during world war II. It was sunk to create a pier later and then in 2018, refloated, relocated and resunk to make space for a new pier in the Trincomalee Natural Harbour. The wreck lies in a highly secure restricted area controlled by the SL Navy.
World War II Aircraft	Historic Wreck	24M	15 Mins	Average to Good	Believed to be one of eight British RAF Hawker Hurricanes that was felled down by the fierce Japanese Zero onslaught during the second attack of Ceylon by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Might be a boring dive to the average diver but exciting as hell to the wreck diver/historian. (This dive site is only accessible through the Sober Island Resort within the Trincomalee Naval Bay. The one of a kind resort is owned and run by the Sri Lankan Navy. Click here for more information)
Sri Lankan Navy Chinese Gun Boats	Wreck	18 M	25 Mins	Good	Two Chinese build Navy Gun Boats sunk by limpet mine damage in the 1990's. A very rare twin site where two ships are side by side just a few fin strokes away. (This dive site is only accessible through the Sober Island Resort within the Trincomalee Naval Bay. The one of a kind resort is owned and run by the Sri Lankan Navy. Click here for more information)
Admiralty Floating Dock 23	Wreck	Un	None	Unkonwn	One of the largest ship wrecks in the world, this 80,000 Ton dry dock is over 1000 ft long and 200 ft wide. AFD26 was moored beside the 30,000 Ton battleship Valiant when a giant buoyancy tank broke loose. The impact of these tanks from AFD26 caused extensive damage to the Valiant and thus she was retired from service. Here is an amazing and hitherto unheard account of the sinking of Admiralty Floating Dock 23 on August 08, 1944 at the Trincomalee Harbor. This account is brought to us by Geoff Spooner as narrated to him by his father Commander Spooner RN Rtd. At that time Commander Spooner was Executive Chief Engineering Officer in HMS Renown and experienced the sinking first hand. (This dive site is only accessible through the Sober Island Resort within the Trincomalee Naval Bay. The one of a kind resort is owned and run by the Sri Lankan Navy. Click here for more information)
H.M.S Diomede	Historic Wrck	42M	30 Minutes (from Uppaveli)	Below Average	H.M.S Diomede, a 44 gun 5th rate built by James Martin Hillhouse, Bristol in 1781 for action in the American Revolutionary Wars. She was sunk after running aground on a rock during the campaign to capture Trincomalee from the then Dutch occupation of Sri Lanka. This is an interesting dive for those who are interested from an history or acheology sense but for those who wish for clear visibility and fish life this site is nothing much.
MV Cordiality	Wreck	18M	10 Mins from Pulmudai or 2 Hours from Trinco	World Class	One of the best ship wreck dives in Sri Lanka! The massive MV Cordiality with a full load of the mineral Ilmonite was sunk off the coast of Pulmudai by LTTE Terrorists in the late 90's. Now more than a decade later this is a haven for Fishlife!
Black Tip Rock	Reef Fish	6M	15 Min from Nilavali Beach	Excellent	The coolest thing to do! Swim with about 20+ Black Tip Reef Sharks early in the morning at Black Tip Rock Sub Aqua Club Reef Cleanup Pictures
Kotuwey Gala	Scenic Reef Fish	30M	15 Mins from Uppaveli Beach	Excellent	A scenic rock outcrop about 1 KM east of Swami Rock. Great dive site full of soft coral, anemones and other forms of sea life like Lobster, Moray Eel, Anemonefish, Pufferfish, Schools of Snappers, Lionfish, Mantis Shrimp. Has great visibility most days.
Swami Rock	Scenic Rock Fish	22 M	15 Min from Uppaveli Beach	Excellent	Dive to the past and peer at the replica of Lord Ganesh! Click here for pictures.
Sitanampara	Scenic Rock Fish	18 M	20 Min from Nilavali Beach	Excellent	A beautiful "rock called Sita". A lovely rocky terrain full of Stingrays, Moray Eels and other reef and pelagic fish.
Eel Rock	Scenic Rock Fish	18 M	15 Min from Nilavali Beach	Good	The rock of the Morays. A good place to see at least 5 kind of different Moray Eel species. Here, we bumped into the biggest ever Giant Moray we have ever seen in Sri Lanka! Also has lovely Sea Anemones, Nudi Branch's, and rarely seen species of a Pyramid Boxfish.
Small Grouper Rock	Scenic Rock Fish	15 M	15 Min from Nilavali Beach	Excellent	What a lovely dive site! The uneven rocky terrain was fully covered with beautiful hard and soft coral appears very colorful at this shallow depth. Hiding in crevices were all sorts of little denizens of the ocean ranging from Pixy Hawkerfish to spirited little odd looking Crabs waving their agitated claws at us. The abundance of color and reef life reminded us of our recent expedition to Great Barrier Reef. We were also intrigued by the very large and artificial looking square slabs that looked the work of man than the work of nature. Await pictures soon!
Muttigala	Scenic Rock Fish	15 M	40 Min from Nilavali Beach	Good	A Brand new site! About 5 minutes boat time east from the Irrakandy Ship Wreck. The place was full of Magnificent Sea Anemones, Maldives and Clarks Anemonefish, Panther Torpedo Rays, Blue Spotted Sting Rays and Trumpetfish. Click here for pictures
Coffin Ray Point	Scenic Rock Fish	20 M	25 Min from Nilavali Beach	Good	Another rarely dived site. This is just about 5 minutes boat ride east of Pigeon island and has a rock formation about 20 meters and deeper. However the best scenery is towards Pigeon island side. Over here you are guaranteed to see an Electric Coffin Ray which can pack a nasty 200 Volt punch. Click here for pictures.
White Rock	Scenic Rock Fish	12 M	10 Min from Nilavali Beach	Good	A good place to bump into different species of Ray. Click here for more info and pictures.
Knife Rock	Scenic Rock Fish	15 M	10 Min from Nilavali Beach	Good	A nice site with lots of fish. Click here for more info and pictures.
Ship Wreck (SS Ava?)	Scenic Wreck Fish	9.5 M	40 Min from Nilavali Beach	Excellent	One of our favorite dive sites in Trinco. The ship is really a wreck but full of fish all the time. If you are lucky you'll be visited by the Captain... Click here for more info and pictures. www.DiveSriLanka.com research team believes that this is the SS Ava.
Pigeon Rock	Scenic Coral Fish	10 M 15 M	10 Min from Nilavali Beach	Good to Excellent	Pigeon island can be seen from the Nilavali beach. It's that close. It's a lovely little island, uninhabited but surrounded by robust growth of beautiful coral. Ideal place for Snorklers as well as divers. There are good sites all around the island and you will always see lots of Bannerfish, Butterflyfish, Flutefish, Crocodile Needlefish, Turtles and Pufferfish. Be A.W.A.R.E and take care not to step and brake Coral as this eco system is very fragile and requires our protection. Click here for pictures. Sub Aqua Club Reef Cleanup Pictures