www.DiveSriLanka.com - Ship Wrecks of Sri Lanka

For millennia, paths of travelers from strange lands beyond and yonder have fallen across a small island of paradise in the Indian ocean that will one day be known as Sri Lanka. Traders and invaders have come and gone; remnants of their legacy evident only by the infusion to the islands culture and the derelict remains of their transportation, once mighty symbols of trade, commerce and imperial power, now mere echoes from the past resting beneath the waves of the coastal seas. These are the ancient ship wrecks of Sri Lanka, testimonials of a rich and long cultural history and portals from the present to a bygone era that once were.

Based on historical records there are over 200+ estimated ship wrecks around the coast of Sri Lanka. Many have been located and the search continues to this day using advanced resonance scanning technology. Five hundred years of trade, commerce, conflict and war from the times of the Portuguese, Dutch and the British resulted in vast amount of shipping traffic all around the coast of Sri Lanka and thus the reason for the proportionately high number of wrecks.

< Left: SS Perseus One of the most beautiful deep wrecks of Sri Lanka off Colombo

Listed below are few of these very famous ship wrecks that are hundreds of years old. Wreck diving in Sri Lanka is an amazing experience not to be missed by any diver visiting this land.

Wreck and Year of sinking	Location	Depth	Boat Time*	Our Rating	Commercial Dive Center Access	Worth mentioning...
Black Coral Wreck	Colombo	40 M	40 Mins	Excellent	Yes	A medium sized wreck witha single boiler covered with beautiful black coral. Reccommended for technical divers.
Lotus Barge	Colombo	28 M	35 Mins	Excellent	Yes	A small barge resplendent with marine life. Simillar to the Toilet Barge
Cardinal Barge	Colombo	29 M	90 Mins	Below Average	Yes	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	Colombo	29 M	70 Mins	Good	Yes	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(?)	Colombo	24M	45 Mins	Average	No	Special permission is needed to dive this wreck which sank off very close to the Colombo Harbour in 1997
Toilet Barge	Colombo	32M	45 Mins	Good	Yes	A small age of steam ship with excellent marine life and an usual feature - a toilet!
Thermopylae Sierra	Colombo	23M	20Mins	Excellent	Yes	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 1917?)	Colombo	40M	1.5 H	World Class	Yes	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 North Barge	Colombo	40M	1.5 H	Excellent	Yes	A smaller wreck located not far from the above wreck. Similarly pristine conditions and covered with colorful soft coral
SS Worcestershire	Colombo	57M	40 Min	Excellent	Yes	Technical Decompression Dive. We The ship is badly broken but marine life is simply amazing. DiveSriLanka.com has now identified this to be the World War I sea mine casualty the British Armed Merchant Ship SS Worcestershire sunk in 1917!
Chief Dragon Car Wreck	Colombo	34.5M	45 Min	Excellent	Yes	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! DiveSrilanka.com has now identified this to be the Honda Heavy Industries built vehicle carrier MV Chief Dragon.
Taprobane East Wreck	Colombo	32M	45 Min	Excellent	Yes	In the pristine far off shore reefs of Taprobane the visibility is over 20M on average. Here in an Caribbean like setting we have our Heaven on Earth. A picturesque ship wreck that is a must dive.
Battery barge	Colombo	45M	30 Min	Excellent	Yes	A deep oasis full of fish life and colorful corals. its generally too deep for a proper single tank dive so is a favorite for Technical Divers.
Medhufaru	Colombo	30M	15Min	Excellent	Yes	The newest ship of the block! Sunk 31st of May 2009 this ship was made accessible for divers in 2011. Surprisingly good marine life for a ship that just sunk. Proves a invaluable point that shipwrecks can soon turn to reefs even few years after sinking. Highlight of the dive is to explore the earth moving Backhoe on the deck. Another can be found under the decks. Excellent place for Lionfish (and on the hunt!)
Pecheur Breton Cargo Wreck	Colombo	33M	30 Min	Excellent	Yes	A huge intact cargo ship which was sunk recently. Identity yet to be discovered but supposedly an Indian steel carrier that sunk in 1993. The ship lies on its starboard side and provides a huge area for exploration. DiveSriLanka.com has now identified this to be the Pecheur Breton.
Trug	Colombo	33M	30 Min	Excellent	Yes	A huge sunken barge that rests up side down. All the action is at 30M and the site is full of Lion Fish who are easy to approach. In addition various other marine life such as small Groupers, Pufferfish, Trevally and Stingrays can be seen
The Coal Ship (Hardingham or Delhi Coal?)	Colombo	26M	30 Min	Average	Yes	A nice dive. The ship is broken into two parts and lie abotu 20m/30m to each other. Can find schools of Snappers and Blue Spotted Stingrays in the sand. A bunch of over enthuastic Cleaner Wrasses can be quite annoying sometimes specially if you hadn't had a bath for a while.
Hardingham	Colombo (Harbor.)	21M	N/A	Not Evaluated	Special permission required	The Hardingham blew up after being towed out of the Colombo Harbor where she caught fire.
MV Tricolor (?)	Beruwala	65M	45 Min	Excellent	No	Still under exploration and investigation this is the deepest shipwreck in Sri Lanka. Click here for more information.
The Conch	Hikkaduwa	20M	45 Min	Excellent	Yes	A "should do" dive for the wreck enthusiast! One of our favorite sites. Click here for more information about the wreck and pictures.
Earl of Shaftesbury	Hikkaduwa	12-14M	35 min	Good	Yes	An old British iron sale ship. Literally a "wreck" but significant components are still recognizable and a decent dive experience on a sandy bottom.
Norsa	Hikkaduwa	15M	35 min	Not Evaluated	Yes	A British steam ship build in 1889
Aenos 1956	Dodanduwa	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Yes	A freighter of Greek origin carrying 6000 tons of Manganese, struck a rock called "Rala Gala" in early 1956.
Arcturus	Galle	18M	60 Min	Not Evaluated	Yes	A British steam ship built in 1870. An area known as the "Mada Gala" or the "Brown Rock" close to Galle is the final resting place of this ship.
Alliance	Galle	23M		Not Evaluated	Yes	A wooden sail boat with charcoal onboard. British origin.
Avondster 1659	Galle (Harbor)	5M	5 Min	Not Evaluated	Special permission required	The Avondster, owned by the Dutch East India (VOC) company (but originally and English sip), was partly loaded with Areca nuts when it sank after slipping anchor and hitting the shore. The site is 50 M away from the Marine Drive in Galle and lies in the heart of the Harbor.
Bottle Wreck	Galle	24M	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Yes	An unknown ship lying on a sandy bottom in front of Galle harbor.
Crispigi Cross	Galle	16M	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Yes	The Cross had it's cargo holds full of rice and paint when it sank in front of the Galle Hospital in the 80's.
Dolfijn 1663	Galle (Harbor.)	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Special permission required	A VOC ship sank in the Galle Harbor. because of neglect and poor maintenance. The crew was too exhausted to operate the ship properly after operating the pumps day by day to keep her from sinking as she had taken in a great amount of water.
Ethopy 1877	Galle	15M	60 Min	Not Evaluated	Yes	The Engine and many large sections of this cargo ship can be explored.
Hercules 1661	Galle (Harbor.)	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Special permission required	Discovered in 1993 by the Western Australian Maritime Museum which was assisting the Government of Sri Lanka conserve the extensive legacy of wrecks around Sri Lanka (Galle Harbor. Project). The wreck was discovered with the finding of a heavily encrusted bronze bell with the inscription 'AMOR VINCIT OMNIA ANNO 1625' . A search through the Dutch Archives and a 17th century map of Galle placed the bell at the same location of the wreck. About 30 large Cannons were later located from the same site (South of Gibblet Island)
Lord Nelson	Galle	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Yes	A modern boat that sank in a storm in the year 2000.
SS Orestes	Galle (Harbor.)	24m	15 Min	Good	Yes	Based on several circumstancial evidence, there is a high probability that this wreck is the SS Orestes.
Rangoon	Galle	30M	20 Min	Excellent	Yes	This is a sailing steam ship built in 1863 and sank just outside the Galle harbor after striking the outer Kada rock while here engines were shutdown while loading local mail enroute to Australia. Quite a scenic wreck with shoals of Snappers and a popular resort dive from Unawatuna
Flute Overness 1704	Great Basses	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Yes with special arrangement	Unexplored by DiveSriLanka.com
Alette Adriana 1760's	Great Basses	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Yes with special arrangement	Unexplored by DiveSriLanka.com
Daedulus	Little Basses	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated	Yes with special arrangement	The 40 gun frigate Daedulus sunk 2nd of July 1813
HMS Hollyhock	Kalmunai	42M	1 Hour	Excellent	Yes with special arrangement	A world class dive near a deep drop off at the edge of the continental shelf! Recommended for Technical Divers. THIS IS A WAR GRAVE. The British Royal Navy Flower Class Corvette HMS Hollyhock was sunk by a Japanese bombing raid on the 9th of April 1942 with 14 casualties. The bombs inflicted severe damage to the hull.
MFA Athelstane	Kalmunai	42M	1 Hour	Excellent	Yes with special arrangement	The last ship to be sunk by the Japanese bombing raid during World War II, the Athelstane sank a few hours after the HMS Hollyhock and in the vicinity. One bomb exploded in oil tank 3 splitting the ship at the stern side.
MV Ledra	Kalmunai	13M	15 Mins	Below Avg	Yes with special arrangement	In 1967 the diesel powered MV Ledra ran aground in front of Kalmunai. Today she is a shallow wreck spread over a large area and also subject to illegal salvage. Parts of it can be still dived.
H.M.S Hermes	Batticaloa	42M-54M	N/A	Lifetime Experience (Excellent+)	Yes with special arrangement	This is the famous British Air Craft Carrier H.M.S Hermes which was sunk by Japanese ZERO's during World War II in 1942. A dive for the very experienced only.
Boiler Wrecks (SS Brennus & Sir John Jackson)	Batticaloa	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. DiveSriLanka.com believe that these wrecks are the SS Brennus and Sir John Jackson. It has also been incorrectly identified as Lady Blake. The existence of this ship is doubtful and not verified.
MV Cordiality	Trincomalee (Pulmudai to North)	18M	10 Mins from Pulmudai or 2 Hours from Trinco	Excellent	Yes	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! This ship is no longer divable as it is sadly being salvaged denying Sri Lanka of a World Class Wreck Dive. The reson for salvage may be valid as the ship may be an obstruction to approaches for marine traffic to the state mineral corporation.
The British Sergeant	Vakarai	26M	30Min	Excellent	Yes	This massive cargo ship was sunk along with the famous British Air Craft Carrier H.M.S Hermes during World War II in 1942. A great dive for all levels of divers. The ship wreck has two parts probably because of breakup during sinking. The bow and the stern areas can be clearly distinguished. The highlight of the ship is the massive cavern amidships.
Lady McCullum SS	Vakarai	17M	15Min	Average	Yes	A small wreck which lies near a rocky reef. Ship life is average yet a easy wreck for beginner Divers to explore
Gladys Moller SS and the wreck graveyard in Passikudah	Wreck Fish Life	10M	40 mins	Average	Yes	The Gladys Moller flounderd off the shallow bakers rocks in 1942.Today she remains strewn over a considerable area among the rocks. Hardly any ship shape remains but its a nice and easy shallow dive for any level of experience.
Condolidated Catalina PBY-5A	Aircraft Wreck Fish Life Scenic	42m	45mins	Good	Not opened for diving yet	DiveSriLanka.com unravels the mystery of aircraft wreckage found off the coast of Kalkudah in the east coast of Sri Lanka. This scenic dive site is full of marine life and contains wings, wheels with parts of undercarriage, propellers and engines. It is an intriguing dive site to explore and discover. This site is not available for diving yet
Admiralty Floating Dock 26	Trincomalee (Harbor)	Unknown	N/A	Not Evaluated	Special permission required	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 AFD23 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.
World War II Aircraft	Trincomalee (Harbor)	24M	15 Mins	Average to Good	Yes	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	Trincomalee (Harbor)	18 M	25 Mins	Good	Yes	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)
Irrakandy Wreck (SS Ava)	Trincomalee	9.5M	40 Min	Excellent	Yes	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. DiveSriLanka.com believes that this is the SS Ava
H.M.S Diomede	Trincomalee	42M	30M	Below Average	Yes	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.
Kapungoda Wreck 1	Negombo	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated		A ship wreck lying south of Negombo.
Kapungoda Wreck 2	Negombo	Unknown	Unknown	Not Evaluated		A ship wreck lying south of Negombo.