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Dive Sri Lanka SCUBA VIDEO Channel |
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The larger south-wreck |
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The bow of the south-wreck |
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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. |
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One of four barges |
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Two of four barges
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15/11/2014 - Investigation of old historical records yield a surprising find a the bottom of the sea. Click here for more information. |
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(Pictures - Sri Lanka Coast Guard)
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One case of many where tourists are detained for breaking the law |
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26/11/2014 - Dozens of local and tourists have been arrested, jailed, fined and in some cases deported after engaging in the extremely destructive fishing practice of spearing which is illegal under the wild life ordinance of Sri Lanka. More information here... |
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Type of plane found at the wreck site (from Wikipedia) |
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The signature PBY-5A Wheel |
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21/09/2014 - 18/10/2014 - In 2013 a fisherman in Kalkudah named Wasantha Kumara discoveres a strange piece of metal in his fishing net. This leads to the discovery and identification of a remarkable and iconic World War II air craft at 42m depth off the east coast by DiveSriLanka. Click here for more information.
Investigations continues. Also watch our video documentary on this find. |
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Engine bay |
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Amid wing |
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HMS Hollyhock |
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01/09/2014 - Careful cleaning of an artifact found in our June 2014 Expedition III to the wreck believed to be the HMS Hollyhock reveals startling new evidence supporting the "Hollyhock" theory. Click here for more information. |
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The flowers and messages |
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Harry Walker and Leslie Fenton |
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19/06/2014 - On request by two daughters who lost their fathers at the HMS Hermes on the 9th April 1942, we lay Flowers at the place of their fathers |
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HMS Hermes superstructure |
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Forward toilets of the HMS Hermes |
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19/06/14-24/06/14 - After a hiatus of 4 years we return to the wreck of the worlds first purpose built Air Craft Carrier HMS Hermes (53m) lying off the shores of Batticaloa. Under excellent conditions we conduct four dives and explore the entire ship from stern to bow. Click here for more information about Expedition VIII to the HMS Hermes |
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Divers near the superstructure of the HMS Hermes |
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Amazing forests of Black Coral on the HMS Hermes |
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A massive Bull Ray rests near the HMS Hollyhock |
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A diver at the bow of the HMS Hollyhock |
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26/06/14-28/06/14 - After diving the Hermes we dive south to Kalmunai, the home to the two of the ships belonging to the Hermes carrier group, the flower class corvette HMS Hollyhock and the tanker RFA SS Athelstane. Blessed with conditions much better than last time where we encountered ripping current, we conduct long technical dives in the two ships. Click here the diving expedition details to HMS Hollyhock and for RFA SS Athelstane. |
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The stern gun of the tanker RFA SS Athelstane |
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Diver entering the wreck of the RFA SS Athelstane |
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Tanker SS (RFS) Athelstane |
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The bow of the sunken SS (RFS) Athelstane |
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5/29/2014 - 5/31/2014 - The Sri Lanka Sub Aqua Club, in association with DiveSriLanka.com organizes the first ever Technical Diving Club trip to the East Coast of Sri Lanka covering three World War II wrecks sunk on the same fateful day of April 9th 1942 during the second Japanese attack of Ceylon. The SS British Sergeant at 24m (Vakarai), The Flower Class Corvette HMS Hollyhock at 42m, the Royal Navy Tanker SS (RFS) Athelstane at 42m (Kalmunai) are explored during this expedition of five dives over 3 Days. The conditions are excellent at the SS British Sergeant with over 40m visibility and no currents. However, in Kalmunai at the HMS Hollyhock and SS (RFS) Athelstane, while the visibility is just as good, the currents are ripping. On both days we see Eagle Rays gliding over the wrecks and other prolific fish life in these historic wrecks. |
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Flower Class Corvette HMS Hollyhock |
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Excellent visibility and ripping currents at the HMS Hollyhock |
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British Merchant Navy Tanker SS British Sergeant |
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The sunken wreck of the SS British Sergeant |
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The Batfish at the British Sergeant |
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Herd of stray cows greet dawn at the beach |
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30/4/14-3/5/14 - We explore the the splendid ships and reefs in Vakarai conducting 11 dives at the very beginning of the East Coast season. We have some great dives at the world War II oil tanker the British Sergeant, the older Lady McCallum SS that sank in 1926, the fabulous Leather Coral reef with its prolific Anemonefish and Groupers and finally the absolutely lovely, yet shallow, Irrachchal Reef. This region is still off the beaten path and is considered frontier diving. Good news is that several dive centers will start operating in this area providing access to the eager diving populace. |
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From inside the British Sergeant |
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Sadness - The Lady McCallum SS (1926) shrouded in the mists of time. |
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Dusk at Irrachchal Coral Reef |
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The SS Orestes |
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What is reffered to as the Tango Wreck is most probably the SS Orestes. |
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04/04/2014: For the first time we dive a popular wreck dive in Galle known as the "Tango Wreck". It has amazing marine life. Based on several circumstancial pieces of evidence we think this is the SS Orestes that sank in 1875 when it struck the Gindura Reef. Read more here! |
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 A Giant Trevally races along the ridge
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The Great Basses Light House - built in 1873 |
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05/04/2014: As part of a Sri Lanka Sub Aqua Club trip, we conduct four fantastic dives at the amazing Great Basses Ridge 20KM off shore in Kirinda. Accessible only during a brief period of 1 month during the inter monsoons (monsoon season change) this amazing place should be in everyone bucket list of places to dive. Lush marine life, beautiful limestone geological formations, remnants of ancient wrecks make this a very unique place in the world.
Find out more information about both Great Basses and Little Basses. |
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The ancient "Bottle Wreck" on the land side of the basses |
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Caves of limestone provide for fantastic swim through experience |
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Spear fishing is illegal in Sri Lanka. The newly established Coast Guard unit has been given a mandate to crack down on illegal spear fishing activities. Recently a group of foreign tourists were arrested spear fishing in the protected Great Basses Zone and deported from the country. |
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MV Astoria as MV Inanda |
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The bow of the ship we believe to be the Astoria |
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10/03/2014: On a survey dive with the department of Maritime Archeology, we investigate the ship thought to be the MV Astoria. Unfortunately this ship is not open to the general diving public and special permission is needed to access the location which is very close to the Colombo Harbour |
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The SS Worcestershire was sunk off Colombo in 1917 |
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The bell inscribed "Worcestershire" |
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12/03/2014 - DiveSriLanka.com is happy to announce the recovery of the bell of the long lost SS Worcestershire. The bell was found by Editor & Underwater Photographer Dharshana Jayawardena while exploring the ship on a 100 minute technical dive yesterday. The ship lies at 57 meters of depth and is a great place to observe marine life. The bell will be handed over to the Sri Lanka Maritime Archeological Unit (MAU) based in the Galle Fort and funded by the Central Cultural Fund for safe keeping and probably will be placed in a museum as soon as preservation process is complete.
The SS Worcestershire was sunk by sea mines laid by the infamous German Raider SMS Wolf on the 17th of February 1917 during the height of World War I. The legendary journey of the SMS Wolf is aptly described in the great work of non-fiction "The Wolf" by Richard Guilliat & Peter Hohnen. |
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01/03/2014 - Sixteen divers from the The Sri Lanka Sub Aqua Club head to the remote town of Kalpitya for a day of diving and snorkelling in the world famous Bar Reef Marine National Park. Based on the first day of diving, a friendly photography competition was held and we are happy to announce the winners as Anouke Wijeyratne, Michele Giraudo as the best picture winning photographers and Ramzi Reyal and Diyath Gaminda as the winners of the funniest underwater picture category! |
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The rudder and the propeller of the "Toilet Barge" off Colombo |
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What names the ship! - Amidships aft side Toilet! |
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14/02/2014 - And to think that we just announced a new ship to dive in Colombo just two weeks ago! (See Thermopylae Sierra below).
On Valentines Day, the ocean gifts us with another jewel from the sea. For several days we had been scanning countless locations on the ocean bed for for miles and miles searching areas given to us by fishermen for possible wrecks. Almost all had turned out to be fields of debris, rocks or rock divesites. Then finally we scored on Valentines Day! Click here to read more! |
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The collapsed hull of the World War I SS Worcestershire |
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The steam powered Quad Expansion Engine
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15/02/2014 - Just over a year ago DiveSriLanka proved the identity of this ship beyond doubt. A year later the exploration continues with a survey of amidships and specifically the engine area. Read more about this fascinating ship here. |
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09/02/2014 - A 100 minute Tec Dive to 40M depth at what could possibly be the World War I Armed Merchant SS Perseus. Magnificent fish life surrounds us as we explore this ship. A massive Bullray keeps close watch very remarkably following us all the way around the ship. A huge shoal of Blue Striped Snappers occasionally reduce the visibility of the gin clear blue water to almost zero. |
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The new playground for divers |
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A diver near a mast of the Thermopylae Sierra |
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04/02/2014 - On the 4th of February, while the rest of Sri Lanka watches independence day ceremonies to celebrate our freedom from the British over 60 years ago we are busy diving the brand new ship wreck of the block, the Cypriot owned Thermopylae Sierra that sank over one and a half years ago!
Click here to read more about this amazing dive of a very large and new ship!
This wreck can be dived with Island Scuba based in Colombo, who first introduced this wreck for recreational diving. |
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23/08/2012 |
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04/02/2014 |
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River Bank Bentota & Beruwala
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A true paradise in French Garden, Uppaveli, Trincomalee |
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One of the oldest and most experienced dive centers in Sri Lanka, Scuba Sri Lanka (Bentota, Beruwala, Trincomalee) launched new dive centers in River Bank, Bentota and the paradise club of French Garden in Uppaveli. See the best of Sri Lanka and explore Bentota, Beruwala and Trincomalee today! |
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Last year we had a great year of diving and exploration! See the Year 2013 report |
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(C) www.DiveSriLanka.com. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction of any material from this site is strictly prohibited. |
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Welcome to Sri Lanka! The best location in the Indian Ocean to Scuba Dive in the warm tropical seas and wonderful beaches. Sri Lanka offers some great Wreck Diving experiences such as the H.M.S Hermes, SS Rangoon, H.M.S Conch, The Earl Of Shaftsbury, H.M.S Diomede, and some Surat Silver Coin wrecks at the Great Basses & Little Basses Lighthouses off Kirinda and Yala. Sri Lanka offers many courses such as PADI Open Water, Advanced, Rescue, Dive Master but yet to offer NAUI, PSAI, TDI, SDI, Nitrox, Trimix, Heliox, Solo Diving Technical Dive Courses or Liveaboard Diving. Shore diving is a possibility. Sri Lanka also is famous for whale migration, dolphin watching and very occasionally for sightings of Tiger Shark, Black Tip Reef Shark, White Tip Reef Shark, Manta Rays. Reef fish such as Moray Eels, Puffer Fish (Fugu), giant turtle, Lionfish, Snappers, Sweetlips, Trevally, Barracuda, Fusiliers, Anemonefish are very very common. Some dive sites are better than Maldives, The H.M.S Hermes is a fantastic and exciting dive in Batticaloa. The H.M.S Vampire which accompanied the H.M.S Hermes is yet to be found. Surat Silver Coin treasure was found by Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Mike Wilson at the Great Basses Ridge. The coins were minted by Aurenzeb, the son of Shah Jehan who built the Mumtas Mahal (Taj Mahal). There are also wrecks of Japanese Zeros in the China Bay and Marble Beach area. The statue of lord ganesh can be seen at the Swami Rock dive in Trincomalee. pigeon Island in Trincomalee is also famous for great diving and snorkeling. This site features original photos and stock photography of the ocean and the under sea. You will also be surprised abou the diving opportunaties in Colombo. Colombo diving and colombo wreck diving is some of the best wrecks in the world |