Sri Lanka 1996
While in Sri Lanka at Lunar New Year (1996), I had the oppurtunity to do some diving. Though not arranged as a diving holiday, I knew the country has respectable sites, and some of world class. Due to the hostilities of recent years, tourism to the country has been rather reduced; the diving potential is thus not widely known.
The areas affected by the LTTE (the Tamil Tigers)'s struggle for an independent homeland are mainly the North and East of the island. The Jaffna peninsula, in the North, and Trincomalee, in the East, have in the past been some of the more attractive locations for diving. Discretion renders both places off-limits, at present.
Off Hikkaduwa, in the South West of the island, there are some pleasant, easy dives. The town , stretching along the continuous beach which fringes most of the West of the island, has long been a centre of trade. Occasional rocks, called 'gala' in Sinhalese, stick up from a sand bottom, and have claimed many wrecks over the centuries. The relatively shallow, otherwise flat sand bottom means that wave action tends to level remains, the boilers typically being the point standing most proud. To compensate for this, they are nevertheless the main features on the seabed, and thus magnets for fish.
There are about twenty different wrecks within an hour's motor-dhow ride of Hikkaduwa, the furthest close to Galle, a town fortified by the Dutch East India Company, whose initials, V.O.C. , are visible over many of the gateways. Most of the wrecks date from the same period, having been Portugese, Dutch, German and British steamers, depending whom the colonial power of the moment was. Some are large, too, at over 300ft. Arab dhows, and Chinese junks have also been found, though having been wooden, they are both difficult to find, and far from spectacular to look at, having decayed beyond recognition. Extensive salvage means there is little to be found on these, but new wrecks are found every year...
The MV Conch, a 3300ton oil-tanker, the world's first, ran onto Akurala-gala in 1903. It thus became the word's first big wreck-slick, too, though Shell, the owners, were doubtless rather less concerned about that at the time. It now lies in two main sections, the stern at 20m, with the prop. separate beyond some rocks, and the bow, with large, intact Darnforth boilers, slightly shallower. Though there is little coral, reef-fish are abundant, butterflyfish, angelfish, and sweetlips, in particular, show many different species, and are very tame.
Other wrecks, less famous, but of similar quality, are the MV Acturus, MV Chrispygy Cross (presumed), and The Earl of Shaftsbury. The latter, like the Conch, is easily and safely entered, and home to large stingrays beneath the bow. Visibility, during the 'on' season, is 20m plus.
When the South West monsoon makes diving the West coast a futile exercise, one could previously dive on the East, on the sites which drew divers from around the world. The Great and Little Basses, reef complexes off the South East of the island, are now not merely subject to a narrow weather window. While the few weeks between monsoons, in March/early April, may provide perfect conditions, gunboats turning boats back do not; the narrow channels between the reefs is a favourite route of gun-runners supplying the LTTE. The large fish which come in from deep water beyond the narrow continental shelf to make the area so famous have doubtless not noticed the lull - it must be one of few areas in the world where diving activity has fallen off.
The wreck of HMS Hermes, further up the East coast, off Batticaloa, is justly famous. Attacked by the Japanese in 1942, this aircraft-carrier went down with 300 men, to now lie on the bottom at 60m. Despite the depth, there is more coral on it than most spots of the West coast. At that depth, it's not one for beginners...
Trincomalee, a little further North again, is a vast natural harbour, whose intricate coastline must largely be unexplored by divers. It's famous, however, for the number of whales, of various species, which venture close to shore over the narrow continental shelf.
Ever fancied diving with whales?
Currently, Sri Lanka is probably not worth visiting for its diving alone. When access to the best sites is safe, it will have exquisite diving,without the crowds. The war will have destroyed much of the previous experience, however. Used to taking my own kit, I was somewhat alarmed by the state of maintenance of regulators, particularly, in the best-run operation in Hikkaduwa. On the East coast, without even a tickover operation, it can only be worse. It will need somebody to start from scratch, with new kit etc. 60m on a dodgy hired reg., with boat cover doing it for the first time in ten years, is cutting it a little too close for me!
