Wreck
down to 15 m
Earl of Shaftesbury
A shallow old wreck at 12-14 m close to the SS Conch, with stingrays, groupers, small snapper schools and lionfish.
- Open Water
- Stingrays
Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)
Diving in Sri Lanka
12 documented dive sites, 5 of them for Open Water divers. Known for turtles, rays and stingrays.
- Best months
- Nov–Mar
- Water
- 27–30 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced
- Nearest airport
- CMB
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna) in October
Possible- Sea
- 29 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 29 °C
- 24 °C at night
- Rain
- 330 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 12 km/h
- on average
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Sources agree the west/south coast season is roughly Nov–Apr (SSI, Ecoteam, PADI Travel), some extend it to Oct–May (PADI blog, Scuba Diving, Tales of Ceylon). Unawatuna Diving opens 15 Oct–10 Apr and moves to the east coast in the southwest monsoon (May–Sep), so Jun–Sep is shown as closed and the shoulder months as possible. Bluewater Dive Travel gives Oct–Feb as optimal.
Usually closed or not dived: Jun–Sep.
Dive sites in Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m5 sitesMacro
down to 18 m
Bandiyagala
A small nearshore patch reef covered in whip corals, for spotting pipefish, scorpionfish, octopus, nudibranchs and shrimp gobies.
- Open Water
- Nudibranchs
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m4 sitesFor experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m3 sitesMarine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
Reported here, season not documented yet:
- Turtles
- Rays
- Stingrays
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Trevally
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus
- Scorpionfish
- Groupers
- Lionfish
- Moray eels
- Napoleon wrasse
- Snappers
- Whale sharks
- Bamboo sharks
- Nurse sharks
Where is Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)?
- Nearest airport
- CMB
Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna): frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)?
- The best months to dive Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna) are Nov–Mar. Diving usually stops in Jun–Sep. Sources agree the west/south coast season is roughly Nov–Apr (SSI, Ecoteam, PADI Travel), some extend it to Oct–May (PADI blog, Scuba Diving, Tales of Ceylon). Unawatuna Diving opens 15 Oct–10 Apr and moves to the east coast in the southwest monsoon (May–Sep), so Jun–Sep is shown as closed and the shoulder months as possible. Bluewater Dive Travel gives Oct–Feb as optimal.
- Is Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna) good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 5 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Earl of Shaftesbury, Bandiyagala and Palagala. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)?
- The water is usually between 27 °C and 30 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)?
- Divers regularly see turtles, rays, stingrays, tuna, barracuda and trevally.
- How do you dive Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)?
- The nearest airport is CMB.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash