Wreck
down to 25 m
SS British Sergeant
A 1942 WWII tanker wreck in two sections on sand at 24 m off Pasikudah, home to lionfish, grouper, morays and nudibranchs.
- Advanced
- Nudibranchs
Technical
HMS Hermes
Dive site in Trincomalee & East Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka
The world's first purpose-designed aircraft carrier, lying 40-53 m off Batticaloa and a designated war grave.
- Usual dive
- 53 m
- Deepest point
- 55 m
- Level
- Technical
- Best months
- Mar–Sep
- Entry
- By boat
The story
HMS Hermes, the world's first purpose-designed aircraft carrier, was sunk by Japanese aircraft near Batticaloa on 9 April 1942, 10 minutes after the bombing raid, with 307 casualties out of 814 crew. The wreck is a designated war grave.
Source: nsd.ccf.gov.lk
The dive
A wreck dive from a boat.
Who it's for
TechnicalSource: srilankadivingtours.com
Recommended minimum: Technical (Tec, cave, trimix, rebreather).
- DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
- DecompressionThe usual profile involves planned decompression stops.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wreck
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
Season in Trincomalee & East Sri Lanka
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Mar–Sep.
Source: padi.comWhere is Trincomalee & East Sri Lanka?
The point shows the Trincomalee & East Sri Lanka area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Trincomalee & East Sri Lanka
Wreck
down to 8 m
Boiler Wrecks
Coral-covered boiler wrecks at 4-8 m off Batticaloa, used for Open Water training and Discover Scuba dives.
- Open Water
Reef
down to 18 m
Eel Rock
A 12-18 m rock 2.5 km from Uppuveli, known locally for its moray eels.
- Open Water
- Moray eels
Reef
down to 12 m
Pigeon Island West
Shallow 1-12 m reef at Pigeon Island West with table, staghorn, leaf, brain and mushroom soft corals.
- Open Water
- Blacktip reef sharks
Reef
down to 12 m
Sardine Tooth
A 1-12 m reef known in Tamil as Sala pallu, famous for its soft corals.
- Open Water
Wreck
down to 24 m
SLNS Weeraya
A Sri Lankan navy gun boat sunk off Trincomalee in 2020, 11-24 m, with the Shanghai-class SLNS Jagatha 10-20 m away.
- Advanced
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.