Wreck
down to 35 m
Chief Dragon (Car Wreck)
A 112 m car carrier sunk in 1983, with coral-covered car chassis on its deck at 24-28 m and trevally and barracuda around it.
- Advanced
- Barracuda
Experienced≤40 m
SS Perseus
Dive site in Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna), Sri Lanka
A 135 m WWI armed merchantman sunk by a German mine in 1917, home to schooling snapper, Napoleon wrasse and groupers.
- Max depth
- 40 m
- Level
- Experienced
- Best months
- Nov–Mar
- Current
- Strong
The story
The SS Perseus was a 135 m WWI British armed merchantman. It sank off Colombo in February 1917 after striking a sea mine laid by the German raider SS Wolf.
Source: lakpura.com
The dive
A wreck dive.
Who it's for
Experienced≤40 mSource: lakpura.com
Recommended minimum: Experienced (Deep Specialty, N3).
- DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
- CurrentCurrent can be strong; you need good air management and buoyancy.
- Strong current: dive with a local guide and carry a surface marker buoy.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wreck
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Groupers
- Napoleon wrasse
- Snappers
Season in Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Nov–Mar.
Source: divessi.comWhere is Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)?
The point shows the Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna) area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Sri Lanka West & South (Colombo to Unawatuna)
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
Wreck
down to 35 m
SS Rangoon
The famous Rangoon wreck lies at around 30 m off Unawatuna, one of the area's 16 dive sites.
- Experienced
Macro
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
Wreck
down to 40 m
Black Coral Wreck
A small deep wreck covered in large black coral trees, with schools of snappers, large angelfish and lots of lionfish.
- Experienced
- Stingrays
Wreck
down to 33 m
Cargo Wreck (Pecheur Breton)
An 87 m cargo ship on its side at 18-33 m with open holds to swim through, fusilier schools and hunting tuna and trevally.
- Advanced
- Whale sharks
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.