Hikkaduwa Coral Garden

If you want to discover the natural beauty under the sea during your holiday in Sri Lanka, one of the most memorable ways to do so is through scuba diving. This tour takes you to Hikkaduwa, a famous beach hangout for backpackers and budget travellers. Beautiful white sandy beaches, colourful coral reefs, excellent surf and a relaxed party atmosphere attract people from all over the world.

Aside from being a fun filled town, Hikkaduwa offers up to 20 different locations for scuba diving, water sports and undersea adventures. Enjoy an unforgettable day of exploration and discovery in one of the most beautiful destinations on the island.

Situated on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka in the Southern Province, the beautiful beach town of Hikkaduwa rapidly changed in the early 1960's from a small fishing village into one of the country’s most popular holiday destinations. Unfortunately, the resort was damaged by the devastating 2004 tsunami, although it escaped the devastation of places further north. The local people have slowly been rebuilding their lives and the resort, which relies heavily on tourism, to entice visitors to this beautiful area once again.

Sri Lanka’s southwest coast is renowned for its excellent surf and a good variety of water sports. In particular, it is one of the island’s best snorkeling and scuba diving destinations. Boasting impressive coral reefs, historic sunken shipwrecks, underwater caves and an abundance of tropical marine life, all of which lie in close proximity to Hikkaduwa’s shoreline, the Indian Ocean’s majestic underwater world is just begging to be explored.

Sri Lanka’s scuba diving season runs from November to April on the southwest coast. There are several well established diving schools available in Hikkaduwa, offering a variety of different courses taught by internationally trained PADI diving instructors. Aside from offering training to beginners, they will also lead more experienced divers to some of the country’s best wreck and reef sites.

Explore vibrant coral gardens, amazing rock formations and ancient shipwrecks, which are all teeming with brightly-coloured exotic fish such as angel fish, batfish, clown fish, jack fish, snappers and barracuda. You are also likely to see moray eels, rays, sea turtles, lobsters, octopus, whale sharks and many more exciting marine species in these crystal clear tropical waters. This magical underwater adventure is an experience like no other