Diving the Southern Province

A place of sleepy villages, endless stretches of sandy coastline and Buddhist temples, southern Sri Lanka is a delight to explore. Great Basses Reef and Little Basses Reef are set off the coast offering a spectacular array of coral reefs and shipwrecks to dive.

Some of the best diving in Sri Lanka can be found in the south, with wonderful shore dives for beginners as well as the advanced Great Basses. You can expect amazing visibility, depending on the season, but keep in mind these shores are quite unprotected so the diving is seasonal.

Starting in the small southern Sri Lankan village of Kirinda, divers can take a 45-minute boat ride out to the Great and Little Basses Reefs. While out there, visitors will also see the Great Basses Lighthouse and the Little Basses Lighthouse.

Despite the presence of these lighthouses, the area has always been a very busy but also very dangerous shipping port. This resulted in many shipwrecks over the years. The most famous of which is the treasure ship that went down in the late 1600s or early 1700s that belonged to the Moghul Emperor Aurangzeb. It was discovered in 1961 by the famous writer and underwater explorer Sir Arthur C Clarke and his diving instructor Mike Wilson.

The descriptions provided here are intended as general information and personal experiences related to specific dive sites and locations and should not be construed as definitive advice or recommendations. Before diving, please confirm that diving is permitted at your chosen location, and comply with all relevant local laws, regulations, and posted signage. The responsibility for verifying the legality of the dive and assessing any associated risks rests entirely with you.