Wreck diving Sri Lanka. Where to stay?

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Blasto

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Planning a January (yep, peak season) trip to Sri Lanka for some wrecks. Just rec and light tec if I find someone to go with, nothing serious.

From what I've read, Colombo is the place. However, it's also the dirtiest place on the island, which lacks wastewater facilities. I'm not a big beachgoer, but don't want to miss out on this part entirely (and sewage in the water is a no-go for me). Any options to do that - places that are somewhat clean, but have local divecenters that routinely drive to Colombo for diving?

Due to holiday prices and load, I don't have a realistic option to just buy the tickets and drive around looking for wherever's better.
Or pick the other coast altogether, or maybe Sri Lanka isn't a reasonable place with my pet peeve in the first place?
 
I flew into Colombo and dived on the other coast in Batticaloa. It was a trip specifically to dive a wreck off that coast.

I highly recommend Feli at Deep Sea Resorts if you do end up on the other coast in Negombo/Batticaloa area. Good fills, high grade gas if you are diving mix. The accommodations are basic but the AC is cold and the food was good.
 
Go with Fely for the dive ops and logistics to dive the WWII Aircraft Carrier HMS Hermes; for great Sri Lanka Cuisine and fair resort ambiance (and a nice view of the Kallady Bridge), go to the Hotel Riviera:

Home - Riviera Resort, Batticaloa
 
good call! forgot about the resort. Some of the group went there and really liked it but I opt'ed for another day on the wreck :)
 
Thanks, I'll look into these.

I'm mostly looking for an advice for what town to stay in for two weeks (this being peak season, I can't just roam the way I normally do). As in, something that has non-zero infrastructure, and lots of diving, or centers that do trips to the wrecks. Batticaloa sounds like an option, but any other strong ones?
 
East coast is out in January. Usually strong winds and rain, and Feli does not run Hermes trips. On the west coast Colombo is the best place for wrecks but if you are looking for a beach holiday its not the best option. Unfortunately dive centers outside CMB do not run regular trips to CMB. Feli and Colombo Divers both run operations in Negombo at that time and offer a few trips to the CMB wrecks but its very weather dependent and January can have some strong northerlies. Driving and diving can be a nightmare with the city traffic. If you are keen to dive wrecks, the best option would be to spend a few days in Mount Lavinia and dive the CMB wrecks and then head south for nice beaches and some diving on the rocky reefs. Its not world class diving but interesting enough for a few dives. The south coast is quite developed but the further south you go the quieter it is. But for diving Hikkaduwa and Bentota are the best options. The former has a wreck site as well although not as good as the CMB wrecks. If you want wrecks in January in SL then you have to do CMB.
 
Thanks! That's the kind of info I've been looking for.
So wreck diving will be limited even in CMB? SL looked good in January, but perhaps another month is better? I'm looking to visit for world class wrecks, not just anything.

Don't really care for dedicated beach days, but Colombo itself doesn't seem like that nice a place to spend time, especially if some days will be non-diveable.
 
Actually January is fine for diving. The winds are a problem if accessing the dive sites from Negombo as the distance is much more which doesn't work when using small boats. From CMB itself its less of a problem. If you have flexibility I would suggest late January or even February when conditions are much better. Usually February and March have very calm seas so you are more likely to be able to access some of the more exposed wrecks. But March is a bit of a busy month. Late January is also a good time. But even in December and early January you will get to dive. Just some days, some sites may be a bit tough to reach.
 
Hikkaduwa is accessible for me cost-wise, so it's on the list. A bit far from CMB, though, I've looked up train schedules and that's 3 hours, or 2 hours by car unless there's traffic.

Since it's peak season, I'd have to pick a "main base" in advance. CMB is where the planes arrive, which cuts down on travel. But how suitable is Colombo for staying primarily - just a big city, or do parts of it make for a resort town? I'm concerned about whether it offers anything for non-diving days, which always happen for logistical reasons.

The alternate option is to go to a resort town right away, make a trip to CMB when the dive ops confirm a wreck dive, then go back (or to a different resort). But that's more travel (4 times instead of 2), and it also means finding last-minute peak season accommodation in CMB, which is a risk.

In theory, if CMB accommodation fails, I could ride an early morning train to CMB (they at least run on schedule, right?) and go back after the dives, but that's a lot of commuting.
 
There is only one dedicated dive operation running daily trips to the wrecks in CMB, but you can book ahead and plan your wreck dives.

Commuting back and forth is not advisable. Trains are usually on time but its just tiring and time consuming. Hikkaduwa is about 2.5hrs by train but with the schedule you would need to take a 4:45am train in the morning to Mount Lavinia which is not something you want to do on holiday. Would need very early starts by bus as well. If you want to split time my advise would be to partition part of your time in the south and some days in CMB as a block. Maybe do more leisure time in the south and spend a few days focused on wreck diving in CMB.

CMB itself is mostly a large city. If diving it's easier to stay in Mount Lavinia which has an ok beach with some beach bars, and plenty of accommodation options. It used to be a resort area before the city expanded but now more of a beachside suburb. But It's close to where the dive boats depart from. If you stay at the Mount Lavinia Hotel you do get a resort feel with a nice private beach. But you pay good $$$ for it :)
 
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