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Scuba Diving Vacations and Luxury Travel Packages
 Sri Lanka is a wonderful place for scuba diving and snorkeling. There are several dive sites along the island's coastline which give you an opportunity to see a fantastic marine life such as coral, ship wrecks, myriad tropical fish, coral fish, angle fish and puffer fish.Hikkaduwa and Tangalla on the west coast are pretty good but Unawatuna on the south coast and Nilaveli on the east coast are even better.
At Nilaveli beach, you can take boat out to Pigeon Island, not far north of the beach, which is said to be a fine place to go snorkeling.Other significant snorkeling sites are the Coral Sanctuary in Hikkaduwa where water is not so deep and plenty of coral are kept safe, at Mirissa where the water is clear, and at Polhena near Matara . There are also several interesting wreck drives at Unawatuna around Galle south of the island whereas Weligama and Tangalla provide good places for scuba dive.The vibrant and beautifully shaped coral is home to a varied number of fish species that include the Emperor Angel, the Moorish Idol, Powder Blue Surgeon, Sergeant-Major, Lion, Unicorn, Parrot Fish, Clown, Porcupine, Rays, Eels and others.
 For the more adventurous and enterprising divers, dozens of ship wrecks litter our coastline, almost always close to rocks and reefs and in clear accessible waters. These wrecks add a sense of adventure to all divers who have glided through these beautiful waters coming to know a different Sri Lanka, apart from its historical wealth, scenic beauty and the diverse cultures that she offers so abundantly.
 Along the west coast the best time to dive and snorkel is generally from November to April. The seas are calmest from April to September along the east coast. During this season, many dive operators offer PADI courses for beginners as well as experienced people. There are wide selections of dives including open water, wreck dives, night dives and dives for those who just want to try dive out. Costs are varied depend on the completeness of equipment offered by the operator and the popularity of the place.
Diving shops where you can hire and buy diving and snorkeling equipment can mostly be found in Colombo and in major west coast resorts.
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