This Pearl of the Indian Ocean is an uncanny destination for Diving where the Sea temperature is always approximately 27 degrees Centigrade, which is ideal for diving. Prior to the introduction of scuba diving, oxygenated diving & snorkeling there were rudimentary divers around the 1300 km of the coastlines for seafood & corals. They used to dive in the early hours into the cold water & emerge to the shore with Lobsters, Prawns, Mussels, Crab, Cuttlefish & a variety of seafood to meet a very limited but growing demand.

Skin Diving & Scuba Diving as leisure activities began with the arrival of foreign visitors to this country & is practiced at every cove on the shore.

Scuba Diving, Snorkeling & other underwater diving is conducted at every seaside hotel, resort or guest house alongside the coast with trained instructors & the necessary equipment. There is a place at Galle Dutch Fort besides the Mosque on the ramparts & Trincomalee which has immense potential to make it an unreal destination for Diving from the top of the precipice down to the ocean. A similar place in Acapulco in Mexico has turned the attraction to a fascinating & busy destination for North Americans looking to Dive, though it has also become dangerous & not safe lately. Although underwater diving is very popular, diving from high places as a sport happens in places like Hikkaduwa, Aluthgama, Galle, Trincomalee, Tangalle, Nilwella (Blue Beach) & Dickwella (Long Beach).