Sri Lanka is a great place for water sports and the waters are ideal for water skiing. Some of the bays naturally provide the rips required for surfing. Some areas in the world boast first-class diving whilst others are renowned for their sailing. But Sri Lanka is one such country which has all of these attractions and more. The 27°C/80°F warm waters around Sri Lanka’s coast encourage wonderful surfing, diving and snorkeling. The calmer inland waters offer wind surfing, water skiing, dinghy sailing and jet ski.
Although it is not easy to compete with the surf in countries like Australia, Sri Lanka’s surf is good enough for those with limited experience. Sri Lanka offers both straightforward waterskiing and surfboarding (where people ride a short, very broad water ski while being towed to a motorboat) and is available at various locations. Jet Skiing is really enjoyable as you can navigate the waves like you might ride a motorbike.
You can hire boats and sail along the waters of Sri Lanka. Boating is very much a developing water sport activity for some time. East Coast is the best area for water Sports during April to September and South & West Coast is best in November to April due to monsoon weather. Boards and gear are available for hire locally, but do take local advice on strong currents and undertow in some areas before try anything new.
Scuba Diving:
Scuba diving is a very popular water activity among water sports enthusiasts who visit Sri Lanka for some time. On-shore reefs and coastal wrecks offer ideal diving sites to explore a colourful underwater world. Trincomalee and Arugam Bay have greatest visibility from May to September as seas are calmer and from November to April, Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Unawatuna and Mirissa on South and South West are the best as have numerous excellent dive sites. There are number of Dive schools with qualified PADI instructors in those areas.
Kayaking:
Imagine you are at the edge of the sea on a day when it is difficult to say where the land ends and the sea begins and where the sea ends and the sky begins; sea kayaking lets you explore these and your own boundaries which broaden your horizon. Cliffs, sandy beaches, sea life are just some of the many reasons to sea kayak in Sri Lanka.
This beautiful, sparsely-populated island set amidst lush tropical surroundings bordered by the exotic coral reefs and offers you a world class kayaking environment.
Windsurfing:
Sri Lanka is blessed with consistently good, moderate strong breezes and provides nearly perfect conditions for Windsurfing. Arugam Bay on the East Coast and Hikkaduwa, Midigama and Polhenna beaches in the south and west are good surfing beaches to explore.
Boating:
Glass-bottomed boats can be rented to dive down to the fish filled reef. What can be more romantic and magical other than paddling at a leisurely island pace along the palm-fringed coast? Sri Lanka’s clear water and glass bottom boats—a perfect combination for fun and discovery.
