Anjala Fernando
Aug 23, 2017 · 4 min read

Snorkeling in Hikkaduwa — An experience for a lifetime

Hikkaduwa, A small town which is found in down south of Sri lanka about 17 km (11 mi) north-west of Galle and 98 km (61 mi) south of Colombo.

I’ve heard from many that Hikkaduwa is the most well-known place for diving and snorkeling which I have never done in my life (Sad, but never too late yeah ? ) So myself and two of my friends have decided to go and experience it.

We took the train from Fort railway station and took tickets to Hikkaduwa. It is so easy when you take the express train because it takes less than 3 hours to get to Hikkaduwa from Colombo. The train runs through much of Colombo parallel to the beautiful beaches on the city’s west coast, passing many commuter rail stations.

We got down from Hikkaduwa station and took a tuk to beach ( It was just 5 mins walk and we didn’t know :P ). The tuk driver was kind enough, when we told him that we are going for snorkeling he took us to the people who rent snorkeling gears and equipment. We rented the snorkeling gears and the wings and it costed us just 600 bucks only J (I though those equipment are expensive :O).

They also recommended us to get a life guard if we are not that good in swimming. (I suggest you should even if you are really good with swimming because those guys know where to snorkel to see the real beauty under the sea)

We got our masks and wings on and jumped in to the sea. The beach was full with locals and foreigners and was pretty much crowded. The water was crystal clear and we could literally see the fishes in the seashore itself. I could not wait anymore and I just jumped in. First I found bit hard breathe through the snorkel because it was the first time i did that but somehow i managed and learned how to breath with that properly.

Hikkaduwa’s principal attraction is its Coral Preserve but the most of the coral gardens here have now been more or less killed off, though the gardens are still home to a colorful variety of tropical fish, as well as the occasional visiting turtles. The experience that we had that day swimming with thousands of fishes in the blue water was un-explainable.

We were also got lucky that day because mama turtle and baby turtle paid a visit for us. I was very skeptic about the possibility to actually swim with turtles but was proven wrong. There were more turtles in the seashore making it as their home. They were so close to us as they were not afraid of us at all. Some people actually fed them sea weeds too.

These giant turtles can be found more often in the seashore. Mostly the giant green turtles. Some people were actually touched the turtles and took selfies also, and i was actually bit scared enough to touch them or to go near to them and take selfies, but i managed to take few good pictures tho. ( Worth it )

I also need to mention a bit about the snorkeling experience i had at Hikkaduwa. With its inspiring coral reefs and lavish of tropical fish, Hikkaduwa is recognized as one of the best places for Snorkel and dive. The best period is to Snorkel in down south is from November. December to April because of the south-west monsoon from May to November.

Last but not least if you wanna have a good meal, Seafood specially then the “Mama’s coral beach” hotel is the best. The incredible sea views and the view of the ocean, yummiest delectable menu with all kinds of sea food makes this place the best choice for a relaxed mealtime.

After spending gala time at hikka with my besties we sat off to Colombo after witnessing the golden sundown as well.

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Anjala Fernando

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