Arugam Bay Surfing &
Activities

Arugam Bay Diving
There is some good snorkeling around Arugam Bay but the serious scuba diver should charter a boat and head for the Basses Reefs, the "must see" dive site in Sri Lanka. These two enormous, elongated reef complexes - the Great Basses and the Little Basses - running along the southeast coast of the island just off Yala National Park offer world-class conditions. Rugged sandstone formations and drop-offs, clear oceanic water and an abundance of big fish all combine to make any dive in these waters an adventure. Above the water, virtually the only indication these reefs exist are the two lighthouses that mark their locations. But underwater they're a fantastic wonderland of canyons, gullies, ridges and turrets, carved out of sandstone by prehistoric seismic action and the waves. Black coral bushes, fan corals, whip corals and all manner of sponges flourish on current-swept walls, while the proximity of deep water - Sri Lanka's shallow coastal shelf is especially narrow here - brings in big fish in huge numbers. Sharks, dogtooth tuna, barracuda, grouper, all species of trevally, rays, and schools of sweetlips and snapper are all commonly seen inshore on these reefs.