Off the beaten path in Kayankerni

Large areas in eastern Sri Lanka remained inaccessible to outsiders for many years. Ravaged by war for decades the east coast is now safe and open to tourists. And with peace, the beauty of this area is making the news instead of tales of darkness and suffering. Shallow sunlit coral gardens with healthy corals and colorful reef fish are sure to put a smile on even the most jaded diver.  Kayankerni is a small, relatively unknown village north of Passikudah, that has some of the healthiest fringing coral reefs in Sri Lanka. Hopefully they will not be overexploited by the growing fishing and tourism industries like in other parts of Sri Lanka. Despite its negatives, the war ensured that many coral reefs on the east coast remained out of reach of illegal and destructive fishing fleets, mass development and irresponsible tourists that have degraded reefs in the south of Sri Lanka. Lets hope both the planners and the visitors act more responsibly to ensure that this last remaining bit of paradise is protected for future generations.

Gorgonian Garden

Off the coast of Colombo, Gorgonian Garden is one of our favorite dive sites. A garden of sea fans at a depth of around 35m creating a fantasy world of reds, yellows and oranges framed against the blue water. Sea fans are not uncommon on other dive sites around Sri Lanka but we have never come across such a dense aggregation of healthy fans. Some as large as a diver stand tall over the flat seabed, often with several feather stars sitting on top of them to find a good vantage point to catch passing plankton. Large sea fans tend to grow in areas subject to strong currents and this site is no exception. The local fishermen call the reef "Hulang Paraya" or windy reef due to its exposed location, and strong currents tend to sweep the reef on most days. However on our last dive we have near perfect conditions with flat seas, light currents and visibility of 20-25m.  The good conditions are ideal for exploring the reef and we chance upon a large coral head teeming with fish, an action packed oasis of life within the silent and serene world of sea fans.

Similan Islands: The jewels of the Andaman Sea

The Similan Islands are a group of nine granite islands in the Andaman Sea, about one hundred kilometers northwest of Phuket, Thailand. The name is derived from the Malay word Sembilan, meaning nine. These islands and surrounding marine waters comprise the Similan Islands Marine National Park, one of the most popular diving destinations in SE Asia. The reefs around the islands are famous for colorful coral gardens and a high diversity of reef fish. It is also a popular destination to see large pelagics such as manta rays and whale sharks that are attracted by nutrient rich upwellings. The western sides of the islands are exposed to seasonal rough seas and have dramatic wave eroded boulders, ledges and drop offs, while the more sheltered eastern sides have gently sloping coral gardens. 

Like many reefs in the Indian Ocean the Similan Islands suffered extensive coral bleaching in 2010 resulting in the death of many hard and soft corals. While it is possible that they will recover with time their long-term future is seriously threatened by global climate change. In order to reduce human impacts the Thai government has close off some areas from tourism in order to allow the reefs to regenerate. Seasonal closures have proven to be highly effective in allowing habitats and animal populations to recover from mass mortality events or chronic stress caused by both anthropogenic causes and natural events. We wonder if Sri Lanka could ever follow such policies, both in our marine and terrestrial protected areas.

Time to head east

The Southwest Monsoon has set in on the west coast so its time to head over to the east coast. Looking forward to a season of discovering some new dive sites. With more areas opening up its time to explore the fringing reefs between Trincomalee and Batticaloa.

Far Away in the Andamans

Located nearly 900 km east of India the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are some of the few remaining unexplored islands in the world. Rain forests, mangroves, and pristine beaches above water contrast with rocky pinnacles, coral reefs and thousands of fish. Some islands are inhabited by indigenous tribes that have little to no contact with the outside world. Havelock Island is one of the few islands open to and developed for tourism and is the main gateway for scuba diving in the Andamans. Around Havelock, reefs teem with marine life. From colorful soft corals and clouds of anthias, to multihued reef fish, large groupers and napolean wrasses to schools of barracuda and trevally. Get away from the chaos of mass tourism, get away from the chaos of cities and a million people, get away to the Andaman Islands where life moves at the pace you want it to.

Boiler Wreck

The 'Boiler Wreck' is in fact the wreckage of two separate ships whose identity remains unknown, possibly because very little effort has been made to investigate them. With the aura of the HMS Hermes, all other wrecks around Batticaloa are easily overlooked by most divers. But this is a great dive site with large boilers from the steam driven engines, propellors and scattered bits of wrecked metal overgrown in coral. The wrecks are located just south of the Kalladi lighthouse, and sit on the shallow reef running parallel to the shore. Both the wreck and the reef provide a habitat for  a variety of hard corals and interesting fish and macro life. A resident school of yellow lined goatfish hang out near the bow while colorful tropicals such as angelfish and butterflyfish glide among the corals. Look closely and you will find tiny porcelain crabs within the coral heads and colorful nudibranchs among the rubble. Lizardfish, sand perches, gobies and blennies compete for attention from critter fans. Most of the reef and wreck lies within a depth range of 5-8m, with a maximum depth of only 10m. So this is an ideal site for new divers to explore an interesting wreck or for experienced divers to off gas after diving the Hermes or deeper reefs further offshore.

Pigeon Island

Healthy coral reefs abound in the shallow waters around Pigeon Island in Trincomalee. Once devastated by a Crown of Thorns starfish infestation these reefs have now recovered completely. But this balance is now being threatened by an increasing number of human activities. Despite being declared a National Park in 2003 fishing including the use of dynamite is still openly carried out on these reefs. Large numbers of visitors are also polluting the island, walking on the reef and removing corals as souvenirs. Still beautiful, this enchanting yet fragile paradise is threatened once again. As is often the case in Sri Lanka, action is lacking from those in charge and only time will decide how long paradise lasts..........but hopefully the future will hold more than a few old photographs.

Tales from a rainbow sea: Part I "Reefscapes"

Maldives Trip Report, January 30th-February 6th 2010:

Despite rough weather and at times poor visibility we are back after a fantastic week in the Maldives aboard the charter boat Noah. Ten friends, a boat to ourselves and our own itinerary amid picture postcard islands and turquoise seas teeming with marine life. Starting in Male' we endure a rough crossing through the Ariadhoo Channel and head to the northern part of Ari Atoll. At Orimas Thila, Fish Head, Maaga Reef, Ellaidhoo, Halaveli, Donkalu Thila and Maalhos Thila we encounter grey reef sharks, white tip reef sharks, manta rays, napolean wrasses, dogtooth tuna, giant trevally, turtles and large schools of reef fish that epitomize classic Maldivian diving. We even see a couple of sea snakes and a feeding manta on a night dive before crossing to Rasdhoo Atoll for dusk and dawn dives at Rasdhoo Madivaru in search of hammerhead sharks and other pelagics. Even though the hammers dont show up the dives are great with patrolling grey reef sharks, sleeping white tips, eagle rays and large dog tooth tuna. And finally we return to North Male Atoll, stopping by at Boduhithi Thila for a magical manta experience. Good company and good diving in the enchanting Maldives.

A new year and new discoveries

Its been a slow start to the 2009/10 west coast season in Sri Lanka. Bad weather has meant frustrating days on land or tough days out at sea. Coupled with work commitments I have not spent any time updating this blog but its time to start again. A new year brings new discoveries and new adventures!

After waiting for the sea to improve with no success we finally braved the swells to explore a new dive site off Mt. Lavinia. Beneath the angry swells on the surface there is calm as we descend into the unknown depths of the deep blue. At 36m we come to a hard-bottom habitat and there before us is an amazing and beautiful site; a dense forest of gorgonians. Giant sea fans more than 2m across lean into the current like giant dreamcatchers listening to the songs of distant whales and other denizens of the deep. Hundreds of blue triggerfish scuttle across the reef in their funny swimming motions like little pixies dancing in a mystical garden. Our time is short at this depth but we will return.............soon!

An eternal autumn

Like trees with colorful leaves of change in autumn, soft corals can create colorful underwater vistas in tropical seas. But despite their beauty, soft corals may sometimes indicate a turbulent past in a reef ecosystem. Soft corals are successful colonizers and are often among the first species to appear on damaged reefs. Several areas in the Indo-Pacific have seen an increase in soft corals since a major coral bleaching event destroyed many of the hard corals that dominated shallow coral reefs. Similarly, they often dominate reefs that have been subjected to dynamite fishing in the past.

Stairway to Heaven

Napantao

Colourful soft coral, sponges, gorgonians and pristine hard corals adorn the walls of Napantao in Sogod Bay, Philippines. Thousands of golden anthias and damselfish cloud the water along the reef edge and clownfish play hide and seek among their host anemones. Larger fish such as sweetlips, snappers and groupers can be found sheltering behind large corals and in small caves, and if you are lucky you may even see a whale shark swim past. Not surprising that this is considered by many as the best dive site in Southern Leyte.

Coral Seas of Kalpitiya

As the dive season draws to a close the visibility is low at the Bar Reef but its good enough for some relaxed snorkeling after a few dives on the deeper ridges offshore. All around, hundreds of butterflyfish and damselfish dart around the coral. Schools of snappers and parrotfish congregate around deep sand patches and surgeonfish graze on algae, while in the distance adult blacktip reef sharks cruise the reef edge looking for a mid day snack.

Its a typically hot, sunny day in late March on the northwest coast of Sri Lanka. The light breeze that refreshed us earlier in the morning has disappeared and everything around us is still and silent. Above us, a few white clouds hang like cotton wool in the clear blue sky, their reflection visible on the flat mirror like surface of the ocean. The calm preceding the monsoon storms that will soon batter the coast for six months before a new season starts in an endless cycle that works with near clockwork precision. We laze around on the boat between dives, scanning the horizon hoping for the sight of a dolphin as it breaks the surface of the water, or perhaps a whale shark feeding on the abundant plankton. The silence broken only by flying fish escaping from an unknown predator.

Bar Reef

The Bar Reef is a large patch reef off Kalpitiya, on the northwest coast of Sri Lanka. In 1992 the Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary was established covering an area of 306 square kilometers that included shallow patch reefs, deep sandstone reefs and seagrass beds. For many years the reefs remained in a near pristine state due to the small human population and very limited fishing in the area. And although the shallow coral patches were completely destroyed by a largescale coral bleaching event in 1998, many of the corals have since recovered, as can be seen from these pictures taken in February 2007. However the last five years have seen a rapid increase in fishing within the sanctuary including the use of dynamite and illegal nets. The recent popularity of the Kalpitiya area among tourist has also resulted in boat anchoring and reef walking which are destroying the fragile reef. Unfortunately, the relevant authorities have shown little interest in managing this unique marine region, and destructive activities continue to increase. The Bar Reef is an important part of Sri Lanka's natural heritage that should be experienced by future generations and not seen only through historical photographs.

Magical Maldives

With nearly 1200 islands spread across the Indian Ocean, the Maldives is a true marine wonderland. Hard and soft corals, colourful reef fish and passing pelagics make diving in the Maldives a magical experience.

Reef at Dusk

Damselfish hover above a coral head in the fading evening light off Mabul Island in Malaysian Borneo. Dusk is an active time on the reef as diurnal and nocturnal animals end and begin their respective days, and predators lurk in hope of an ambush. On Mabul, is is also the time when the beautiful mandarinfish emerge from hiding to perform an elaborate courtship dance.