WOMBAT

Best months: Jun–Oct

Protected Area

Rekawa

Why dive here

With 91+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue whales, giant moray eels, humpback whales, orcas and sea turtles - WOMBAT offers some of Hikkaduwa & South Coast's richest wreck diving. Water ranges 28-31°C, warmest March, April, May.

Best timeJun–Oct

WetsuitA 3mm shorty or thin full wetsuit

Marine lifeBlue Whales, Giant Moray Eels, Humpback Whales, Orcas and Sea Turtles · 91+ species recorded

Water28-31°C · warmest March, April, May

CharacterWreck dive · max 32m

StandoutRich in charismatic marine life

The Wombat, oh, she’s a beauty, a proper diver’s wreck. This old barge went down in ‘79, being towed from Dubai to Singapore, and now she sits upright in about 32 metres, just begging for an exploration. We love how intact she is, a real steel skeleton to navigate. You can swim right into the hold, imagining her cargo as schools of fusiliers dart around you, thick enough to momentarily block the light. Our favourite part has to be the stern, where the prop is still visible, usually swarming with trevally. You’ll want to have good buoyancy for this one, especially if you’re planning a penetration, though it’s pretty straightforward for an advanced diver. Visibility here can vary, but on a good day, the light plays beautifully through the superstructure, creating these amazing shafts that highlight the resident lionfish. We’d suggest hitting it early in the morning before the thermoclines really set in. It’s a superb wreck dive, offering a genuine sense of history and plenty of nooks for macro life, even if the larger pelagics are just passing through.