Kandakuliya - Kalpitiya & Northwest
Kandakuliya in Kalpitiya offers a decent drift dive when the currents pick up, often taking you past a rocky reef system. We’ve seen healthy populations of unicorn fish here, often schooling in impressive numbers. Keep an eye out for the larger residents too, like impressive moray eels peering from crevices and substantial stingrays settled on the sand. It’s a good spot for divers comfortable with a bit of flow, and we frequently spot nudibranchs dancing on the rocks and the occasional bump head parrotfish cruising by.
- Location
- Kalpitiya & Northwest, Sri Lanka, Indian Ocean & East Africa
- Coordinates
- 8.083333, 79.766670
Marine Protected Area: Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary
Nearby Dive Sites in Kalpitiya & Northwest
- Anchor Point
- ASIA CARRIER 1 - 7m (wreck)
- BENITTO - 10m (wreck)
- GALATIA - 7m (wreck)
- HMS HECTOR - 9m (wreck)
- HONG LIAN - 6m (wreck)
- Maha Gala
- Marine Power 2517 - 11m (wreck)
- MUSGRAVE - 10m (wreck)
- MV EXPRESS PEARL - 21m (wreck)
- SLNS SAGARWARDANE - 3m (wreck)
- TU 14 - 10m (wreck)
- TU 84 - 12m (wreck)
- TU 88 - 5m (wreck)
- UNILAXMI - 7m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to Kandakuliya
- Kalpitiya Diving Center - ["PADI"]
- Sri Lanka Diving Tours - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Kalpitiya & Northwest
Home to 92 recorded species including 77 reef fish, 8 hard corals, 3 seagrass & algae, 2 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 sharks & rays.
Notable Species
- Giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) - Reef Fish
- Big-eye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Manini (Acanthurus triostegus) - Reef Fish
- Unicornfish (Naso annulatus) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) - Reef Fish
- Acropora Butterfly (Chaetodon trifascialis) - Reef Fish
- Species code: Ea (Enhalus acoroides) - Seagrass & Algae
- Blue-banded Pualu (Acanthurus blochii) - Reef Fish
- Black-back Butterflyfish (Chaetodon melannotus) - Reef Fish
- Brown Butterflyfish (Chaetodon collare) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma hardwicke) - Reef Fish
- Spotted Unicornfish (Naso brevirostris) - Reef Fish
- Big long-nosed Butterflyfish (Forcipiger longirostris) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Surgeonfish (Acanthurus lineatus) - Reef Fish
- Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus striatus) - Reef Fish
- Checkered Seaperch (Lutjanus decussatus) - Reef Fish
- Spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus) - Reef Fish
- bluefin filefish (Balistoides viridescens) - Reef Fish
- Argus Grouper (Cephalopholis argus) - Reef Fish
- Blacksaddled coral grouper (Plectropomus laevis) - Reef Fish