Snorkeling in Sri Lanka in December
 

I am headed to Sri Lanka this December for my honeymoon and am spending the last 5 days in the South beaches. I am having trouble finding accommodations that are on beaches where you can swim. I was hoping to stay beachfront in a place where you could swim and ideally snorkel. Can anyone offer advice on good beaches for snorkeling in December? I like to swim and snorkel on calm beaches and not in open water.

Also any great accommodation recommendations in the area are welcome. I am looking at Unawatuna and have reviewed a number of properties proposed by BSL but non of the beach locations are good for swimming.

thanks,
Jennifer

Have you asked BSL about this?

Watch for Mohammed to post.

I mostly dive rather snorkel but when we visited SL a few years ago, most, if not all of the diving was done on an offshore reef so I don't think the snorkelling will be that great off the beaches. You will see fish but I don't think there was much by way of coral.

. Mirrissa seemed to be popular with swimmers but had a lot of surf - very pretty though. Weligama a few miles on, had a nice beach but the town's main sewer emptied right on to it so I wouldn't dream of getting in the water there ( make sure you get get Hep A and Typhoid shots before you go!)

Our favourite beach for swimming was at a place called Goyambokka, close to Tangalla. Nice and quiet, a few seafood shacks and one or two cows! Quite protected so calm waters. There also seemed to be a lot of other smaller beaches around the Tangalla area that could well fit your requirement.

We travelled all along the south coast and found that the closer we got to Galle the busier the beach towns got. We were recommended Hidduka ?? and Unawatuna but found they were too built up so we carried on to Galle.

Unnawatuna is barely okay, for better snorkelling you really need to take a boat to the rocks a short distance away from the beach. The beach is nothing much anymore, also quite crowded.

Just close to Unnawatua there is a small strip called "jungle beach", this location is not easily accessed but offers superb snorkelling. You can take a boat here from Unnawatuna or also clamber down the rocks from the road leading up to Roomasala. (Ask a tuk tuk driver to show you the way).

There are some snorkelling options around Tangalle and Weligama too but nothing exceptional.

Mirissa has no snorkelling.

Have you considered going to the Maldives for two or three days, the snorkelling there is divine!

Oh an I forgot to mention about Hikkaduwa which is often touted as a snorkelling location, however we now call it the coral graveyard! Hundreds of boats and engines and lack of regulatory controls over the years decimated the corals near the beach/reef. Now it is is protected and bouncing back but will take years! In Hikkaduwa again there are some rocks off shore where one can snorkel but only accessible by a five mins boat ride.

As for a hotel suggestions I would suggest Coco Bay which is very close to Jungle beach and also excellently positioned to visit Galle and Unawatuna. The hotel is owned and operated by Mr Vinodh De Silva who was the pioneer hotelier on Unawatuna in its exotic hey days. He sold out of Unawatuna and moved because of Unawatuna's commercialization. See this google map https://goo.gl/maps/bgGUKraf2Jv

Thanks for all of the input. Sounds like we'll need to travel a bit to snorkel.We have 4 nights there so it should not be a problem. After agonizing over where to stay and trying to decide between Apa Villa Thalpe and Frangipani Tree I abandoned them both and went with the unfortunately named Satin Doll Hotel which seems to be just a bungalow with 4 rooms in a very peaceful setting on a beach that is not good for swimming but looks fine for walking or wading. There is not much out there about the place but all reviews I have seen are glowing.

Mohammed, thanks for the pointers. I also looked at your pictures and they are phenomenal. I love the birds especially the one trying to eat the snake.

I'll continue to reach out for assistance as the trip grows nearer and promise a trip report.

Have a wonderful trip!

Hikkaduwa is the best place for snorkelling and Pigeon Island is a good option and can be accessed from a base at Nilaveli. Beaches of Bentota are also ideal for swimming and snorkelling.

I would say Sri Lanka is one of top rated snorkeling places. It’s quite popular in Negambo,Hikkaduwa and Unwatuna. You also can try Bentota and Colombo too. Also few shipwrecks can be found in galle and kirinda.For those who don’t know jungle beach is also a hidden location for snorkeling.
http://www.mysrilankantrip.com/visit...ach-sri-lanka/

Hey, I guess its a little too late to suggest places for your holiday, but if I were to just throw in a good place I would go with Era Beach by Jetwing Hotels. Wonderful private beach with good accommodation. If its not too late you can take a look