05 Water Sports Activities to do in Hikkaduwa -Fun in the Waves

One of the three marine national parks of the country, the Hikkaduwa National Park has a high degree of biodiversity. It was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1979 and was upgraded to a nature reserve in 1988. So, snorkelling here is a surreal experience as you are met with a colourful assortment of corals. Some of the coral species of corals found here include cabbage, staghorn, brain, elkhorn, table and star corals. In addition to corals, there is also a recorded number of 170 species of reef fish found in the Hikakkaduwa coral gardens.

With the largest concentration of diving schools in Sri Lanka, scuba diving is one of the foremost water sports to try out in Hikkaduwa. Though you are presented with many options, make sure that the place you choose has PADI certified instructors. One of the ways you can be sure of a safe scuba trip is to book a hotel like Hikka Tranz by Cinnamon which offers the activity as part of their facilities. The benefits of booking with one such hotel are that it'll throw you in the way of receiving other inclusive activities not to mention some of the best hotel offers Sri Lanka.
Once, you're done with all the formalities, its dive time! There are quite a number of good dive spots in Hikkaduwa and they include the Black Coral Point, the Coral Garden Cave, and Kirala Gala, to name a few. You can also find a more than a few shipwrecks around here such as the Avondster, a ship owned by the Dutch East India (VOC) that was loaded with areca nuts when it slipped anchor and hit the shore before sinking.

With a reputation as being the second best surf spot in Sri Lanka, Hikkaduwa has plenty of surf breaks to suit both the amateurs and the pros. There are three main breaks, which includes the beach break for the beginners, situated in the south; the one towards the middle which can get pretty crowded and the one towards the north which has smaller waves but less crowded.

The best time to surf would be between April and October when the ocean swells are pretty consistent at 4-7 feet and you'll the ideal wind conditions.

If you're real keen on fishing you'll be glad to know that big game fishing is all the rage in Hikka. There are many good operators in the area who offer deep sea fishing tours. But be sure to book a tour that's skippered by professional fishermen under safe standards and are inclusive of refreshments, as you don't want to be stuck on a boat for 3-4 hours without any food. If you like, some of these tours can also extend up to half day and whole day trips.

During your tour, you'll be fishing for big game such as sailfish, tuna, wahoo, dorado (dolphinfish), barracuda, king mackerel, marlin and the giant trevally.