Joanna James
Passikudah is a town located on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka, 35 kilometres away from Batticaloa. It was once a small village hamlet but is now a popular resort town with one of the most pristine coastlines on the island.
Situated in the Batticaloa District in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka and 314 km from Colombo, the town lies 22 miles northwest of Batticaloa. If travelling from the Airport or Colombo by taxi, take the Kandy Road to Kurunegala, and then via Habarana, Dambulla, and Polonnaruwa to Passikudah via the A011. If travelling by bus, there is a direct bus to Batticaola that departs from the Bus Terminal at Bastian Mawatha, Colombo. Buses operate by the hour; the journey can last anywhere from 8 hours to more.
The beach is a sight to behold! The turquoise blue waters are shallow and protected by coral reefs. It is perfect for swimming or indulging in water activities such as scuba diving, water-skiing, boogie boarding, or kite surfing. The stretch of beach is gloriously long and immaculate, with perfectly calm seas. The name Passikudah means "green algae bay". The palm-fringed bay is the ideal beachside destination with spectacular diving sites all around and all kinds of amazing accommodations like Amethyst Resort Passikudah.
It is a great dive site that can be reached from the southeastern corner of Passikudah Bay. The reef begins at surface level and slopes down towards a sandy bottom of at least 8 metres in depth. You can find plenty of hard and soft corals and a variety of fish. The damselfish, butterflyfish, cardinalfish, snappers, and sweetlips can be seen in smaller groups.
The reef is an excellent spot for some diving by night.
One of the best-known diving spots around the area is the British Sergeant wreckage site. The British ship buried here has served in WWII and was sunk during a Japanese raid along with a few other ships on April 9th 1942. Remnants of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes that went down in the attack can be seen on the dive site. The wreckage is home to schools of bigeye snappers, batfish, groupers, and mangrove snappers to name a few. On the sides of the wreck, you can find sea anemones and clownfish, while Trevally can be spotted hunting for their prey.
The Batticaloa Fort was originally built by the Portuguese and was later inhabited by the Dutch and British colonialists. There is a Buddha stupa housed inside its fortification walls.
The Batticaloa Lagoon is one of the largest on the island and has a rich mangrove density and biodiversity unique to the habitat.
Somawathiya National Park has a thriving flora and fauna density with over 20 villus (watering holes). This is a good place to observe wildlife from afar when sightseeing in Sri Lanka. It is also a spiritual site with the ancient Somawathiya stupa taking a prominent place on the grounds. The park is considered to be a sacred site as the tooth relic of the Buddha is resting within the stupa.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
