Mirissa Dive Center
In seasonOctober to AprilScuba diving in Mirissa works because the reef starts just off our centre, close enough that green turtles are usually the first thing you see, sometimes minutes after you get in. Mirissa is on Sri Lanka's south coast: it's where a lot of people take their very first breath underwater, and where certified divers come back for the turtles, the moray eels and sites like Athule Gala.
Never dived? You'll do a session in the pool first, then head out to the ocean once you're ready, the way it should be done. Discover Scuba Diving and the full PADI Open Water course both start that way. Already certified? Fun dives run single or double, or as 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 fun dive packages, a short boat ride to the sites with relaxed, patient guides, plus night dives, refreshers and Advanced Open Water. Kids aged 8–10 have their own shallow, supervised PADI Bubblemaker, and from 10 there's the PADI Junior Open Water course.
It's a friendly, unhurried crew who treat the reef and its turtles with real care.
Book your dive or course
Single Fun Dive
One tank on the afternoon boat, a short ride to a south-coast reef like Athule Gala. You're certified, so skip the briefing marathon: drop in and let a guide who dives here every week take you to the turtles and the moray eels. Back at the centre by around 16:00.
Double Fun Dive
Two dives in one morning off Mirissa, a surface break in the sun between them. Two sites, more bottom time, better odds on the big turtles and a passing ray. Same relaxed guide leading both.
3 Fun Dive Package
Three dives in one day off Mirissa: two in the morning, one in the afternoon.
4 Fun Dive Package
Four dives over two mornings off Mirissa: two dives each morning, back around 13:00.
5 Fun Dive Package
Five dives over two days off Mirissa. Time to settle in and see more of the south coast reefs.
6 Fun Dive Package
Six dives over three mornings off Mirissa: two dives each morning, afternoons free.
10 Fun Dive Package
Ten dives over four days off Mirissa. For divers who want to make the most of the season.
DSD (1 Dive)
Never dived? You start in the pool with an instructor beside you (not straight off a boat) and head to the ocean only once you're comfortable. One dive on a calm south-coast reef, and the turtles usually find you. No certification, no experience.
GoPro photo & video included
DSD (2 Dives)
The full first taste: a pool session, then two ocean dives off Mirissa with an instructor at your side the whole way. One to find your breathing, one to actually look around (and, this being Mirissa, to meet a turtle or two). No licence needed.
GoPro photo & video included
Night Dive
The south-coast reef after dark. Certified divers only. Torches on, and the night shift comes out: crabs, hunting fish, and the odd sleeping turtle.
Quick Refresh + 1 Dive
Been a while? A quick refresher in calm, controlled water to get comfortable again, then one dive off Mirissa. No re-doing your whole course: just you, back where you belong, probably with a turtle.
Quick Refresh + 2 Dives
Refresh your skills, then two dives off the south coast. One session to get comfortable again, two dives to remember why you got certified. Turtles and moray eels included.
PADI Bubblemaker (8–10)
Real breathing underwater, built for ages 8–10. Shallow, calm and fully supervised off Mirissa, and with turtles on the reef right off the centre, they'll surface talking a mile a minute.
PADI Open Water Diver
The world's most recognised dive certification, earned in the open ocean off Mirissa: pool first, then real reefs, not three days in a swimming pool. You leave with a licence that works at every dive site on earth, and probably a few turtle photos.
PADI Junior Open Water Diver
The same PADI Open Water course, for divers aged 10–14: pool session first, then real reef dives off Mirissa with an instructor beside them. Ages 10–11 dive to 12 m, 12–14 to 18 m, always with a PADI Pro or certified parent. The certification upgrades automatically to full Open Water Diver at 15, no extra course.
PADI Open Water Referral
Start your PADI Open Water course in Mirissa in a single afternoon: e-learning at home, pool training with us, and a referral form to finish your open-water dives at any PADI centre within 12 months. Started elsewhere? Finish your four open water dives with us.
PADI Advanced Open Water
Already certified. Now go deeper. Five dives over two days off Mirissa: navigation, deeper water, and three adventure dives you choose. It changes how you dive the south coast.
PADI Rescue Diver
Already certified, now learn to handle what goes wrong. Over three days off Mirissa you practise self-rescue, tired-diver tows and unresponsive-diver drills, with Emergency First Response included. The course most divers finish more confident than any other.
PADI Scuba Diver
Halfway to Open Water, the quickest way in officially. Two days off Mirissa, a pool session and two ocean dives, one certification, always under the guidance of a PADI Pro.
PADI ReActivate (Pool)
PADI ReActivate (Pool) in Mirissa for certified divers who have been away from diving: the theory review online, then one confined-water dive with a PADI professional to refresh your core skills. You receive a new PADI card with your ReActivate date.
PADI ReActivate (Ocean Dive)
PADI ReActivate (Ocean Dive) off Mirissa: review the theory online, then refresh your skills on one guided open-water dive from our afternoon boat with a PADI professional. You receive a new PADI card with your ReActivate date.
Diving in Mirissa: FAQ
Almost certainly. Green turtles feed on the reef right off our centre, and for most people they're the first thing they see.
Discover Scuba Diving: a pool session with an instructor first, then one or two dives in the ocean. No certification, no experience.
From October to April. At the very start of the season the sea can change from one day to the next, so we decide each morning whether and where to dive. Outside the season, our east-coast centre in Nilaveli is open from 30 April to 30 September.
Around Mirissa we dive natural rocky reefs and large underwater rock formations, on sites such as Batic Rock, Athule Gala, Goda Para, Diyaba Para and Atharamba Rock, with Magedi Rock (about 14–30 m) for Advanced divers. We choose the sites each morning based on the sea conditions, visibility and current, and on where we've recently seen the most interesting marine life, so the exact site is decided on the day. For junior divers we stay within the PADI depth limits for their age. We only guide sites we know well.