Scuba diving in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka | Mirissa Collective

Nilaveli Dive Center

Opens April30 April to 30 September

Scuba diving in Nilaveli means some of the clearest water on the island, over coral gardens and reefs such as Angel Rock, where blacktip reef sharks patrol. Nilaveli is on the east coast, where the season runs opposite to the south: it's the kind of diving you plan a few days around, and from the 2027 season we also run trips to Pigeon Island.

Learn from scratch (a pool session first, then the ocean) with Discover Scuba Diving or the PADI Open Water course. Already certified? Dive as much as the trip allows: single and double fun dives, or 3-, 4-, 5-, 6- and 10-dive packages for people who don't want to get out of the water. Night dives, refreshers and Advanced Open Water round it out, and kids aged 8–10 have the PADI Bubblemaker.

Clear water, easy coral diving, and guides who know exactly when the reef's at its best.

Book your dive or course

Single Fun Dive in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 15,120 / person)
Out of season

Single Fun Dive

LKR 15,120 / person

One dive in that clear east-coast water. Certified divers only: we read the day, pick the reef, and you follow the guide over the coral, watching for the blacktip reef sharks.

Double Fun Dive in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 26,880 / person)
Out of season

Double Fun Dive

LKR 26,880 / person

Two dives in a morning off Nilaveli, coral gardens both times, a surface break between tanks, and a fair chance the reef sharks turn up on at least one.

3 Fun Dive Package in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 38,640 / person)
Out of season

3 Fun Dive Package

LKR 38,640 / person

Three dives. One day. Crystal-clear water, coral gardens and blacktip reef sharks.

4 Fun Dive Package in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 50,400 / person)
Out of season

4 Fun Dive Package

LKR 50,400 / person

Four dives over two mornings. Two dives a day in clear east coast water.

5 Fun Dive Package in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 62,000 / person)
Out of season

5 Fun Dive Package

LKR 62,000 / person

Five dives over two days. Go deeper, stay longer, see more.

6 Fun Dive Package in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 72,600 / person)
Out of season

6 Fun Dive Package

LKR 72,600 / person

Six dives over three mornings. Coral gardens, reef sharks and your afternoons free.

10 Fun Dive Package in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 117,000 / person)
Out of season

10 Fun Dive Package

LKR 117,000 / person

Ten dives over four days. For those who can't get enough.

Night Dive in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 23,450 / person)
Out of season

Night Dive

LKR 23,450 / person

Nilaveli's coral gardens after sunset. Certified divers, torches lit, and the reef doing its other, stranger performance.

DSD (1 Dive) in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 30,150 / person)
Out of season

DSD (1 Dive)

LKR 30,150 / person

Your first breath underwater, in the east coast's clear water. Pool first with an instructor, then one dive over the coral. No certification, no experience, nothing to prove.

GoPro photo & video included

DSD (2 Dives) in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 45,360 / person)
Out of season

DSD (2 Dives)

LKR 45,360 / person

Two try-dives off Nilaveli after a pool session. The first to settle in, the second to enjoy the coral and the reef sharks once you've stopped thinking about breathing. Instructor beside you throughout.

GoPro photo & video included

PADI Bubblemaker (8–10) in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 30,240 / person)
Out of season

PADI Bubblemaker (8–10)

LKR 30,240 / person

For 8- to 10-year-olds, in Nilaveli's calm, clear shallows. Properly supervised, properly shallow: a first breath underwater they'll bring up for years.

Quick Refresh + 1 Dive in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 21,775 / person)
Out of season

Quick Refresh + 1 Dive

LKR 21,775 / person

Skills feeling distant? A short refresher and one dive in Nilaveli's clear water, the easiest possible way back in, no judgement.

Quick Refresh + 2 Dives in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 33,600 / person)
Out of season

Quick Refresh + 2 Dives

LKR 33,600 / person

A refresher plus two dives off the east coast. Get your buoyancy back on the first, spend the second over the coral like you never left.

PADI Open Water Diver in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 150,000 / person)
Out of season

PADI Open Water Diver

LKR 150,000 / person

Get certified in the clear water of the east coast. The PADI Open Water course over three days off Nilaveli: pool session first, then coral reefs and reef sharks. A licence that opens every ocean after.

PADI Junior Open Water Diver in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 140,700 / person)
Out of season

PADI Junior Open Water Diver

LKR 140,700 / person

The same PADI Open Water course, for divers aged 10–14: three days off Nilaveli, pool session first, then coral gardens and reef sharks in some of the clearest water on the island. Ages 10–11 dive to 12 m, 12–14 to 18 m, always with a PADI Pro or certified parent. Upgrades automatically to full Open Water Diver at 15.

PADI Open Water Referral in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 70,000 / person)
Out of season

PADI Open Water Referral

LKR 70,000 / person

One afternoon in Nilaveli to begin your PADI Open Water certification: pool skills with a PADI instructor, then an Open Water Referral form valid for 12 months at any PADI centre. Started elsewhere? Finish your four open water dives with us.

PADI Advanced Open Water in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 130,000 / person)
Out of season

PADI Advanced Open Water

LKR 130,000 / person

Push past Open Water in the east coast's visibility. Five dives, two days off Nilaveli: deep, navigation, and three adventures you pick, over some of Sri Lanka's clearest reefs.

PADI Rescue Diver in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 200,000 / person)
Out of season

PADI Rescue Diver

LKR 200,000 / person

Build real rescue skills in the calm, clear water off Nilaveli. Three days: self-rescue and pool drills, then open-water rescue exercises and scenarios from the boat, with Emergency First Response included.

PADI Scuba Diver in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 110,550 / person)
Out of season

PADI Scuba Diver

LKR 110,550 / person

The fast, official first step: two days off Nilaveli, two dives in clear water, one recognised certification. You dive with a PADI Pro alongside.

PADI ReActivate (Pool) in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 50,000 / person)
Out of season

PADI ReActivate (Pool)

LKR 50,000 / person

PADI ReActivate (Pool) in Nilaveli: refresh your knowledge in the PADI e-learning, then practise the core skills in one calm confined-water dive with a PADI professional. Includes a new PADI card with your ReActivate date.

PADI ReActivate (Ocean Dive) in Nilaveli, Sri Lanka (LKR 60,000 / person)
Out of season

PADI ReActivate (Ocean Dive)

LKR 60,000 / person

PADI ReActivate (Ocean Dive) in Nilaveli’s clear water: the e-learning theory review, then one guided boat dive with a PADI professional to get your skills current. Includes a new PADI card with your ReActivate date.

Diving in Nilaveli: FAQ

Coral gardens, clouds of fish and blacktip reef sharks, in some of the clearest water in Sri Lanka, on reefs such as Angel Rock. They're wild animals, so we never promise what you'll see.

Yes. Discover Scuba Diving starts you in the pool with an instructor, then takes you into the ocean. No experience needed.

The east coast dives best roughly late April to late September, opposite the south, so when Mirissa winds down, Nilaveli opens up.