Unawatuna beach has been rated one of the best beaches in the world, and its underwater world is no less marvelous. The bustling village and the beach are on the South coast, 5 km east of Galle, and 125km from Colombo. The crescent shaped Unawatuna bay is graced with golden sands and a calm turquoise sea. Cheerful, modestly-sized and enduring in popularity, it is a haven for those who crave a beau
tiful beach and entertaining evenings. Submarine Diving School is nestled under the shade of palm trees in the western end of of the serene bay. Our Story
Our family started the diving center in 1991, the first divers to start up such an endeavour in Unawatuna, offering diving, boat trips and snorkelling in the area. It began as a small family business, established by our father, A. The dive team consisted of two instructors, Gnanai and Lakshman Muthukuda, and four brothers, Shirly, Chamli Priyadarshana, Dinesh Thushara and Wisni Niranjana. We were thriving very well, until suddenly in 2004, the Tsunami destroyed everything. In the disaster, we lost our father Gnanai and brother Chamli, who went off to help and save people from the ocean. Chamli was found in the bay, suffering a severe head injury. There was no way to take him to a hospital to get medical treatment, and he died in the arms of his brother Shirly. Our father also suffered head injury, but his body was not found until the next day, when Shirly searched and found him 800m inland. In the dive centre, all the equipment was lost and the center completely demolished. Since then it's been a tough road, restarting from scratch with little support but relentless effort to bring us back to the way we were. Donation was collected from friends to purchase new equipment, and a humble new dive center was rebuilt in the west side of Unawatuna bay. Shirly now runs the dive center with his younger brother Wisni. We hope to continue the family legacy and take divers from around the world to experience the underwater wonders that our home village has to offer!
