Diving as family business
We did six dives on three consecutive days with Samith in early January 2018. My wife (PADI OWD) and I (PADI REscue) had contacted the few diving centres on Kalpitiya peninsula and Sam from Kalpitiya Diving Center was providing by far the most insightful replies.
Diving with Kalpitiya Diving Center is a family business. Diving is operated as morning excursions with two dives until lunch /early afternoon (depending on the travel time to the dive site) from a 19ft fiberglass boat with outboard engine, a sun cover and a side mounted ladder to get back on-board. A simple but tasty breakfast and water are provided during the surface break on the boat. They have aluminium tanks with DIN connections (and plenty of INT adapters).
Usually no more than four divers are taken on the boat, plus Sam and the captain. Should there be more divers, a second boat of equal conditions will run in parallel. Therefore dive groups usually are luxuriously small. Dives sites are accessed by GPS. Dives start with a decent on the anchor line, usually as one way dives at the end of which the boat will be there to collect the group. At the beginning of each dive the tax for entering the natural park is paid and at the end the dive boat also pays the curtesy visit to the office to demonstrate that all divers have safely returned.
Under water life is abundant and very rich on the sites we saw. Nudibranchs, octopus, stonefish, moray eels, all there plus impressive swarms of fish. Visibility was at times less good though. Sam is a very knowledgeable and passionate guide under water and is as kind and helpful as the rest of his team, including his wife Nilu, who occasionally spoils the divers with homemade snacks after the dive.
The diving rates may appear a bit high in absolute terms, but are fully in line with the rates that we were quoted elsewhere in Sri Lanka (i.e. around 85USD for 3 dives with full equipment).
One tip: If your accommodation is not close to Kalpitiya Diving, note the mobile number of Sam beforehand and pass it to your transfer driver so that Sam can explain him the way.
We would absolutely come back!
Diving with Kalpitiya Diving Center is a family business. Diving is operated as morning excursions with two dives until lunch /early afternoon (depending on the travel time to the dive site) from a 19ft fiberglass boat with outboard engine, a sun cover and a side mounted ladder to get back on-board. A simple but tasty breakfast and water are provided during the surface break on the boat. They have aluminium tanks with DIN connections (and plenty of INT adapters).
Usually no more than four divers are taken on the boat, plus Sam and the captain. Should there be more divers, a second boat of equal conditions will run in parallel. Therefore dive groups usually are luxuriously small. Dives sites are accessed by GPS. Dives start with a decent on the anchor line, usually as one way dives at the end of which the boat will be there to collect the group. At the beginning of each dive the tax for entering the natural park is paid and at the end the dive boat also pays the curtesy visit to the office to demonstrate that all divers have safely returned.
Under water life is abundant and very rich on the sites we saw. Nudibranchs, octopus, stonefish, moray eels, all there plus impressive swarms of fish. Visibility was at times less good though. Sam is a very knowledgeable and passionate guide under water and is as kind and helpful as the rest of his team, including his wife Nilu, who occasionally spoils the divers with homemade snacks after the dive.
The diving rates may appear a bit high in absolute terms, but are fully in line with the rates that we were quoted elsewhere in Sri Lanka (i.e. around 85USD for 3 dives with full equipment).
One tip: If your accommodation is not close to Kalpitiya Diving, note the mobile number of Sam beforehand and pass it to your transfer driver so that Sam can explain him the way.
We would absolutely come back!
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