Blue Deep Diving Center

Tucked into the waterfront at Hikkaduwa, Blue Deep Diving Center is an official PADI Resort with a genuinely international feel. Its team brings together Sri Lankan, Russian, English, French and Spanish backgrounds, and dives are guided in English, French, German and Russian — so divers from across the map tend to feel at home here quickly.

Courses, sites and who it suits

With eight PADI Instructors on staff and an onsite classroom, Blue Deep is set up for everyone from first-timers stepping into PADI scuba and snorkelling programmes to certified divers heading out on the dive boat. A house reef right at the waterfront makes it especially welcoming for newcomers and families, helped along by kids' equipment rental.

Local dive sites include Black Coral Point and Kirala Gala, where divers may encounter sharks, rays, turtles, eels, molluscs and crustaceans, corals and anemones, and plenty of ocean fish. On land you'll find air fills, equipment sales and rental, parking, food and drinks, Wi-Fi, plus a dive club and conservation activities for those keen to give back to the reef.