International Diving School Trincomalee

Operating in Trincomalee on Sri Lanka's coast, International Diving School is a PADI 5 Star Resort that has been running since 1988 and has held the #1 spot on TripAdvisor since 2015. It's a completely local-run dive center, with English-speaking instructors (and German seasonally) and two PADI Instructors on the team.

Courses and diving

The center offers a clear path from first breaths to advanced skills, including the PADI Open Water Diver Course, the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver, and the PADI Rescue Diver. If you'd rather just get in the water, the Half-Day Dive Trip runs from USD 85. Dives explore local sites such as Pigeon Rocks, Mortar Rock, the back side of Pigeon Island, and Knife Rock, where divers may encounter sharks, whales, turtles and ocean fish.

With a waterfront location, an onsite classroom, a dive boat, onsite accommodation, free Wi-Fi and equipment rental, it suits everyone from complete beginners to divers building toward rescue-level certification.