The website Sri Lanka Archaeology has lots of in-depth information on the SS Conch. It was an iron oil tanker which sank in 1903. It was a really nice dive site which also offered a nice cave-like swim-through.
Ripples in the sand
Propeller
Anchor
Ribs of the hull clearly seen in this video.
Butterflyfish
Angelfish
Nudibranch
Dive 2
Earl of Shaftesbury
Dive time:53 mins
Depth:14 m
Temp: degrees C
Visibility: 5-10 metres
The four masted iron sail ship Earl of Shaftesbury capsized and sunk in May 1893 not far from the SS Conch. It was constructed in the shipyeard of Ramage and Ferguson in Leith, Scotland. It was en route to the Diamond Island from Bombay when it met its fate near Akurala-Hikkaduwa. It weighed 2100 tons and was 85 metres long, 13 metres wide and 7 metres in height. It now lies on a flat sandy terrain at a depth of around 15 meters. The hull of the ship can still be clearly identified along with some of its masts and sides of the cabin.
I saw lots of really beautiful nudibranchs at this dive site. There were also plenty of colourful reef fish.
