HMS HERMES – THE ULTIMATE WRECK DIVE TOUR

Arrival in Sri Lanka / Colombo airport, meet, assist and transfer to the Hotel in Negombo just about 20 min away. Overnight stay at the Deep Sea Resort.

Departure to Batticaloa after Breakfast (Elapse time 6 hours plus stops, distance 300 km) En route to Batticaloa brief stop in Kurunegala known as the famous legendary rock city. After a tea break proceed to Dambulla, the geographical center of Sri Lanka to pay a visit to the 1st Century Golden cave temple. 450 steps to climb – 90 mins. Drive further to Habarana for an optional Elephant safari or Jeep safari to see wild Elephants. Whilst driving through the Jungle, get a glimpse of the giant water reservoir at Minneriya built during the 3rd Century A.D, Giritale Tank, the giant reservoir in Polonnaruwa etc. A brief stop at Polonnaruwa to visit a wood carving workshop. Continue towards Batticaloa the lagoon city in the East coast of Sri Lanka famous for “SINGING FISH”. The historic wreck of the Hermes lies off the coast of Batticaloa at a depth of 42m-53m. On arrival at the hotel, ‘DEEP SEA RESORT’ built to accommodate hermes tec divers. Tour around the place and check in to rooms. Dinner will consist of a sumptuous feast of the bounty of the seas off Batticaloa. Fresh Fish platter, crabs and prawns – all can be provided to you on request. After dinner, pre-dive briefing with Feli the Dive Guide / Tec deep Instructor and the boat crews. We rig our gear and get ready for the next day’s diving. Divers are advised not to bring anything to the surface from the Wreck HMS Hermes without prior written approval of the commissioner of archaeology in Sri Lanka.

After an early breakfast we depart by boat at 7 AM to the dive site, drop anchor and scroll down the shot line so as to get acquainted with the currents and tidal conditions. We hover around 42m- 48m on top of the wreck area. Usually the current is very strong. We use twin s-80 / 12 ltr tanks with manifolds / or CCR, bail out stage tank with Trimix /EAN Nitorx 50% for the dive. One long dive with two slings one for deco, one as an additional bottom gas or after a surface interval go for the 2nd dive with the similar dive gear set up. Usually it’s windy in the afternoon. Therefore it is advisable to finish during the early afternoon. Optional sightseeing tours can be arranged on request.

After breakfast we leave by boat for the 2nd days’ dive. Using similar diving gear to that we used on the first day, we dive to greater depths of about 45 – 50 m to the HMS Hermes. The guns and shells are visible at about 44m – 48m. The propeller which is still connected to the shaft is located at around 48m. We swim through the wreck, observing and exploring the scattered military hardware used by air craft carriers during World War II. If you are up to it, we will arrange a site seeing tour of the surrounding areas.

A reef diving day. Overnight stay (6th night) at the DEEP SEA RESORT