Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka

• Swim, surf, snorkel and scuba with the fishes. Hikkaduwa may well have the bravest of fishes in the shallowest of beaches. Add the warm sun to it and you have a perfect picnic spot.
• Enjoy the lunch at nearby eateries including a Pizza Hut and several hotel restaurants. Its a typical beach town with a long beachline.
• Shower is a problem as the facilities are dirty even if paid. Arrange for shower with the same shop which provided scuba gear.

We started early morning for Hikkaduwa. We had enquired for scuba diving at Unawatuna the previous day but I had read somewhere that Hikkaduwa is better. We immediately hit a scuba centre and negotiated a good rate. It was time to learn the first steps of breathing and releasing water from nostrils. We failed miserably and hence were told we cannot continue into deep waters. While it was disappointing, an inviting beach was in front of us under the warm sun.

Sunset @ Hikkaduwa

As we entered the sea, I was animated to see the fishes so close to the coast. They were literally riding the waves. As we moved deeper, I could touch them and swim with them. They were a bunch of most fearless fishes that I had encountered. After a while in the lukewarm water, it came to my mind how amazing it would be to snorkel as both the fishes and corals were so close to the shore. Hence we decided to go for snokel.

Hikkaduwa Beach at sunset

It costed LKR 300 for a life jacket and a scuba and we were swimming deeper into the sea in no time. It was an experience of lifetime and I later learned that Maldives and East Australia offer better than this, therefor becoming part of our wishlist. The snorkelling exercise left us tired and hungry. We took a bath in nearby facility and settled in Pizza Hut across the road. The standard pizza and pasta were tasting delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

Pizza Hut, Hikkaduwa

Our next plan was to visit a nearby turtle hatchery. There are many around. The baby turtles are groomed to be able to defend themselves in the sea. You can see turtles in different stages. There was also a section of differently abled turtles - some were blind and some had lost fins in the nets of the fishermen. We appreciated the work and the fact that these were supported by government programs.

Turtle Hatchery

We returned to Galle but not before a beautiful sunset at Hikkaduwa. The numerous boats and crowd added to the charm of different hues that came with sunset. It was time to go back to hotel but we were thoroughly happy and almost sure this was our best day in the island nation.