Hikkaduwa · Sri Lanka · Pinnacle
Kirala Gala
Mantas and whale sharks passing a soft-coral pinnacle in season
Kirala Gala is a deep dive off Hikkaduwa, a rock pinnacle whose top sits at 20 m and whose sides fall to 40 m. Soft coral covers the rock and draws large shoals of fish, and in season mantas and whale sharks pass the pinnacle.
Also known as Kiralagala, Kirala Gala Rock.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Hikkaduwa and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The descent reaches the top of the pinnacle at 20 m, and the rock then drops away to 40 m. Shoals of fish crowd around it, held there by the soft coral growing over the rock: a huge shoal of red tooth triggerfish, a resident barracuda pack, and oriental sweetlips and schooling bannerfish near the base, with morays always about. In the right season mantas and whale sharks cruise past.
Marine life and season
- Manta rays
- Whale sharks
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Prime | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Hikkaduwa: The west-coast season runs from October to April; from May to September the main centres dive from Trincomalee instead.
Dive videos
Kirala Gala Dive site - Hikkaduwa Sri Lanka · Poseidon Diving Station on YouTube
Sources
- Dive Sites - International Diving School Sri Lanka — International Diving School
More dive sites in Hikkaduwa
Wreck
The huge oil tanks of an 1892 tanker, still lying where she sank
Drift
Blue boxfish, morays and lobsters on a deep drift past the rock
Cave & cavern
Caves set into the sea bed beside the Hikkaduwa coral reef
Similar dives elsewhere
Barracudas hunting over a pinnacle top carpeted in blue triggerfish
Three soft-coral pinnacles that work as a cleaning station
Up to 30 manta rays reported over one cleaning-station boulder
An estimated sixteen resident grey reef sharks