
The Galle Ship Wreck is a cannon site between Gibbet and Closenburg Islands, where around 20 large iron cannons lie across the seabed. Once thought to be the remains of an abandoned battery or a shipwreck, it is a dive into the history of Galle Harbour rather than onto an intact hull.
Also known as Galle Cannon Site.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Unawatuna & Jungle Beach and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The cannons are scattered over a wide area of seabed. Some lie in shallow water while others extend down to 24 m, so the same site offers a shallow look at the guns or a deeper search for the rest of them.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Unidentified ship
- Type
- Cannon site
- Cause
- Not recorded; the guns were once thought to be an abandoned battery
- Lies
- Around 20 iron cannons scattered between Gibbet and Closenburg Islands, down to 24 m
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Unawatuna & Jungle Beach: The south-coast season runs from October to April, and whale sharks occasionally pass from January to March.
Sources
- Unawatuna Dive Sites — Pearl Divers
- Dive Sites | South Coast | East Coast | Sri Lanka — Divinguru
More dive sites in Unawatuna & Jungle Beach
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Reef
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Wreck
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Wreck
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An 1871 steamship sitting upright with a bow like a Viking ship
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The huge oil tanks of an 1892 tanker, still lying where she sank
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Steamship wreck with boilers, pistons and propeller in place


