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Collapsed, silt-covered wreck plating and long ribs on the seabed in green water, with a small fish at left — Unawatuna & Jungle Beach

Unawatuna & Jungle Beach · Sri Lanka · Reef

Napoleon Reef

A resident giant Napoleon wrasse that gives the reef its name

Area photo: tmc1233 · CC BY 2.0

Napoleon Reef is a reef close to Unawatuna named after its resident giant Napoleon wrasse, which can weigh over 40 kg. It has both shallow and deeper sections between 8 and 15 m, so it works for divers of every level looking for big wrasse and reef life.

Also known as Goda Gala Diyamba.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Napoleon Reef: typical dive 8–15 m (26–50 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit8 m15 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Unawatuna & Jungle Beach and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The reef extends for about a kilometre, with shallow areas near 8 m and deeper parts down to 15 m. The resident Napoleon wrasse patrols it, and groupers, moray eels, sea slugs and colourful reef fish shelter along its length.

Marine life and season

  • Napoleon wrasse
  • Groupers
  • Nudibranchs
Month-by-month season rating for Napoleon Reef
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimeGoodFairFairFairFairFairGoodGoodGood

Season follows Unawatuna & Jungle Beach: The south-coast season runs from October to April, and whale sharks occasionally pass from January to March.

Dive videos

Napoleon Reef Dive · Asela Zoysa on YouTube

Questions divers ask

Is Napoleon Reef suitable for newly certified divers?+

Yes. The reef has both shallow and deeper areas between 8 and 15 m, which suits divers of all levels.

Sources

  1. Unawatuna Dive Sites — Pearl Divers

More dive sites in Unawatuna & Jungle Beach

Pinnacle

Aluth Gala

A pinnacle with manta rays, scorpionfish, lionfish and morays

9–25 madvanced

Reef

Diyamba Kupatha

Black and red corals, with whale sharks sometimes seen in February

25–30 madvanced

Wreck

Galle Ship Wreck

Around 20 iron cannons spread across the seabed

to 18 m · max 24 madvanced

Reef

Jungle Beach

A calm reef below Rumassala Mountain for snorkellers and divers

4–10 mbeginner

Wreck

Lord Nelson Wreck

A shallow wreck on the Goda Gala reef with open sections

3–5 mbeginner

Wreck

SS Orestes

Groupers in the engine room and morays all through the wreckage

to 22 m · max 24 madvanced

Wreck

SS Rangoon

An 1871 steamship sitting upright with a bow like a Viking ship

to 32 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Reef

Barren Island

Andaman Islands · India

Coral reef below the Indian subcontinent's only active volcano

to 23 mintermediate

Reef

Camélérou

Rodrigues · Mauritius

Named after a grouper that changes colour on the spot

to 19 mintermediate

Reef

Canyons

Ifaty & Mangily · Madagascar

Napoleon wrasse escorting divers through canyon-like reef

to 18 mbeginner

Reef

Dippy

Ifaty & Mangily · Madagascar

A patch reef on the outer lagoon dived from 15 m to 23 m

15–23 mintermediate