Reefwander
One oval nudibranch, pale blue-grey with black lines, yellow spots and an orange rim, crawling over red encrusted rock — Patch Point, Weligama & Mirissa

Weligama & Mirissa · Sri Lanka · Reef

Patch Point

Clown triggerfish and honeycomb morays 3 km off Mirissa Beach

Photo: Bernard Picton · CC BY-SA 4.0

Patch Point lies south-east of Weligama Bay, about 3 km in front of Mirissa Beach, on a bottom strewn with small round rocks, and the dive reaches 20 m. Powder blue surgeonfish, clown triggerfish, honeycomb moray eels and stingrays live among the stones.

Also known as Prince Heinrich's Patch, Prince Heinrichs Patch, PHP.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Patch Point: typical dive to 20 m (to 66 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit20 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

5.9162° N, 80.4618° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Patch Point appears on Sri Lanka's maritime charts as Prince Heinrichs Patch. Small round rocks are spread all over the site: merchant ships arriving here threw overboard the stones they carried, to make room for spices bound for Europe.

The dive goes down to 20 m among these stones. Powder blue surgeonfish and clown triggerfish live on the site, along with honeycomb moray eels and stingrays.

Marine life and season

  • Stingrays
Month-by-month season rating for Patch Point
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimeGoodOff-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonFairFairFairGoodPrime

Season follows Weligama & Mirissa: The best time for diving Patch Point is December through April.

Dive videos

Scuba diving in Sri Lanka (Patch Point, Weligama) · Phenomenal Globe on YouTube

Sources

  1. Patch Point - Weligama Bay Dive Centre — Weligama Bay Dive Centre

Photo credits

More dive sites in Weligama & Mirissa

Pinnacle

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A sandy-bottomed training site that doubles as a night dive

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The bay's densest cluster of swim-throughs and little caves

to 20 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Swim-throughs in little caves and a fusilier school on the summit

5–24 mintermediate

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