Unuwatuna Coral Reef
Dive site · Sri Lanka
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
42Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: Sea 1 m, Visibility about 15 m, Water 29 °C
Mon 2 · 51 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 36 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 36 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 38 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 41 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sat 7 · 39 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 41 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 28°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 157, fair
- Mon 251, fair
- Tue 336, poor
- Wed 436, poor
- Thu 538, poor
- Fri 641, poor
- Sat 739, poor
- Sun 841, poor
- Mon 949, fair
- Tue 1054, fair
The site in six facts
- Down to 18 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 29 °Crash vest or 1 to 2 mm
- Faces SWswell from there reaches it
- Best Jan–Feb3 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 57, fair | 1.0 m | 4 kn | 7kn | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 51, fair | 1.0 m | 4 kn | 7kn | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 36, poor | 1.2 m | 1 kn | 5kn | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 36, poor | 1.2 m | 3 kn | 7kn | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 38, poor | 1.2 m | 2 kn | 6kn | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 41, poor | 1.1 m | 3 kn | 7kn | 28°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 39, poor | 1.1 m | 3 kn | 6kn | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 41, poor | 1.1 m | 5 kn | 8kn | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 49, fair | 0.9 m | 6 kn | 9kn | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 54, fair | 0.9 m | 2 kn | 9kn | 28°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 05:16 +0.1 mLow 11:47 −0.2 mHigh 17:47 +0.0 mLow 23:35 −0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 06:06 +0.1 mLow 13:04 −0.1 mHigh 21:04 +0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:42 −0.1 mHigh 09:14 +0.0 mLow 15:58 −0.1 mHigh 23:10 +0.1 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
best Jan–Feb
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May0of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct0of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov1of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Unuwatuna Coral Reef on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Unuwatuna Coral Reef
.jpg){kind=link}
More diving near here
2 places
- Cave dive site 1.7 km away
- Gala pita gala dive site 1.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Unuwatuna Coral Reef
A reef dive. It goes down to 18 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces SW: swell from the SW reaches it, and wind from the NE blows out to sea. 5 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.3 km away. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (3 mm wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (rash vest or 1 to 2 mm). For Advanced divers the best months are usually January and February, with about 3 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Unawatuna. Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 2 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 18 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 5 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 1.3 km away.
Water about 29°C: rash vest or 1 to 2 mm. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility about 15 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Mar and May (about 15 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,100–US$2,220 each
about US$1,100–US$2,220 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KCT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB and CMB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,880 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$40 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$80–US$141 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$94–US$167 |
| Total | about US$1,100–US$2,220 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Unawatuna
3 min by car · 263 places to stay
about US$33/nightcountry average
About Unawatuna its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$33 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 31h 15m
About 31h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KCT, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), then 40 min by road
Flights ORD → KCT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Unawatuna · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Unawatuna · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Submarine Diving School 1.3 km
Angel Diving 1.3 km
sea horse 1.8 km
Pearl Divers PADI Resort 1.9 kmPADI
Unawatuna Diving Centre 1.9 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Too few open records near this site to list its animals. Ask a dive centre what you are likely to see.
This week: visibility about 15 m, clearer than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current and the life no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.