Galle maritime silk route shipwrecks accessible to freedivers
3 Answers from travellers
The Galle harbor is a graveyard of maritime history spanning Arab, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, and British ships. For freedivers, the SS Perseus and several older, unidentified wooden wrecks rest at about 12 to 20 meters just outside the main bay. The Dutch VOC ship Avondster is shallower but often has poor visibility due to river runoff.
You should visit the Maritime Archaeology Museum inside the Galle Fort first. It is housed in the old Dutch spice warehouse and shows exactly what artifacts they have pulled from those shallow wrecks.
Be very careful with boat traffic if you are freediving outside the harbor. Always tow a highly visible marker buoy, as local fishing trawlers are constantly moving in and out of the bay.
Scam Watch: galle
Someone befriends you and offers a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to buy gems at wholesale prices and resell them abroad for huge profit. They may show you fake export certificates. The gems are worthless glass or low-quality stones.
Restaurants without visible prices. Bill arrives with inflated charges (500 LKR coconut becomes 1500 LKR). "Service charges" added without disclosure.
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