Ruhunu Diving Center Tangalle
Ruhunu Diving Center Tangalle
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Full view
About
Ruhunu Diving Centre is a brand new dive center on the south coast of Sri Lanka, near Tangalle. A small, personal, professional PADI dive center that offers scuba diving, and PADI dive courses. A wide variety of dive spots, a multitude of tropical fish and fascinating ship wrecks that can be explored together with Ruhunu Diving Center. Our dive boat leaves from one of Sri Lanka's most beautiful beaches - Silent Beach. We take maximum four divers on the boat to keep it safe and comfortable. Come and discover the beautiful underwater world of Tangalle, in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean.
Tangalle, Sri Lanka
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Ruhunu Diving Center Tangalle
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
42 reviews
Excellent
34
Very good
7
Average
1
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Tom B
Amsterdam, The Netherlands6 contributions
Jan 2022
Getting my PADI Open Water qualification has been on my to-do list for years, and I think it was fate that I waited to do it in Sri Lanka under Lee's guidance. He asked for me and my girlfriend to drop by a day early, just to chat through the basics and have an honest conversation about our comfort level in the water – which was a great idea, as we went into Day 1 feeling mentally prepared, both in ourselves and in our instructor too (which is so important).
A Durham accent is always quite reassuring, but Lee generally gives off a really calming energy which makes you feel in completely safe hands. And the more stories you hear about Lee's past as a scuba instructor over the globe, as well as a stint as a commercial saturation diver in the North Sea (watch Last Breath on Netflix for a sense of how mad this job is) the more at ease you feel in taking your first breaths underwater under his leadership.
Being underwater is unlike any sensation I've experienced before. Can't deny it's a little scary, but once your mind settles and you swim through your first school of giant Travelly, it's pretty magical. The way Lee talks about life underwater, you can see that he not only loves it, but has an incredible knowledge about it and deeply cares for preserving it too.
Him and his business-partner Sasantha are a hilarious pairing and their camaraderie easily hops over any language barrier. They're both individually interesting characters, and I've no doubt they're gonna create an awesome diving centre here. Would recommend 100%.
Hope our paths cross again! Tom & Mathilde x
*TIP* start the online PADI theory before you arrive – it was quite a slog to get through it all!
A Durham accent is always quite reassuring, but Lee generally gives off a really calming energy which makes you feel in completely safe hands. And the more stories you hear about Lee's past as a scuba instructor over the globe, as well as a stint as a commercial saturation diver in the North Sea (watch Last Breath on Netflix for a sense of how mad this job is) the more at ease you feel in taking your first breaths underwater under his leadership.
Being underwater is unlike any sensation I've experienced before. Can't deny it's a little scary, but once your mind settles and you swim through your first school of giant Travelly, it's pretty magical. The way Lee talks about life underwater, you can see that he not only loves it, but has an incredible knowledge about it and deeply cares for preserving it too.
Him and his business-partner Sasantha are a hilarious pairing and their camaraderie easily hops over any language barrier. They're both individually interesting characters, and I've no doubt they're gonna create an awesome diving centre here. Would recommend 100%.
Hope our paths cross again! Tom & Mathilde x
*TIP* start the online PADI theory before you arrive – it was quite a slog to get through it all!
Written March 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SamGraceLondon
London, UK30 contributions
Jan 2020 • Solo
Friendly and accommodating dive centre, with very new equipment. Currently the only one in the area.
As other reviews have mentioned, communication was a little tricky at times but it was good enough to get by. Visibility for both dives I did (25m wreck and 15m reef) was only about 5m but the wreck dive was still excellent. It was very nice to drink/eat a fresh coconut on return to the dive centre.
As other reviews have mentioned, communication was a little tricky at times but it was good enough to get by. Visibility for both dives I did (25m wreck and 15m reef) was only about 5m but the wreck dive was still excellent. It was very nice to drink/eat a fresh coconut on return to the dive centre.
Written January 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sodasan
Hamburg75 contributions
Apr 2022
A great dive centre with a very experienced and knowledgeable dive master. The equipment is top quality and very well maintained, you can fully rely on this.
I did four boat dives on two days and was really happy. Great service, nice team, very smooth operation. When we had to abort a dive after a couple of minutes due to zero visibility, the team quickly found a close-by alternative.
When diving in Sri Lanka, do not expect Maledive-like conditions. The visibility can be limited (5-6 metres on my dives) and plenty of fish to see, you would probably not travel there ONLY to dive.
I did four boat dives on two days and was really happy. Great service, nice team, very smooth operation. When we had to abort a dive after a couple of minutes due to zero visibility, the team quickly found a close-by alternative.
When diving in Sri Lanka, do not expect Maledive-like conditions. The visibility can be limited (5-6 metres on my dives) and plenty of fish to see, you would probably not travel there ONLY to dive.
Written April 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jjzo10
durham34 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Had a wonderful dive here today the 4th of Feb,Lee the Instructor was very professional,a lad from Durham,England,explained everything so clearly made me feel so relaxed as i have not had a dive in a while.I went on a wreck dive which was amazing,we just circumvented the wreck,but the amount of sea life was breathtaking.I would highly recommend this dive centre,and this area of Sri Lanka.Well done to all at the dive centre,and in particular to Lee well done BUDDY!!!
Written February 4, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Piotr5
Switzerland46 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
I did 2 dives with Mr. Susantha - one wreck and one reef diving. The wreck is a superb dive site. If you’re only allowed to go 25 deep, this is the best you can do. We saw some schools of snappers, two big groupers, lionfish and stingray.
The second dive was a reef and the rocks which was also nice but the visibility was only about 6-7 meters and the current was quite strong.
The diving center is a new business and you can see it. The equipment was okay, well prepared and maintained. I could put all my equipment myself as I wanted. Mr. Susantha is not a talkative person and doesn’t smile too much. Therefore the communication is somehow limited.
The briefing was really brief and done on the boat 2 minutes before the dive.
The boat was small and there was no safety wests (ask for it since the waves are quite big).
During the first dive Mr. Susantha was checking on me quite rarely since he was busy with filming the fish, which on the other side was nice since he shared the videos with me.
During the second dive the visibility was bad and due to the problem with my mask and quite strong current I had difficulties to catch-up with Mr. Susantha.
Overall experience was really good (especially the wreck diving) and I wouldn’t mind diving once again with Mr. Susantha.
The second dive was a reef and the rocks which was also nice but the visibility was only about 6-7 meters and the current was quite strong.
The diving center is a new business and you can see it. The equipment was okay, well prepared and maintained. I could put all my equipment myself as I wanted. Mr. Susantha is not a talkative person and doesn’t smile too much. Therefore the communication is somehow limited.
The briefing was really brief and done on the boat 2 minutes before the dive.
The boat was small and there was no safety wests (ask for it since the waves are quite big).
During the first dive Mr. Susantha was checking on me quite rarely since he was busy with filming the fish, which on the other side was nice since he shared the videos with me.
During the second dive the visibility was bad and due to the problem with my mask and quite strong current I had difficulties to catch-up with Mr. Susantha.
Overall experience was really good (especially the wreck diving) and I wouldn’t mind diving once again with Mr. Susantha.
Written March 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sumedha O
Colombo, Sri Lanka36 contributions
Mar 2022
This is a great diving experience. Tangalle diving is underrated as I believe after a couple of dives. This diving center is very professional and most importantly "No rush" service cater for small groups. I enjoyed the diving with Susantha. Definitely returning. I would call this a hidden gem!
Written March 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S A
Greater London, UK57 contributions
Feb 2019 • Couples
Pretty new but only diving centre in the area. The 2 dives including a wreck diving were very nice and the team was a gem. We felt safe, the centre and equipments were all very new. The team was great with good communication; no surprise with the pricing; we had the dive sites all to ourselves which was great ! Visibility was ok saw quite good variety of fish including rays; we were happy. We will definitely recommend and return !
Tip: they do not have card machines yet so only cash payments but can pay in most major currencies which was good.
Tip: they do not have card machines yet so only cash payments but can pay in most major currencies which was good.
Written March 24, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arthur B
Paris, France61 contributions
Mar 2019
We really enjoyed Ruhunu diving center for the 3 diving sessions we had, including wreck and night dive.
Diving center opened few months ago where there are no other diving centers established.
Hence there are no thousands of divers on the same spots and it was a real pleasure to belong to one of the first divers to discover these spots.
Ruhunu is also involved in environment protection. So wonderful places have to be preserved.
All the best !
👍
Diving center opened few months ago where there are no other diving centers established.
Hence there are no thousands of divers on the same spots and it was a real pleasure to belong to one of the first divers to discover these spots.
Ruhunu is also involved in environment protection. So wonderful places have to be preserved.
All the best !
👍
Written March 13, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tickletackle
34 contributions
Jan 2019 • Couples
We asked for a shallow dive as we hadn't been diving for a year and needed a slow start. This diving center is rather new. The instructor is a Sri Lankan navy diver. His family is quite involved in the business. To rate a diving center I think it's best to break down the review to important points: communication, safety, equipment, diving spot, service.
- Communinication: the instructor speaks a little English, not enough for my taste as it was a bit difficult to discuss things before the dive. Also there was no pre-dive briefing which was unusual for us. Underwater communication was perfect!
- Safety: due to the missing briefing I felt a bit unsure in the beginning, but once in the water everything was good. The instructor was very attentive and checked in on a regular basis (also we were only us two divers and him what made it easy).
- Equipment was new and looked well cared for, best I personally had so far.
- Diving spot: 10 minutes by boat close to some rocks, nice, but not spectacular. The instructor originally wanted to go to a different spot, but chose this one because we asked for a shallow dive (10m) - his preferred spot might be more interesting. We saw some lovely fish, starfish, crabs and moray eels though.
- Service is unbeatable. I actually like putting my gear together, but here everything is done for you. (the kind of service we got to know in Sri Lanka, very attentive and caring)
- Communinication: the instructor speaks a little English, not enough for my taste as it was a bit difficult to discuss things before the dive. Also there was no pre-dive briefing which was unusual for us. Underwater communication was perfect!
- Safety: due to the missing briefing I felt a bit unsure in the beginning, but once in the water everything was good. The instructor was very attentive and checked in on a regular basis (also we were only us two divers and him what made it easy).
- Equipment was new and looked well cared for, best I personally had so far.
- Diving spot: 10 minutes by boat close to some rocks, nice, but not spectacular. The instructor originally wanted to go to a different spot, but chose this one because we asked for a shallow dive (10m) - his preferred spot might be more interesting. We saw some lovely fish, starfish, crabs and moray eels though.
- Service is unbeatable. I actually like putting my gear together, but here everything is done for you. (the kind of service we got to know in Sri Lanka, very attentive and caring)
Written January 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Staś W
4 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
I had a really great experience with Ruhunu Diving Center. I was rather nervous as I hadn't been SCUBA diving for many years, but I was given the care and attention needed to enjoy diving again. We did a shallow practise dive where we went through the basics again, then a cool wreck dive, then a reef dive - all in one morning. Really fantastic, thank you!
Written March 20, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience