Whale, Dolphin and Dugong Watching
Kalpitiya is located at the mouth of the Puttalam Lagoon, beyond which is the Gulf of Mannar where you can observe whales and dolphins, as they pass by to their mating grounds.
Within the lagoon, there are several largish islands that can be visited by boat. In the shallow waters around these islands and elsewhere in the gulf lives the dugong, the mysterious and elusive marine mammal that is believed to have spawned the legend of the mermaid. The largest specimens are supposed to come from the Kalpitiya area, for as James Emerson Tennent remarks in Ceylon (1859): One of the most remarkable animals on the coast is the plant eating dugong, numbers of which are attracted to the inlets, from the bay of Calpentyn (Kalpitiya) to Adam’s Bridge, by the still water and the abundance of marine algae in these parts of the gulf. One, which was killed in Mannar and sent to me in Colombo in 1847, measured upwards of seven feet in length, but specimens considerably larger have been taken at Calpentyn.
Scuba Diving and Snorkeling
The largest coral reef in Sri Lanka “Bar Reef” is only an hour by boat from Kalpitiya. This beautiful reef is home to an incredible variety of tropical fish, manta rays, reef sharks and the occasional turtle.
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