Sri Lanka to open shipwreck dive spots to tourists

The Sri Lanka government has granted permission to open up shipwreck dives off its Southern coastline to tourists in a move to further promote tourism.

According to the minister of tourism for the Southern Provincial Council, P.D Ariyathilaka, permission has been granted to conduct the dives in Galle harbor, an area which was earlier closed to the public due to security restrictions that were in place during the war.

The move, which is the first of its kind, will be conducted through the Department of Archeology who will conduct specialized archaeology dive trails of historical value.

Private diving companies who wish to conduct the dives in the area will need to abide by special guidelines which will be put in place by the regional tourist bureau and the Archaeology Department to ensure the wrecks are not disrupted.

Hidden under the waters of the Galle harbour are three wrecks, all of which are centuries old. The excursion will also be extended to wrecks outside of the harbor in due course.

Dawkins Immortalised in Sri Lankan Waters

You might say that Richard Dawkins took the world by storm with his anti-religious polemic ‘The God Delusion’. Now, the world renowned author and evolutionary biologist’s legacy has been immortalized in the waters of Sri Lanka after local scientists named an entire new genus of freshwater fish after him.

The ‘Dawkinsia’ formally known as the ‘Puntius’ was named after Dawkins by lead researcher Rohan Pethiyagoda, an ichthyologist and internationally acclaimed conservationist, for Dawkin’s “rational explanations” of the universe.

“Richard Dawkins has through his writings helped us understand that the universe is far more beautiful and awe-inspiring than any religion has imagined,” Pethiyagoda told AFP on Monday.

“We hope that Dawkinsia will serve as a reminder of the elegance and simplicity of evolution, the only rational explanation there is for the unimaginable diversity of life on Earth,” he said.

Male Dawkinsia barbs stand out from other barbs due to their long filaments which they use much like a peacock uses its feathers to attract a mate.

While the filaments act to the fish’s advantage, they also make the fish extremely conspicuous to predators.

The reclassification of the genus comes after an 8-year study of the Puntius species.

Puttalam lagoon to be developed into tourism zone

Puttalam lagoon on Sri Lanka’s relatively untraveled North West coastline is to be developed into a tourism zone, the Puttalam local government authority has announced.
According to the Mayor of Puttalam, K.A. Baiz, the area will developed into a zone similar to that of the Galle Face Green in Colombo and, apparently, will be referred to as “Colombo Face”.
The proposed development comes after recent media stories and about plans to also establish a new harbour and local airport in the area.
Since the end of Sri Lanka’s 30-year war in 2009 the government has been keen to develop tourism outside of traditional resort areas and the North-West coast, especially the beaches of Kalpitiya and Wilpattu National Park, are considered big attractions for the future.

Through Simple Lives and Serene Surrounds

I’ve always heard about how enlightening a trek through a traditional Sri Lankan village can be so when I heard that the good folk at Sir Johns Bungalow were planning to take us on one I was thrilled.

A perfect cup of steaming coffee was the start we needed before we headed out. We had to travel in our vehicle to the village as it was about 25 minutes away. After quite a bumpy ride, we were at the starting point of our trek, all of us dressed in leech socks and warm clothing to cut off the expected chilly mountain breeze.

But we must have been treated to what we have come to know as ‘Red Dot luck’ because despite all the preparations, we didn’t encounter any pesky leeches or icy cold wind – It was truly the perfect day for a trek!

A few minutes into our walk, we came across a small patch of land where two ladies were laying out rice grains to dry, and despite them being busy, they always found the time for a smile. It was a truly eye opening experience to see some of the practices that the modernised cities and towns had long let go of.

As we continued on our way, we could hear the soothing sound of a flute being played not far from us. In my head, I pictured an old man, sitting in a corner and playing the flute but as we got drew, we saw a young man sitting on a ledge, playing the flute, without a care in the world. My initial reaction was honest jealousy as for most of us who live away from the villages, daily life is so noisy and chaotic – this? …this was just bliss.

Fighting thoughts of wanting to stay back, I continued along with the rest of our group. Soon we came to a small fence which we had to jump over. We then made our way through creeks and patches of dense forest. There was so much to take in- it was calm and quiet- a perfect way to relax a weary mind and appreciate the therapeutic powers of nature. Along the way we stumbled across a rarity, a beautiful Blue Oakleaf- a butterfly endemic to very few parts of Asia. We spent a while trying to snap up a decent picture of the gorgeous creature.

Throughout our walk, the beautiful view of the Knuckles mountain range was never too far away. About 40 minutes into our trek, we reached a small river where all of us were tempted to take a splash, but unfortunately time constrained us. We did however get to dip our feet in the cooling waters for a couple of minutes- which was heavenly I must say! We then reluctantly resumed our trek – minus the leach socks this time, weaving our way through the jungle.

After a while we found ourselves in a wide open space, with neat patches of paddy fields- all looking so lovely. We saw many villagers working in fields, and some taking a well-deserved rest with a cup of tea.

We walked through the paddy fields- something I had never tried before. Being somewhat vertically challenged, the rice plants were up to my waist and I could almost hide amongst the reeds! When we made our way out of the fields we knew we had come to the end of our trek- we were all exhausted but we were all also invigorated by the beauty of nature and the simplicity of village life that we had seen. Alas! The hustle and bustle of city life beckons – we have to head back!

Responsible Whale Watching

There is nothing quite like a blue whale fluking in front of you especially for someone as crazy about marine life as I am. First an exhalation as the whale gets ready to dive, the spout misting the blue horizon as its bulk moves seamlessly, grey through the water. After a few breaths at the surface, the ludicrously small dorsal fin arched through the water as the immense creature, the largest to have ever existed in the world’s history, propels itself into a dive, giant flukes cresting through the water as it sounds.

This is the experience that has been drawing visitors to the southern coast of Sri Lanka for the past few years during the season from November to April. Many people have enjoyed sightings of blue whales and a wide range of marine creatures such as sea birds and acrobatic spinner dolphins. Guesthouses and hotels in and around Mirissa have filled with those eager to catch a glimpse of this ocean behemoth.

With the increase in demand has of course come a proliferation of supply. The dangers of an unregulated industry recently came to the world’s attention with an article in the New York Times, where a relationship was drawn by Asha De Vos (Sri Lanka’s foremost whale expert) between the harassment of the whale population by some operators and ship strikes and whale fatalities due to the whales being forced further out towards the shipping lanes.

Balancing conservation and exploitation is and will always be of the most importance for tourism. Sri Lanka cannot continue to attract tourists to see blue whales if the industry continues to put those same whales in danger.

We at Red Dot are acutely aware of the need to be responsible towards Sri Lanka’s natural resources and client safety and are very conscious about the suppliers we use for our excursions. For whale watching we primarily use Mirissa Whale Watching which has time again been shown to be the industry standard for whale watching both in terms of minimizing impact on the whales and client safety.

We continue to monitor their performance through our clientele and our network of chauffeur guides as well as through discussions with scientists like Asha to ensure MSW as it is known continues to conform to international guidelines on how to conduct whale watching excursions.

We also advise our clients through our Responsible Travel Guidelines on how and why we work to ensure we minimize our impact on whales. Our chauffeur guides are also under strict instructions to utilize only MSW for such excursions. We may add operators in the future to this list but only after careful consideration and screening with personal visits and expert advice from scientists in the field.

Here’s how you can be responsible in your whale watching activities; always use a well-known operator such as Mirissa Water Sports who sticks to important guidelines such as never driving head-on towards the whales or going closer than 100m (200m if there is more than one boat in the water). Be wary of operators or individuals who claim guaranteed sightings or multiple sightings. There is often no such thing as a guaranteed sighting in Sri Lanka. Those who claim or boast about multiple sightings are often operators who rush from sighting to sighting, thereby stressing the whales and scaring them into diving.

The best experiences up close and personal can only be achieved with patience, respect for the whale and a little bit of luck. This is essential to ensure that the blue whales continue to delight and awe people for many generations to come.

Protective jackets a must to visit Sigiriya summit

When you think of safety jackets, the first thing that comes to mind usually is an activity that has something to do with the sea. In this case however, safety jackets have been deemed a must in one of the driest regions in the country!

The Sigiriya Central Cultural Fund has made it essential for tourists to wear safety jackets if they wish to scale to the top of Sigiriya, one of Sri Lanka’s key landmarks and tourist attractions.

According to the manager of the fund, the decision was taken after two children and a tourist had been injured in a wasp attack recently. Following the attack, only foreign tourists were allowed to proceed beyond the Lion’s Paw.

Despite the sudden decision, there was a shortage of jackets to cater to all those planning to proceed beyond the halfway point due to many of the jackets having been sent to the cleaners. It is expected that the fund will bring in more such jackets to cater to all those wishing to climb the rock.

The likelihood is that this will be only a temporary measure until the issue is dealt with. Wasp attacks have been an occasional menace in the past couple of years between April and September. This year has seen five severe incidents of wasp attacks – a much greater occurrence.

According to Mr. Ranaweera, working director of the Central Cultural Fund, among common factors such as human activity and strong winds, the intense heat during existing drought conditions could have aggravated the situation.

So don’t worry if you end up looking like a character from a sci-fi movie when you don the protective jackets, be glad you won’t look like an alien underneath!

Check out what the safety jackets look like on this video off the Daily Mirror Website.

Visit http://www.dailymirror.lk/news/20009-safety-jackets-essential-to-climb-sigiriya.html