The Conch
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
The Conch is a wreck near Hikkaduwa in Sri Lanka, lying between 12 and 21 m. It is a steam-powered oil tanker, one of the first oil tankers in the world, built in Stockton in 1892 and weighing 3,555 tons.
She was on a voyage from Novorossisk to Madras when she hit a rock and sank on 2 June 1903.
The hull has broken apart, and boilers, engine machinery and metal sheets are scattered over a wide area. Parts of the structure remain well preserved, and penetration is possible into the cabin. Swim-throughs run through the metalwork, which makes the site a good introduction to wreck penetration for advanced recreational divers.
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The metal gives shelter to large groupers, napoleons, queen angelfish, schools of trevally and batfish, and sometimes resident nurse sharks and turtles. Visibility is stable because the bottom is rocky. Maximum depth is 21 m, and the site is rated for advanced divers.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
TrevallyTrevallyReported here · unconfirmed
BatfishBatfishReported here · unconfirmed
Nurse sharkNurse sharkReported here · unconfirmed
TriggerfishTriggerfishReported here · unconfirmed
Napoleon (humphead) wrasseNapoleon (humphead) wrasseReported here · unconfirmed
Striped SurgeonfishAcanthurus lineatusReported here · unconfirmed
Orangestripe TriggerfishBalistapus undulatusReported here · unconfirmed
Lagoon TriggerfishRhinecanthus aculeatusReported here · unconfirmed
Indian Vagabond ButterflyfishChaetodon decussatusReported here · unconfirmed
Tawny Hermit CrabCoenobita rugosusReported here · unconfirmed
Indo-Pacific Sergeant MajorAbudefduf vaigiensisReported here · unconfirmed
Hawaiian Convict SurgeonfishAcanthurus triostegusReported here · unconfirmed
Moon WrasseThalassoma lunareReported here · unconfirmed
Yellowfin SurgeonfishAcanthurus xanthopterusReported here · unconfirmed
Green Sea TurtleChelonia mydasReported here · unconfirmed
SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
AngelfishAngelfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
PufferfishPufferfishReported here · unconfirmed
GrouperGrouperConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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