Giving the divers the ability to literally submerge in history, Shipwreck driving, now considered as a top tourism product world over, has immense potential in the Sri Lankan context. With historical records noting over 200 shipwrecks around the country, shipwreck diving could be developed as a great attraction and an ideal tourism product as the industry moves to discover newer experiences to deliver to those visiting the island.
As shipwreck diving grows as a tourism product the world over, Sri Lanka’s very own Dharshana Jayawardena recently discovered an ancient artifact of the forgotten SS Worcestershire that was built in 1904, off the coast of Mount Lavinia.
In 2009, Jayewardene (who is also the Editor of www.DiveSriLanka.com) was intrigued to find a mark of a ship on the Admiralty Sea Charts off the coast of Mount Lavinia. Intent on finding this ship, he dived to the location marked on the map . Finally in 2011, after many survey dives, he was rewarded when, with the help of local fishermen, he located a massive ship at 57 meters of depth within five km of the last known location of the Worcestershire.
Over the next three years Jayawardena conducted twenty-two expeditions to the ship in search of evidence for its name. After years of diving to the depths of the sea where the ship was anticipated to have been wrecked in 1917 , he recently struck gold, coming home with a bell from the shipwreck with the words ‘Worcestershire’ and ‘Liverpool’ gleaming in pride.
Speaking of his find and discussing its tourism potential Jayawardena said “With Sri Lanka being considered as a leading dive destination in the world new discoveries of historical ships and their identity has the potential to generate much interest in this sector. Die hard enthusiasts will travel even far and wide to visit a destination to dive and view such ships. I believe that industry stakeholders should look in to the possibility of assisting in discovering more finds if this nature that will promoting this sport as a new tourism offering from Sri Lanka.”
Jayawardena added “By promoting shipwreck diving as a tourism product, it could generate considerable revenue to the industry and the country. This is a very lucrative business in other countries and brings in much revenue as a high profile adventure sport. It will also lure in high end tourists to visit Sri Lanka to dive these wrecks. This in turn will create new job opportunities in terms of hiring of boats and equipment as well as dive centres and hotels catering specially for the diving community.
Sri Lanka Travel Feneteko