About this place

Hikkaduwa National Park is one of the three marine national parks in Sri Lanka. The national park contains a fringing coral reef of high degree of biodiversity. The area was declared a wildlife sanctuary on May 18, 1979, and then on August 14, 1988, upgraded to a nature reserve with extended land area.[1] The growth of the number of visitors in the next 25 years increased thedegradation of the coral reef. To reduce the effects to the ecosystem, the reef was declared a national park on September 19, 2002.

Hikkaduwa coral reef is a typical shallow fringing reef with an average depth of around 5 metres (16 ft).[2] The coral reef reduces the coastal erosion and forms a natural breakwater.[1] The coast of the national park extends four km. Generally the coast is narrow, ranging from 5–50 m according to the climatic conditions of the year. Scuba diving is a popular recreation here.