Nothing’s more thrilling than first-time
divers discovering scuba.

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Learn diving in exotic

scuba destinations

Witness the unique underwater marine life
of Sri Lankan waters

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visit the most beautiful

diving sports with us

Enjoy tours with marine & land animals
even If you are not diving

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Whale & Dolphin watching

and many tours

About Us

My name is Samith Thilina Fernando, a fourth-generation diver and the son of Shanth Fernando, founder of the Kalpitiya Diving Center srilanka. Our family has been involved in diving since the 1970s, turning a passion intHappuo Sri Lanka’s first local and international dive tourism business in Kalpitiya. My father pioneered dive training and site discovery without modern tools, while I followed in his footsteps, earning multiple PADI certifications and becoming a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer. With nearly 20,000 dives and 700 trained divers, I now run the family-owned center alongside my wife and children—who also hold PADI certifications—actively contributing to reef conservation and maintaining top ratings on platforms like Google and TripAdvisor.

Happy Bubbles – KDC Team

Padi Courses

Why To Choose Kalpitiya Diving Center

Safety First

We prioritize safety and follow all PADI diving standards.

Professional Team

All our crew members are highly certified diving professionals.

Small Groups

Small groups of up to 5 divers with an Instructor or Divemaster.

Environment-Friendly

We join to safeguard the seas and beyond.

Accommodation

Comfortable accommodation available, with local and international guest facilities.

Decades of Experience

Over 30 years in Sri Lanka’s diving industry.

Unforgettable Memories

Relive your dive with our stunning photos.

Multilingual

Fluent in English, Sinhala, and Tamil. Currently learning French, German, and Spanish.

The PADI family

The world’s leading scuba diver training organization. PADI has issued more than 25 million scuba certifications to divers all around the world.

Our two diving centres are proud members of the largest and most active global dive community. We are conducting all PADI srilanka diving courses from beginners up to professional Instructors.

Kalpitiya Diving Center is accredited as the PADI 5 Star Dive Resort is one of the highest ratings in the PADI system. We are conducting the marine dead tree project in collaboration with PADI.

Our Story

Kalpitiya Diving in srilanka Center was founded by Shanth Fernando, a pioneer in Sri Lanka’s diving industry who turned his passion into a family-run business. Inspired by his father, Hector Vincent Fernando—the family’s first diver—Shanth trained divers across the country and discovered many dive sites in Kalpitiya without modern technology. His son, Samith Thilina Fernando, earning multiple PADI certified diving and becoming a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer, training over 700 divers and completing nearly 20,000 dives. Now in its fourth generation, the family continues to lead reef conservation and diving tourism in Sri Lanka, earning top recognition from PADI and international platforms like Google and TripAdvisor.

EXCELLENT

Based on 402 reviews

Mohan S

PADI Open Water Scuba diving Certification/Experience with the instructor SAM and his team in Sri Lanka Let me start saying a big thank you to my Instructor SAM and his staff for helping me to reach out to one of my dreams in life of exploring the ocean in depth. You guys were. Awesome ,gave me so much courage, confidence and skill transfer helped me a lot to complete my PADI Open water Certification with 4 x dives at 18meters and it did not stop there , I was able to complete the course with two extra fun dives. Diving with SAM is so easy, he is so experienced instructor who can pick the weaknesses of the student to correct it immediately. I will surely do more and more fun dives in future and look forward to obtain my next level of advance open water Certification soonest for surely with my Instructor SaM only.. ( Mohan Sirimanne - Sri Lankan, Scuba Diving enthusiast )

Luke P

Diving with Sam in Kalpitya Had an awesome time doing my rescue diver course with Sam and his son in Kalpitya. This is a family run business with a lot of history diving in the area. Highly recommend booking with them if you are diving in Kalpitya. I am sure they are the only PADI licensed dive shop in the area too.

Nirosha K

Incredible experience! "I had an incredible experience with Kalpitiya Diving Centre! Completed my open water certification at Trincomalee on July 2024 along with PADI Aware and Dive Against Debris Diver. The instructors Sam were highly knowledgeable with years of experience,patient, and made the entire process of getting my Open Water certification enjoyable and safe. I help cleaning the ocean floor by collecting plastics and saved a coral reef by carefully removing a fishing net covered under the supervision of Sam. The equipment was top-notch, and the dive sites they took were stunning. Whether you're a beginner or looking to advance your skills, I highly recommend Sam and the Kalpitiya Diving Centre. They truly go above and beyond to ensure you have an unforgettable diving experience!"

Pranay N

Great diving with Sam Sam and his team are amazing. I had a great dive with them. Amazing experience. The instructor teaches you patiently and takes care during the dive.

Simra R

Highly Reccomended! 11/10 experience. I felt incredibly safe and in good hands throughout the dive training. As a young girl, I would highly recommend Kalpitiya Dive Centre, Sam and his extremely welcoming family to conduct your dive training. The training was extremely professional and you will be in safe hands throughout.

manuja p

Excellent service and best diving instructor Excellent service and friendly staff. I did my PADI advance diving license with the centre and I am so pleased with the learning experience and the skills learned. Sam is a great diving instructor and will look after his diving students very closely by assessing their errors. The centre also located by the beach and it is very convenient to go diving from there. Ill give 10/10!!

afrijosch

Dive with Sam in Kalpitiya Sam is a great dive master. We made 2 dives in depth of 20-27m. Great experience. And he filmed me with his GoPro and sent immediately. Sam has moved towards Trincomalee now due to end of season in Kalpitiya

Thusara Grero

Best diving experience at Trinco with Sam and his team Had an amazing dive with a bunch of my friends. Sam is one of the friendliest instructors I’ve met. Sam and his team put in great efforts to give the best diving experience at Trinco. Highly recommended for everyone who’s interested with any skill level starting from beginner to advanced. Really enjoyed beyond expectations and would surely do more dives with Sam.

Pasindu Liyanage

Amazing diving center with excellent people! Had an awesome experience.It was a pleasure to meet such friendly, experienced and knowledgeable people. Sam is an amazing human being.

Baukje v

Very nice dive center Very nice dive center. Equipment was in good condition and extensive briefing in advance with a lot of attention to safety. Crew helped nicely with carrying materials. The instructors kept a close eye on us, a group of open water divers. Photos were also taken underwater and shared immediately. Saw many different beautiful fish and corals in two relaxing dives for an affordable price!

EXCELLENT

Based on 644 reviews

Thilini Mallawaarachchi

I got my PADI dive license with Kalpitiya Diving Center and honestly, it was such an amazing experience! From the moment I walked in, everyone there was super friendly and welcoming. Dive master was incredibly helpful and guided me through everything in such a clear and supportive way. It felt like being part of a little dive family for a few days! If you're thinking of getting certified or just going for a few fun dives, I’d 100% recommend this place.

Heshan Sanjana

My first diving experience, as part of the PADI Open Water Diver course, was truly unforgettable. I had the chance to do it with my dive buddy at Kalpitiya Diving Center in Trincomalee (June 2025), which was the perfect season for diving. Special thanks to Mrs. Niluka Fernando for assisting with all documentation and to Mr. Samith Fernando, our incredible instructor, who guided us with patience, clarity, and care. He even recorded our underwater skills and gave valuable feedback after the dives. Big thanks also to Ajantha, who helped us with the gear and onboard support, and to Ranupa Dewmina for his help during the dives.The whole team was friendly, supportive, and professional. I highly recommend Kalpitiya Diving Center. It was more than just a dive; it was a life-changing experience.

AKSHAYA SALIN

We had the most beautiful time in trincomalee all because of Sam and team. I did my first beginners dive with them and I could not have had a better experience. Extremely warm and helpful team. They do it for the experience and not for money. You can truly get the sense of how genuine and kind they are from the very first conversation. Every activity we went for was superfun and a success. We saw dolphins, Whale, snorkled with turtles and sharks. Highly recommend for any water activity.

Jennie Rust

Sam was amazing and helped me get my open water certification. He was fun and friendly throughout the course. The rest of the team were helpful and made me feel safe the whole time. I was very well looked after and would recommend to anyone starting their diving journey or coming for fun dives! Happy bubbles 🫶🏻

Sandra Leempoels

We had the best time diving with Sam! We did two days of diving as a family (our kids are 10 and 14) and everything was very professional and safe. Sam made sure we were comfortable and relaxed the whole time, which made the experience even better. The pictures at the end were such a nice bonus — great memories! We felt safe, happy, and well taken care of. We definitely recommend diving with Sam and his team!

Jonah Janzen

Fantastic dives in Kandakuliya. I had never heard of diving in Sri Lanka, but this spot ranked #1 from my searches. It was better than I thought it would be. We saw schools of unicorn fish, large moray eels, dancing nudis, the largest sting ray I will likely ever see (manta ray large), bump heads, the largest trigger fish I had ever seen, scorpion and lion fish. I only dove 2 days and one sight was completely different than the other. I dove with Buddi and he was top notch and a great guy to spend time with. Thanks for the great dives 🙂

Molly Molony

Me and my partner had the best time diving with guide Buddhi. He was a thorough guide who highlighted the importance of safety and made the dive super fun too. We saw a range of beautiful fish, some large sting rays and a turtle! And Buddhi got some great pictures as well. We were even given a lovely lunch to enjoy afterwards! Thank you so much for a great time, we hope to be back one day 🙂

Adam W

Went out on a 2-dive trip. Both dives were great and staff were very friendly, would recommend

Cécile Mauclair

Nous avons passé un magnifique moment dans cet endroit authentique et Sam a des qualités humaines exceptionnelles. Il partage sa passion avec simplicité et générosité ! Vous pouvez y aller les yeux fermés .

Christina Plath

I had a great time and felt completely well taken care of and safe! I had two fantastic dives! The equipment is brand new, and Samith is simply amazing. I’ve never dived with a better dive instructor. Happy bubbles 🩷🐠

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