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Marine life

How shipwreck sites shape and sustain marine life in Sri Lanka's waters

Shipwrecks are more than archaeological time capsules. Once settled on the seabed, they become artificial reefs — hard surfaces that algae, corals, sponges, and invertebrates colonise, creating shelter and feeding grounds for fish and other marine life. Over years and decades, these structures develop into small but complex ecosystems within the wider ocean environment.

Around Sri Lanka, where more than a hundred wreck and aircraft sites are documented in the National Shipwreck Database, underwater investigations routinely record the species that inhabit or visit these structures. Linking marine biodiversity data with archaeological site records helps researchers understand how cultural heritage interacts with living ecosystems, and supports careful stewardship of protected underwater areas.

Browse the species catalogue below to explore fish, invertebrates, and other organisms associated with wreck sites in the database. Each profile includes scientific identification and, where available, the shipwrecks at which that species has been observed.

Species catalogue

Encounters from the deep — marine species identified on and around documented shipwreck sites, from reef fish and sponges to the invertebrates that thrive on submerged hulls.