Skip to content

10 km West of Colombo

Taprobane East Wreck

Yakampita Barge

SL/W/COLO/M/09

District
Colombo
Depth
25.00–32.00 m
Vessel type
Iron Hull, Bulk Carrier

Overview

Badly damaged remains of a shipwreck. Only the skeletal hull remains. 

Up until 2016, the stern of the wreck was well preserved but it was later found to be destroyed. (It is rumored that the Aggressor Liveboard operation had been anchoring there and this anchor damaged caused by a large anchor)

The wreck lies on pristine white sand in the Yakampita Reef, off the Gingiripita Reef (Taprobane East Reef). The visibility is almost always very good here so this wreck is a popular marine tourist attraction. The wreck is inhabited by Snappers, Stingrays & Lionfish. During certain periods, the wreck will be covered by a huge shoal of glassfish (some species of juvenile fish).

The bow of the wreck is almost completely damaged as well. 

Bow 28 Mar 2010 © Dharshana Jayawardena / Ghosts of the Deep - Diving the Shipwrecks of SL
Amidships 28 Mar 2010 © Dharshana Jayawardena / Ghosts of the Deep - Diving the Shipwrecks of SL
Stern (now destroyed) 19 Feb 2011 © Dharshana Jayawardena / Ghosts of the Deep - Diving the Shipwrecks of SL
Thaprobane East Wreck 25 Apr 2015 © Maritime Archaeology Unit
Video 18 Feb 2019 © Maritime Archaeology Unit

Location

District: Colombo

Province: Western

Depth profile

25–32 m

Protection & status

Access
None
Legal status
None

References & publications

  • Jayawadena, D. (2016) Ghosts of the Deep - Diving the shipwrecks of Sri Lanka, Vijitha Yapa Publications, Colombo, pp.51-59.
  • ප්‍රියන්දන රුක්ෂාන් ඩබ්.එච් (2014) බස්නාහිර වෙරළ තීරයේ මුහුදු පුරාවිද්‍යා ගවේෂණ, දලනිඳු, විද්‍යුත් පුවත් සරණිය, වෙලුම 06, කාණ්ඩය 03, ජූලි - ‍දෙසැම්බර් 2014, මුහුදු පුරාවිද්‍යා ඒකකය, මධ්‍යම සංස්කෘතික අරමුදල

Record provenance

Last updated
2021-05-24
Biodiversity survey
Incomplete

Data: National Shipwreck Database / CCF–MAU