The South - Sri Lanka - page 267

the ocean and marvelling at the denizens of the deep, who end their days being hacked up
and sold from roadside fish stalls.
Sights & Activities
Scenic though the bay is, Weligama Beach is a bit shabby and not geared for sunbathers.
It's primarily a fishing village, with boats lining the western end of the bay. This all makes
the appearance of the enormous new Marriott resort at the east end of the beach all the
more ironic. It's out of all scale with anything around it and has many worried that others
will follow.
Weligama is known for its lacework , and stalls are located on the main road along the
coast.
Taprobane ISLAND
( www.taprobaneisland.com ; island rental from US$1800 per day)
Close to the shore - so close that you can walk out to it at low tide - is this tiny island. It
looks like an ideal artist's or writer's retreat, which indeed it once was: novelist Paul
Bowles wrote The Spider's House here in the 1950s. The island was developed in the
1920s by the French Count de Maunay-Talvande who perched his mansion on the tiny
rock. You can stay or dine on the island with advance planning.
Surfing SURFING
Weligama is a good place to learn to surf with soft, sandy beach waves that rarely exceed
one metre. Both the Samaru Beach House and the Weligama Bay View, next door, rent
boards (from Rs 1500 per day), offer lessons (from Rs 2500) and arrange for surf guides
(from Rs 300 per hour).
Weligama Bay Dive Center DIVING
( 225 0799; www.scubadivingweligama.com ;126 Kapparathota Rd;boat dives from €35, snorkel
gear rental €10)
Snorkelling and diving at Weligama is good. This operation, close to the harbour at the
western end of the beach, runs PADI courses as well as excursions such as wreck dives. It
also organises whale and dolphin diving and snorkelling trips.