Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Watch out for rips. Water brought onto the beach by waves is sucked back to sea and this
current can be strong enough to drag you out with it. Rips in rough surf can sometimes be
seen as calm patches in the disturbed water. It's best to check with someone reliable before
venturing into the water.
If you do get caught in a rip, swim
across
the current towards the breaking waves. The cur-
rents are usually less where the waves are actually breaking and the surf will push you
shoreward. Never try and swim against the current. If it's too strong for you to swim across
it, keep afloat and raise a hand so that someone on shore can see that you are in distress.
A rip eventually weakens; the important thing is not to panic.
Exercise caution when there is surf.
Beware of coral; coming into contact with coral can be painful for the swimmer and fatal for
the coral. Always check with someone reliable if you suspect the area you're about to swim
in may have coral.
Never dive head-first into the water. Hazards may be lurking under the surface or the water
may not be as deep as it looks. It pays to be cautious.
BEACH CULTURE IN THE NORTH & EAST
By and large Sri Lankans are an easygoing and accepting lot and on the south and west
coasts they are also very used to foreign tourists and their skimpy beachwear. For much
of the East and North, though, the situation is a little different: women in bathing suits,
even modest one-piece numbers, can attract a lot of unwelcome attention. Even in the
now very popular east-coast beach resorts such as Arugam Bay and the beaches north of
Trincomalee the attention can be excessive (and there have been sexual assaults). On
these beaches and especially in more remote locations, women will not want to travel
alone, and should consider wearing a T-shirt and shorts into the water. Even in the more
trodden beaches in the south and west it's worth remembering that the vast majority of
Sri Lankans remain very conservative and that few local women would dare wear a bikini,
so although nobody is likely to say anything to you about wearing one on a tourist beach
you will risk causing offence, and possibly worse, if you leave the beach and venture off
around the village or town in skimpy clothing.
