Once apon a time in Hikka

When going through nostalgic memories, Hikka (or Hikkaduwa / හික්කඩුව) is a memorable stop even today. All beings in Hikka! If you are an ocean lover, beach nerd, or a diver, Hikka would have been your go-to place at one stage of your life. It's the same for me. When I was at university, together with Kusum, I jumped onto a Galle intercity bus and went to Hikka for snorkeling, which instantly infected us with the enthusiasm to explore more. As I remember, at first we hired some masks and snorkels from Sunil Aiya and just jumped into the ocean and started swimming here and there. Then we heard Sunil Aiya yelling from afar, "What are you guys doing? The reef is on the other side!"

"ඔය කොහෙ පීනනවද.. කොරල් පරේ ආං අහරෙ.."

Then we went in that direction and dipped into the water. Once we came up, we couldn't believe our eyes: could the underwater world be this beautiful? That was a moment of serendipity for us! We both knew we had just been infected by a virus that was going to stay with us forever. It was not just the ocean, but also the uniqueness of the surroundings, the easy-going beach dwellers, and the local culture that impressed our young minds. So we started coming more frequently, and we both knew it was not enough—we wanted to dive and see the beauties of much deeper waters.

This should have been the late nineties: the war was still on, and there were not many tourists. The coral reefs were very much alive, and fish were everywhere.

Diving for the first time

As soon as we started earning, Roshan, Devana, and I came to Hikka for our first diving certification. At that time, diving was not popular among locals at all. The idea of three dudes jumping off a bus, walking into a diving station, and saying, "We want to do the course," was kind of unheard of. We may have been looked like three idiots, but we soon settled into the community very well. We enjoyed the beach culture and everything that was going on there.

Diving was added to our lifestyle. Later on, Roshan bought a classis Mitsubishi jeep (4DR5), and coming in the jeep added even more fun to the experience. We used to stop at Sinharaja Hotel at Aluth Gama (i.e. අලුත් ගම) for breakfast. If not, we would go to a small café near Hikka town for a quick brekky, where the cashier was a pretty girl whom we called J.Lo. Actually, she had something of Jennifer Lopez about her. Our lunch was usually at Jadi Kade (ජාඩි කඩේ), which was later destroyed by the tsunami.

Kalu, or Kalu Aiya (කලු අයියා!), was the owner of the diving center called Blue Deep, where we started our diver training. Another remarkable person was Menaka, a dive master (now Instructor) who conducted most of the diving operations. At that time, Sri Lanka did not have many diving instructors, so European instructors would come for the season, have a great time, and sign off on certifications.

I can remember the Finnish diving instructor Eric, who was our instructor for the PADI Open Water course. He was a very handsome guy, as I can still remember.

I still do at least a couple of dives in Hikka each season, reliving all my memories. Sadly, the Hikka reef is not as rich as it used to be. As a photographer, I hardly find anything interesting nowadays, but my Hikka trips are actually dedicated to something emotional—a connection to our good old diving days. Nowadays, you can dive in Hikka in the morning and be home for evening tea, thanks to the Southern Highway.

One sad memory is the untimely death of Nalaka, who was another youthful dive master. He had tried kitesurfing on the beach with an unsuitable belt (correct harness allow you to be released in case of emergency, but this is not) attached, which was the fatal mistake he made. A sudden gale threw him toward a concrete pillar by the beach, causing his sudden death.

We went to his house to pay our last respects, and it felt like a sudden realization of reality beneath the nonstop party mode that usually defines the southern beach towns.

Eventful Rescue Diver training

It was only a few days before my wedding, and I decided to complete my rescue diving certification. I was in a hurry since I knew it could take a long time to return to my diving life after getting married. So Dive Instructor Lakshman Muthukuda, Muthukuda Master, as he is called, was arranged to conduct the training.

What I learned from Muthukuda Master was discipline more than anything. He started training early in the morning and was there sharp at the agreed time.

Mr. Muthukuda was a mature and experienced diving instructor (one of the few in the country at that time), who had also done commercial diving in the Middle East, as I heard.

An interesting fact about him was the way he first tried diving. He was working for the police at that time. He had seen Arthur C. Clarke and a few other divers setting up to dive in Galle, and he, along with others, curiously joined the crowd to see what was going on. As this was considered a nuisance by the divers, they chased the crowd away.

Young Muthukuda was agitated and went away, but later returned in his uniform to inform them that he was going to take legal action against whatever they were doing there. Then Arthur C. Clarke’s team realized this was going to be a problem and asked him what he needed in order not to proceed.

Without hesitation, he said he wanted to try what they were doing using their diving gear. The rest is history—he ended up as one of the pioneering PADI dive instructors in the country.

After realizing his experience and his willingness to share it with young people, we arranged for him to conduct an AWARE Program at the University of Colombo. He was very pleased with the opportunity. Sometime later, he even authored a book in Sinhala on the introduction to diving, and Professor Nihal Dayawansha, who was a close friend of mine, ended up writing the preface.

He always stayed in touch with me. He actually passed away a couple of years ago.  

My rescue diver training had more amusing memories. Given that Muthukuda Master started the training early in the morning, I didn’t have time to travel from Colombo. So I stayed in a cheap hotel in Hikkaduwa called Blue Fin Hotel. The rooms were very dark and basic. Unless you used the mosquito net provided, a cloud of mosquitoes would suck your blood to death. The owning family of the hotel lived in an adjacent section of the old-looking house, part of which had been converted into the hotel.

I was actually a bit sick during the course, but I didn’t want to give up since I was quite adamant at that time. Ironically, the rescue course consists of all the safety measures of diving, including identifying when not to dive—such as when you are not well!

One night, the guys from the diving station invited me to a cocktail party held in one of the bungalows at Narigama (නාරිගම), a nearby town. It was owned by another guy we knew, Sugath, who lived mostly in Switzerland since he was married to a Swiss lady. It was a remarkably beautiful mansion. It was a good party, and I was careful not to drink too much since I was not well and also needed to dive early the next morning.

When I came back just after midnight, the gate of the Blue Fin Hotel was closed. Then I recalled the house rules: the gates would be closed at 11 p.m., and no one was allowed to leave or enter afterwards. I was wondering what options I had at that point.

Another guest of the hotel appeared from the dark road, and I could recognize him as the French guy I had met at the hotel in the morning. He was a rather unorthodox guest who always wore a sarong—only a sarong. He had returned from somewhere after having a joint with locals. You could say he was hardly in this world.

Whatever the case, we both had the same problem. We made a plan: one of us would hold the gate while the other climbed the tall grill gate carefully and jumped inside. As agreed, I held the gate while he climbed first. He successfully landed on the other side.

Now it was my turn. I climbed carefully, and when I was coming down on the other side, I jumped from halfway but landed on the poor Frenchman’s feet. He was shocked and screamed in agony. Then the hotel family woke up and was very angry and unhappy with both of us. We both went to our respective rooms like kids sneaking back into naughty corners.

Trinco - a new beginning! 

As the war ended, new avenues opened for divers to explore the east. No infrastructure was ready at the time. In 2010, I went to Trinco with Devana by bus and met Menaka, who was operating diving with Poseidon. Not many hotels were available; a very basic hotel called Shahira was the place we stayed.

Apart from us, there was a Russian photographer and a young girl from Switzerland—the only other divers present. I also remember seeing one of the most remarkable sunrises on the beach near Irrakkandy (ඉරක්කන්ඩි). 

Many years later, I did another certification under Menaka, who had earned instructor status by then. It was in Trincomalee. Even at that time, I guess around 2015, Trincomalee did not have much infrastructure for tourists, so Devana and I stayed in a nice little bungalow owned by a local doctor.

While we were changing in the bungalow, Menaka walked to the nearby lagoon, caught a fish, and gave it to the caretaker, who prepared amazing meals for the next couple of days.

We needed to use enriched air (increased oxygen concentration) for the training. Since those facilities were not available locally, they were sent from Hikkaduwa day before by passenger bus as special cargo.

Nostalgia!

Kalu is now old. He never married. Actually, now I dive with Kalu's nephew. Kalu just sits at the center, directing and advising. Some of the guys I dive with today were not even born when we first visited Hikka in our youth.

Menaka is still active. He became an award-winning underwater cameraman and moved ahead in life in a different direction after marrying his Japanese girlfriend. They have two daughters and live in Japan.

Menaka comes for the season in the east and mostly operates a couple of whale-watching boats, along with some diving activities. He is also very experienced in whales in the field. I had the opportunity to dive with Menaka as recently as the 2025 Trinco season. It is amazing to see him with the same youthful spirit and physique. Not only that he still participates Kandy Perahera as he used to be.

Whenever I dive with Menaka, I always learn a couple of new photography tips from him.

All these nostalgic memories came to my mind recently after I watched a very nice movie called Ayu that shows beach life, its vibrance, and also its hidden tragedy. This took me back to the people I met on the beach in my youth and how their lives changed over time. It also made me reflect on how our own lives have changed.

From the three “idiots” who initially went to Hikka as joyful youngsters, Roshan is now living in New Zealand. Apart from his day job, he does hiking and street photography. In Summery he volunteers to train snorkelers. I have returned to the country after a long stay in Australia. We both are family men and, of course, become more responsible people. Devana is more interested in wildlife, history, and indigenous medicine. He help Dept. of Wildlife to train their new rangers. He lives a very simple life. Although Devana does not dive much anymore, still he helps my underwater photography activities more frequently.

People we met in the early days of this journey are now old. Some are gone forever. We don’t know the whereabouts of most others—maybe Je Lo is now a mature woman with children who do not know that three guys from Colombo once admired her beauty many decades ago.

I keep on returning to Hikka and ocean reminds me of past..

In a way, it allows me ponder about life.. How everything change..

Ocean before me remains same... like a wise old man who knows the deepest secrets of life!

Expedition to unchartered terrain

Though I wasn't actively involved in the research, others had been kept on studying the whereabouts and feasibility of reaching another lesser known historical site, hidden within the vast jungle of Kumana (කුමන). Its called Vihara Gal Kanda OR Weheragala Kanda (i.e. විහාර ගල් කන්ද / වෙහෙරගල කන්ද). We were not even sure if these two names are for the same place or if there are two sites. As we heard there are no motorable road to reach this. Also we couldn't find anyone who been to the place, but few clues about its location.

Nihal Fernando had mentioned about this in one of his books and that had ignited the interest within our gang to explore the site. Ven. Ellawala Medhananda thero (එල්ලාවල මේධානන්ද හිමි) said to have had knowledge about this too. Only credible recent record was from Takashi, who is a Japanese archeologist conducted a lot of explorations about ruins of Sri Lanka. He too had reported he visited the place. Niro, Channa and Devana had started their research only with these handful of misty details.

A few years ago our guys (I wasn't in the country, hence couldn't join) managed to reach Thalaguruhela (i.e. තලගුරුහෙල) in the same way with a team of Wildlife officers, which was a success. It had been reported as one of the hardest to reach, that disappointed many well-prepared and well-equipped explorers for decades. 

Anyway, there is no much chance civilians would penetrate the area of Vihara Gal Kanda area since it  is within a national park. In other hand, we cannot rely on illegal hunters who would know the area since its national park. Taking them to guide us could be asking for unwanted trouble. 

When I attended first few discussions to summaries the information gathered by each other and especially the thorough location studies done by Niro based on latest maps and stellate images, it was evident we knew next to nothing about the site. Importantly, Channa and Niro had found one individual who claimed to have gone to the location recently. When ever we try to agree on something it got further complex. Our analysis showed Nihal Fernando's details are not exactly matching with Takashi's location details. Are we talking about two places or one?

Anyway, our enthusiasm pushed us to organize the expedition with all these doubts because there were no other source that would give us a better picture. Though we informed about our expedition to few officers of Department of Wildlife (though not formally!) we didn't inform Forest Department since we were pretty sure getting permissions could be a nightmare. 

As planned, route was going inline with famous Kebiliththe (කැබිලිත්ත) road, then had to divert and start penetrating through the forest at least 8 kms just using direction compose and GPS. Until starting point of the terrain we had to use a tractor from Kotiyagala (කොටියාගල) which is the nearest village where we can prepare ourselves. No other 4WD vehicle will match a tractor in this terrain. 

Using our contacts, we managed to arrange a tractor from Kotiyagala. We decided our points of drop off and pick up in three days. Guy who owns the tractor and also going to drop/ pick us was called Upali, a family man from Kotiyagala, also agreed to allow us using his home to spend the previous night.   

Apart from obstacles we were getting ready to face, I personally had a health issue. Given the weather in Colombo wasn't the best at the time, my feet had serious cracks. When I say serious they were ok to deal with day to day city life, but definitely not for a challenging hike in unchartered terrain. So even before staring the hike I was on antibiotics!

We reached Upali's home by night. Upali was a very pleasant man. So is his wife who was more than helpful with everything she could. After some dinner we started to discuss the plan. Particularly the route was explained to Upali.. where to drop and where to pick up. Our plan was to leave Kotiyagala before sunrise. This will allow us more day time for the expedition before getting dark.

We started the journey early morning. Upali was joined by another young guy called Sandaruwan. First stretch was on a motorable road and sitting on the tailor of the tractor wasn't that bad. Once we entered the rough terrain of the real jungle, it made us realize how difficult to just sit on the tailor of the tractor. In no time, our hips started to pain, due to the jerk. We always had to bend our heads to protect us from thorny branches came on our way, when tractor sneaking through the bush like a noisy monster. 

On the way, there were few wild elephants who were looking at us curiously and ran due to the noise of the tractor engine when go closer. Anyway, this route is not someone would usually go. Given Kabiliththe season was just beginning, no paths nor land marks were clearly visible. At last we ended up going towards a heard of water buffaloes who were been kept for grassing by few cattlemen. Though it is illegal, this has been practiced by cattle owners. They build a temporary shelter and live close to where there cattle is grassing and spending night. One of the cattlemen volunteered to come with us until we are directed to the correct path which was a great help at the time.

On the way we stopped and had the parceled lunch made by Upali's wife. Further we go into the jungle it got thicker. With my limited experience with Kumana National park, I was under the impression we would go through a lot of bushy plains. Thick jungles were also accompanied by stream where tractor had to use all its power to penetrate through. Anyway, at last tractor got stuck in the mud of one of the gorges, called Veli aara (වැලි ආර). Though Uapli and his helper used their own kind of technique to drag out the tractor from the mud, it was evident that we gonna face same again and again. Reluctantly, we decided to start the hike from there, adding more Kms to the hike. After wishing us a safe expedition Upali and his assistant left in the tractor. Now it almost noon and we all are already exhausted. Mammoth task is still to be begun!

I was more concerned about the hike given the terrain is so thick. We should be careful with wild animals in this kind of surrounding since we cannot see far and not easy to run in case of sudden encounter. We didn't have a gun. To be honest, I knew I am not even in my fittest-self.

Anyway, we started hiking through the jungle. We all had to carry a lot. Apart from all our belongings, food and camping equipment, each had to carry at least 5 liters of water. Devana was leading from the front since his instincts are good and Niro frequently checked the GPS and corrected the direction. Biggest hurdle was, we couldn't proceed in the direction we wanted to, since jungle was so thick and thorny, or else is obstructed by a boulder. In some point we came to a small plain with a couple of water holes in near vicinity. While we rest there I told Niro to save the coordinates of the place, if we fail to reach our destination this is a place to stay the night: a plan B. 

After hiking further without much progress, both Channa and Devana too agreed with me of my Plan B. We are not going to make it! We should divert to the little plain and prepare for the night stay. 

A couple of hours before sunset we reached the plain and arranged firewood and had a bath with not so appealing water from one of the water holes. A couple of  bonfires were protecting us but we all decided to stay in alert. Then we were set to spend one of the darkest and nervous nights in the wild. Niro was bit disappointed since we couldn't reach the point he was aiming to. Even in the late night he was studying the map with a light of the torch. We were in tense but night was peaceful.

By the morning, freshly, we all started to discuss our options. Niro was convinced we should penetrate the thick forest and reach our original target which is Vihara Gal Kanda, but none of us felt its feasible. Going ten twenty kilometers in known plain terrain is a different story. Our analysis showed, to go 1 km we may have gone more than 2 - 3 kms in different directions due to obstacles. Even if we make an attempt, it could make further delays and will not be able to meet Upali coming in the tractor to pick us. At last we had to give up the original objective. 

Given we dont have ambitious goal anymore, we now have more room to roam around and see the jungle. After some breakfast we started to walk towards another gorge call Alakola aara (අලකොල ආර). This actually a tribute of Kumbukkan Oya. This was a much peaceful and stress-free hike. Jungle was beautiful and most of all, we were in a position to appreciate it. On the way, we stopped in one place to prepare Tea and also light lunch of Rotti. Alakola aara had been half dried. Bank was wide and specious. 

After spending some time enjoying the beautiful surrounding, we realized sandy floor is the best place to spend that night. For that we should make sure we have bonfires to stop wild animals. Obviously, wild animals could come in search of water. We already saw fresh steps of bears and elephants nearby. In fact, we used one of the special water holes (called Poo wala, i.e පූ වල) made by elephants to fetch water draining below the surface. I can remember we depended on water of poo wala even before in many dry zone hikes including Nuwaragala hike. Once you start carefully digging the poo wala, it starts to pour clean water where you have to collect for drinking and cooking purposes. Later on, it will be filled with water, but not that clean, to be used for bathing and cleaning. Given, water we carried was already finished, this was the only available option.

It was a relatively comfortable night. We collected enough firewood and managed to have three bonfires in three directions those are exposed to wild animals. Though its not ideal for a great camping experience, we hang a powerful battery operated light from a branch above us so we can see any approaching wild animals. So we spent time talking about literature history and what not, as usual. 

After we went to sleep, by around 1.30 am, we heard some human voices and got up to realize we were actually surrounded by armed officers of forest department. They seemed angry as well as surprised of our appearance. Our camp setting would show them we are well prepared campers. Our cool attitude and respectful talking would have implied we are not here for any illegal activity. Staying here without any firearm may have surprised with the quest either we are very brave or very stupid. Anyway, we are in a tertiary under their legal protection without a permit.

We accepted our wrong doing but explained that we (except me) are actually advisors for department of wildlife in many ways and we are not just random hikers barge into a jungle. After talking a bit they were convinced we are not here with any hidden agenda. Niro also showed our maps and GPS locations etc. to prove that our intention was to reach a lesser known archeological site. Anyway, they said they are here to check for illegal poachers since some villagers had complained them about a gun shot they heard while ago. In fact we too heard that from a far. They went deeper into the forest for their mission leaving us.

One guy even showed his surprise that we came without any weapon.

මෙහෙමත් එනවද මේ වගේ ගමං ආයුධයක් වත් නැතුව..

Given we are awake in middle of the night, we had another round of tea before going back to sleep. This time we slept until the sunrise.

Following day, we reached the location that Upli's tractor going to pickup as planned. They had already come. We were very pleased with their professionalism. They had also brought some lunch for us to enjoy on the way. Then we started the hip breaking journey back on the tractor trailer. We were tired but relaxed to be back without major injury or incident considering the scale of risk we took in this mission. Niro wasn't very convinced with the fact we couldn't reach the site given navigation is usually his main task in this kind of expeditions. Seems he takes it personally. Anyway, this is the reality of work we do with nature. 

We reached Upali's place by afternoon. After a wash and tea we started drive back to Colombo. We thanked Upli and his wife for their support which is invaluable. They are in deed some of the nicest people we ever met in this kind of journey. They showed true hospitality of a traditional Sri Lankan villager which is sadly vanishing with commoditization. They are not wealthy but their simple life had taught how to live everyday happily. We all agreed that we should return to their warm home one day.

It was already dark when we entered the highway from Mattale interchange. Both Niro and Devana was exhausted and not sure how they will manage to drive back to Colombo. Once, Devana stopped the van aside the highway just to refresh himself. I never seen that and I found it as a signal he is not fit to drive with this level of exhaustion. Given everybody was more or less sleeping I tried my best to talk by the side of the driver to keep him awake. Luckily we got our consciousness back after fueling with dosage of caffeine through Espresso from a coffee shop at rest area. I was amazed with the magic caffeine can do! We all were back with life. 

We lightly talked about the hike and what went wrong in few occasions afterwards. Like modern day air crash, its due to multiple small errors. Assumption about the nature of the terrain seems to be the biggest obstacle among many. 

Starting from Kotiyagala: we lost some valuable time because we lost the direction at the beginning. Then tractor got stuck in mud leaving us no option but to add extra few miles to already ambitious plan of the day one. Anyway, even all goes well, three days is too ambitious for the mission. What ever it is it tried out resilience and endurance, given all of us are pretty old blokes with Channa turned sixty same year!

Story just don't finishes there.. While we are back in home, it started to feel the outcome of tick bites. Leeches in wet zone are saints with compared with dry zone ticks. It started itchiness and then started the pain. Patches started to appear in places. Pain and itchiness could come in different parts of the body day by day. It lasted for more than a month. Nor ointment could cure them. I could count 38 such places with tick bites - as a souvenir for the memorable expedition in Kumana!