Diving into the waves of time

Marine archaeologists are striving to unravel and conserve an integral part of our history that lies buried deep in our seabed.


Avondster anchor being lifted out of the seabed off Galle


Money cowrie’ from the craft-wreck off Ambalangoda

Even as 96 years after, scientists are intrigued as to why the ‘Titanic’, the “unsinkable” ship sank on its maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland on a freezing, moonless night, marine archaeologists right here in Sri Lanka are attempting to unravel the mysteries surrounding some unique shipwrecks buried under the waves of time.

While the western world debates whether weak rivets were the cause of the Titanic’s doom, Sri Lankan marine archaeologists are also getting into deeper water not only to gather as much information as possible on the island-nation’s maritime heritage but also to protect them from looters who rob valuable artifacts from shipwrecks and plunderers who strip them of their iron.

How many know of the treasures of the sea that are spread around this country? “Only in those particular areas, do people know,” says Central Cultural Fund Deputy Director-General Dr. Mohan Abeyratne.

Did the wooden craft, now lying very close to the Ambalangoda coast just 20 metres away, carry pearls? Kata katha (rumour and speculation) in the area are rife that there were strange cannons wrapped in rope. The pearls are no more as are the parts of the cannons.

Speculation apart, what has been unearthed is ‘money cowrie’ (kawadi salli) which was used for barter in times when money was not in circulation, says Dr. Abeyratne, while Senior Research Officer and Maritime Archaeologist Rasika Muthucumarana adds, “The craft was most probably Indian or French.”

Although we did a few days exploration in the late nineties, regrettably we didn’t have equipment for excavations, says Mr. Muthucumarana. Early 2007, saw the Coast Conservation Department taking up the dredging of the Ambalangoda fisheries harbour, and copper plates with Arabic inscriptions have been unearthed, he explained.

Adds Dr. Abeyratne that when any development project is undertaken on land or sea, in an area which has archaeological sites, 1% of the project funding has to be given for an impact assessment to be carried out by the CCF. “This is a requirement under the Antiquities Ordinance,” he stresses, explaining that the CCF is still awaiting that 1% for exploration in Ambalangoda from the Chinese contractor.

Further along the southern coast, at the bottom of the sea off Hikkaduwa lies the very first oil-tanker, ‘S.S. Conch’, to be built in the world. This steamship, built by the British in 1892 and owned by Shell Company had been wrecked in 1903.

“Until a few years ago, when some people attempted to secure a permit to strip the iron off this vessel and the hoteliers and a few concerned people in the area took up its cause, no details were known about it,” says Dr. Abeyratne, lamenting the fact that Sri Lanka did not have the capacity for underwater excavation, explorations and conservation till very recently. The hoteliers knew of it because recreational diving was going on there and tourists were being shown this piece, he adds.

Two more wrecks in Akurala, the ‘Earl of Shaftsbury’ and another earlier unidentified wreck but now recognized as ‘Victory’ were the hands-on training sites for a group of trainers under a recent agreement signed with UNESCO to set up the Asia-Pacific School of Underwater Archaeology at the historic Galle Fort. Not only will it be a training centre but also a centre of excellence for archaeology and oceanography, Dr. Abeyratne says.

The ‘Earl of Shaftsbury’, a steel-hulled sailing ship had been wrecked in Akurala at a time it was carrying coal in 1893. “Sadly, it had been dynamited by unscrupulous persons,” said Mr. Muthucumarana.

The fate of ‘Victory’ too would have been questionable, it is learnt, as some persons had sought a permit even producing affidavits that it was the wreck of the trawler ‘Asuki Maru’ which sank only around 20 years ago, in a bid to strip off its iron. However, those challenges had been overcome and ‘Victory’ has now been identified as a steamship of a 100-year vintage.

While marine archaeologists were donning diving suits and exploring the ‘Earl of Shaftsbury’ and ‘Victory’, the first Steering Committee meeting of the Field School had also been held in April at Unawatuna with the participation of representatives from UNESCO, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Australia, Indonesia, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France.

Davy Jones treasures in Galle alone, underwater surveys have revealed, come from 26 archaeological sites dating from the 13th to 16th century to modern times……with such artifacts as Indian-Arabian stone anchors including one from the Arabian peninsula weighing almost a tonne and a celadon bowl of the Southern Song dynasty (13th century) indicating that Sri Lanka was an important meeting point for shipping as well as trade routes.

Of course, the most famous shipwreck of Galle is Avondster (Evening Star), found very close to shore in shallow waters. The wreck was identified as the 17th century East Indiaman Avondster which had been in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the 1650s and had “in a light breeze slipped from her anchors and because of bad supervision perished” (found in VOC, Letters and papers from Asia).

Something “odd” about the construction of the ship, however, had made the archaeologists delve deeper into history to come up with the fascinating fact that the ship had been brought into the service of the VOC in 1653 after capture by the Dutch from the English East India Company in Persian waters. At capture its name had been ‘Blessing’.

According to detailed records put out in the form of a beautiful book by the Centre for International Heritage Activities, the vessel’s exact age is unknown. Firstly known as the ‘John and Thomas’ it had been bought by the British East India Company in 1641, renamed ‘Blessing’ and dispatched to Java, later deployed increasingly in regional trade.

“The starboard side (rightside) of the Avondster had been preserved well, because at that time there had been a canal flowing into the Galle harbour, now long gone, the mud from which had covered the wreck,” says Mr. Muthucumarana.

Dr. Abeyratne adds: “We are now carrying out in-situ conservation which will prevent natural erosion and scouring caused by the sea and weather; objects being moved all over the site; wood degrading organisms; looting; fishing activities and chemical degradation.”

Be it the ‘S.S. Conch’, ‘Victory’ or ‘Avondster’ an integral part of Sri Lanka’s history falls into place, with the discovery and recovery of our maritime heritage, sunken and buried for centuries in the ghostly caverns of shipwrecks and the seabed.

A chance discovery leads to maritime heritage

It was a chance discovery in 1961 near the Great Basses lighthouse in Kirinde by Mike Wilson and two companions that gave a pointer to the wealth under the sea around Sri Lanka. What did they find? It was a wreck which held in its depths among other artifacts sacks of Moghul silver coins dating back to 1702 AD minted in Surat, India.

A flurry of diving expeditions took place with eminent persons such as the late Arthur C. Clarke (he wrote a book ‘The Treasure of the Reef’ in 1974) and the late Rodney Jonklaas making an impact on treasure and artifact recovery from under the sea, says Dr. Abeyratne.

Though no one knows the details of how some of the artifacts and bundles of silver coins from the Great Basses wreck made their way to the far-off Smithsonian Institution in Washington, US, across the seas, they opened the eyes of the world to the maritime heritage of Sri Lanka, he says.

The new Maritime Museum being established in Galle would be the richer if some of the Moghul silver coins and at least replicas of artifacts recovered from the Great Basses wreck could be conserved there, says the CCF’s Deputy Director-General adding that the expertise of the preservation techniques as practised by the Smithsonian will also come in handy for Lankan conservators.

Lamenting the fact that during the early times when Lanka’s maritime heritage was being discovered the general belief was that finders could be keepers and underwater treasures were also destroyed or sold illicitly, Dr. Abeyratne said that now regulations are in place.

“We also don’t need to take all the artifacts out of the wrecks, we can develop ocean museums, he says, revealing plans to categorize all wrecks around the country into:

*

Wrecks which will cater to underwater tourism
*

Wrecks of value where the public will have to be accompanied by officials of the Marine Archaeology Unit
*

Other underwater sites which will only be open to researchers, under the strict guidelines of the CCF

Sri Lanka needs to show off its maritime heritage but also ensure that it is preserved for posterity, he stresses, adding that even two weeks ago silver coins were found at the Great Basses.

Take the plunge

An IT consultant with a passion for diving, Dharshana Jayawardene’s website divesrilanka.com documents the island’s underwater wealth.

The strong, healthy tan gives him away. Consultant Dharshana Jayawardena may spend his weekdays at a desk with a laptop, but it is obvious he also finds time for the outdoors and gets a regular dose of the sun and surf.


Dharshana: At home as an IT consultant as well as under water

Dharshana is the man behind www.divesrilanka.com, one of Sri Lanka’s most comprehensive websites dedicated to the subject of deep-sea diving. For the past five years, he has been drawing attention to the island’s premier dive spots with a wealth of accessible, first-hand information supported by a treasure trove of photographs.

Considering his dedication to diving, it is hard to believe Dharshana did not know how to swim when he went on his first dive. He was visiting friends in Bermuda, in the North Atlantic Ocean, when he decided to attempt a “try dive” – a brief, 10-metre ocean dive done under the supervision of experienced instructors. Dharshana recalls being almost frightened during his immersion.

Suspended underwater, in the ocean’s vastness, with only the sound of his breathing in his ear, he found the experience “uncomfortable” and “claustrophobic”. He signalled to his instructors that he had had enough and asked to be brought to the surface. A more faint-hearted person might have rejected the idea of getting into the water again for a repeat performance, but not Dharshana.

Demonstrating his characteristic determination, Dharshana decided to learn to swim. In fact, he went a step further in his effort to conquer his fear of water by getting himself certified as a PADI Open Water diver. The entry-level certification for diving comes from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.

“That was five years ago, in March 2003,” he says. Today, with more than 350 dives under his belt, Dharshana is the proud bearer of PADI Rescue Diver and PSAI Solo Diver certificates. In Sri Lanka, he has explored the waters off Negombo, Colombo, Beruwela, Bentota, Hikkaduwa, Galle, Unawatuna, Weligama, Kirinda (Great Basses), Batticaloa, and Trincomalee. Outside Sri Lanka, he has dived in the Maldives, the Similan Islands, in the Andaman Sea (off the southern coast of Thailand), off Sipadan Island in East Borneo, and off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Ribbon Reefs and in the Coral Sea.

Describing himself as “diving addict”, Dharshana hones his aquatic skills by swimming at least four days a week.“When diving, you are focused on only one thing – the dive. The world of land and its problems cease to exist. You are immersed in a silent environment without gravity. The only sound is the sound of your breathing. It’s exciting. The marine life you encounter can make the underwater environment hostile and challenging. For me, there is rarely a boring dive.”

As his passion for diving increased and as he plunged deeper into the subject, Dharshana developed an interest in underwater photography and videography. Starting with basic, relatively inexpensive photography equipment, he started to document his dives and the fascinating terrain of Sri Lanka’s ocean floors. In the course of doing research, he found that information was hard to come by, and what little he did find was spread thinly over several websites. The idea for divesrilanka.com was therefore a logical result of the diver’s quest for more knowledge.

It is a rare weekend when Dharshana and a group of fellow diving enthusiasts do not go to sea for a dive. Using small, wobbly fishing boats, they set out on their expeditions.

To hear Dharshana talk about his underwater experiences is to enter a mysterious but vivid world of light and shadow, filled with vibrantly coloured sea creatures gliding by and ponderous shipwrecks lying forgotten at the bottom of the ocean floor. He recalls dives in translucent waters teeming with huge schools of fish, giant sting rays, eagle rays, manta rays, sharks and dolphins.

“But I find the small sea creatures just as fascinating and endearing,” he says. As a photographer, he lists the dazzlingly coloured nudibranchs (also unromantically referred to as “sea slugs”) among his favourites. Dharshana devotes a lot of his time to studying the lives and ways of the underwater creatures he encounters. It is a rare denizen of the deep he cannot identify in one of his photographs.

The consultant-cum-diver is particularly drawn to the shipwrecks that lie in Sri Lankan waters. A particular favourite is the wreck of the H.M.S Hermes aircraft carrier, off Batticaloa. Dharshana has spent much time researching the wreck. “Knowing in advance the history and background of a wreck greatly enhances the experience of the dive,” he says.

Over the past five years, Dharshana has been adding to divesrilanka.com and enriching the website’s content. He receives mail from fellow diving enthusiasts around the world. While Dharshana earns his bread and butter as a consultant for a leading Colombo-based IT services firm, he runs his website for pleasure and not for monetary benefit. Typically, he updates the site within days of completing a dive, deriving much satisfaction from posting pictures and writing about each dive.

The news he posts is not always cheering. Dharshana says he is a first-hand witness of the steadily deteriorating condition of Sri Lanka’s reef systems. Increasing pollution, over-fishing and unsustainable fishing practices continue to inflict serious damage to reefs – the result of human indifference and greed, he says. He has also seen the damage caused by huge cargo ships dragging their heavy anchors through fragile coral domes – acts of “almost criminal stupidity”, he adds.

There are times when Dharshana believes all the underwater wealth and beauty he is painstakingly cataloguing is as good as doomed. But he also believes the very act of bearing witness to depredations of the ocean and sharing his observations with the world is a contribution to worldwide conservation. A modest man who would not want to give himself extra credit for what he is doing, Dharshana hopes his efforts will inspire others to dive into the conservation effort.

Treasure trove found in 500-year-old shipwreck off Africa

A close-up of a Spanish gold coin, three Portuguese silver coins and a pair of brass dividers that were found from a shipwreck off the south west coast of Namibia. All the coins were minted in the late 1400s or early 1500s, and the dividers were used for measuring distance on a map during navigation. The reverse of the gold coin depicts Ferdinand and Isabella, two Spanish monarchs of the time. Namdeb Diamond Corp. says geologists have stumbled on a shipwreck that could date back to Africa's earliest explorers.



In this undated photo released on Thursday May 1, 2008 and supplied by Namdeb Diamond Corporation, Dr Dieter Noli, the chief archaeologist of the Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Research poses as he sits counting the day's 'take' of gold coins from a bucket into his hat, that were found off Namibia's southwest coast. Namdeb Diamond Corp. says geologists have stumbled on a shipwreck that could date back to Africa's earliest explorers. It's loaded with cannons, gold coins, navigational instruments and other treasures. The company says the ship could date back to the late 1400s and be the contemporary of vessels used by Vasco de Gama and Columbus.



In this undated photo supplied by Namdeb Diamond Corporation, Bruno Werz of the Southern Africa Institute of Maritime Archaeological Rresearch poses with two of the astrolabes found of the shipwreck of the south west coast of the Nasmibia wreck. The astrolabe was the forerunner of the sextant and was used to measure the maximum angle between the sun and the horizon, thus enabling the seafarers to establish how far north or south they were. Namdeb Diamond Corp. says geologists have stumbled on a shipwreck that could date back to Africa's earliest explorers.

The ship was laden with tons of copper ingots, elephant tusks, gold coins — and cannons to fend off pirates. But it had nothing to protect it from the fierce weather off a particularly bleak stretch of inhospitable African coast, and it sank 500 years ago. Now it has been found, stumbled upon by De Beers geologists prospecting for diamonds off Namibia.

"If you're mining on the coast, sooner or later you'll find a wreck," archaeologist Dieter Noli said in an interview Thursday.

Namdeb Diamond Corp., a joint venture of the government of Namibia and De Beers, first reported the April 1 find in a statement Wednesday, and planned a news conference in the Namibian capital next week.

The company had cleared and drained a stretch of seabed, building an earthen wall to keep the water out so geologists could work. Noli said one of the geologists saw a few ingots, but had no idea what they were. Then the team found what looked like cannon barrels.

The geologists stopped the brutal earth-moving work of searching for diamonds and sent photos to Noli, who had done research in the Namibian desert since the mid-1980s and has advised De Beers since 1996 on the archaeological impact of its operations in Namibia.

The find "was what I'd been waiting for, for 20 years," Noli said. "Understandably, I was pretty excited. I still am."

Noli's original specialty was the desert, but because of Namdeb's offshore explorations, he had been preparing for the possibility of a wreck, even learning to dive.

After the discovery, he brought in Bruno Werz, an expert in the field, to help research the wreck. Noli has studied maritime artifacts with Werz, who was one of his instructors at the University of Cape Town.

Judging from the notables depicted on the hoard of Spanish and Portuguese coins, and the type of cannons and navigational equipment, the ship went down in the late 1400s or early 1500s, around the time Vasco de Gama and Columbus were plying the waters of the New World.

"Based on the goods they were carrying, it's almost certain that it dates from that time," said John Broadwater, chief archaeologist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

"This find is very exciting because very few vessels from that period have been discovered," he said, adding that many early ships were thought to have wrecked in that area.

It was, Noli said, "a period when Africa was just being opened up, when the whole world was being opened up."

He compared the remnants — ingots, ivory, coins, coffin-sized timber fragments — to evidence at a crime scene.

"The surf would have pounded that wreck to smithereens," he said. "It's not like `Pirates of the Caribbean,' with a ship more or less intact."

He and Werz are trying to fit the pieces into a story. They divide their time between inventorying the find in Namibia and doing research in museums and libraries in Cape Town, South Africa, from where Noli spoke by phone Thursday.

Eventually, they will go to Portugal or Spain to search for records of a vessel with similar cargo that went missing.

"You don't turn a skipper loose with a cargo of that value and have no record of it," Noli said.

The wealth on board is intriguing. Noli said the large amount of copper could mean the ship had been sent by a government looking for material to build cannons. Trade in ivory was usually controlled by royal families, another indication the ship was on official business.

On the other hand, why did the captain have so many coins? Shouldn't they have been traded for the ivory and copper?

"Either he did a very, very good deal. Or he was a pirate," Noli said. "I'm convinced we'll find out what the ship was and who the captain was."

What brought the vessel down may remain a mystery. But Noli has theories, noting the stretch of coast was notorious for fierce storms and disorienting fogs.

In later years, sailors with sophisticated navigational tools avoided it. The only tools found on the wreck were astrolabes, which can be used to determine only how far north or south you have sailed.

"Sending a ship toward Africa in that period, that was venture capital in the extreme," Noli said. "These chaps were very much on the edge as far as navigation. It was still very difficult for them to know where they were."

Noli has found signs that worms were at work on the ship's timber, and sheets of lead used to patch holes, indications the ship was old when it went down.

Imagine a leaky, overladen ship caught in a storm. The copper ingots, shaped like sections of a sphere, would have sat snug, he said. But the tusks — some 50 have been found — could have shifted, tipping the ship.

"And down you go," Noli said, "weighed down by your treasure."

WSU grad doing OK after tiger shark attack

Last Thursday, Harvey Miller felt the jaws of an 8-foot tiger shark sink into his left leg while snorkeling 150 yards from shore.

“When I felt it bite me, I thought for sure I was going to die being devoured by this shark,” said the 36-year-old Toledo, Ohio man, who graduated from Holmen (Wis.) High School in 1988 and Winona State University in 1996.

Miller was released Monday from the hospital after being cleared by his surgeon.

“It’s hard to believe five days after being bitten by a shark, but I’m actually not feeling a lot of pain in my leg anymore,” he said in a telephone interview Monday.

It will be at least three weeks before he can bend his left knee again. Miller will need additional surgery to repair nerve damage. His doctor estimates he should be walking in a few months and playing basketball with his teenage son in six months to a year.

He’ll resume his 11-day vacation with his wife, the former Lisa Wendling of Onalaska, Wis., before flying home Friday.

Miller said he was snorkeling alone and looking for turtles Thursday off Bellows Beach in Oahu, Hawaii.

Little did he know the creatures he was pursuing — turtles in mating season — also attract sharks hungry for an easy snack.

“It’s their environment. We’re visitors to it,” Miller said from his hospital bed last week. “All we can do is try not to look like food.”

Miller’s escape from the shark has received international media coverage, including appearances on CBS’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “The Today Show.”

“I was in shock,” said his oldest daughter, Katie, who along with his other two children have been staying with their aunt, Sue, in Mauston, Wis. “My friends have been calling nonstop, saying, ‘We just saw your dad on TV!’ I still don’t believe he got bit by a shark.”

The attack came in clear blue waters in an area not known for shark problems. The last such incident in that area dates back almost 50 years, the state’s Shark Task Force said.

The father of four noticed fish near him looked spooked. Then he saw a large shark’s flat snout and felt the animal spin him around.

Miller said he punched the shark twice right below its dorsal fin, scaring it away.

“It was just a gut reaction,” he said Monday. “I wanted him off me, and it’s the only thing that came to mind.”

Then Miller started screaming and yelling for help. A stranger, Ray Howell of Texas, helped save him, he said, by wading into the ocean and cradling him back to shore. Once there, numerous people assisted in applying a tourniquet to his wound and calling for help, he said.

“He’s my hero,” Miller said of Howell. “And there were a lot of other unsung heroes who played a big part.”

Dr. Patrick Murray, who spent two hours operating on Miller’s leg Thursday, said the shark came down on the limb and knee with “tremendous” force.

“It went right to the bone, into the bone, broke some of the bone, and into the knee joint and then removed a fairly large portion of his leg up by the knee,” Murray said.

Miller’s mother, Sandy Copper of Mauston, said she first heard of the attack Thursday night.

“I was really nervous and scared,” she said. “I didn’t know if he’d be okay or what was happening.”

The Millers had dropped the kids off in Chicago a week ago and were scheduled to meet up with them again this Sunday to head back to Toledo. Alternative plans are being made to get the kids home.

“I don’t think (Harvey’s) going to be doing much driving,” his mother said.

(http://www.winonadailynews.com/articles/2007/07/24/news/00lead.txt)

Gone with the waves

As a whitewater rafting ride at Kitulgala ends in tragedy many unanswered questions remain

On Saturday, July 16, a boat carrying a group of holiday-makers capsized while whitewater rafting on the Kelani River at Kitulgala claiming two young lives. Waruni Kannangara and Ronnie Rogers were the victims of the accident which occurred when 20 of the 40 employees of a private company in Colombo who had gone on an office outing to Kitulgala, decided to take a whitewater rafting ride.



To add to the tragedy, a Navy diver, Dolamullage Nandana kumara from Elpitiya who was involved in the search operations also drowned at the same location on Sunday. He was attached to the Rangala Navy camp. Waruni Kannangara, 27, from Thalapathpitiya, the mother of a three-year-old daughter had joined the shipping company six months ago as Manager, Sales and Marketing. Ronnie Rogers was Marketing Manager of an affiliated company, which Waruni had been attached to earlier. He too had joined the Group just six months ago. Twenty-five years old, Rogers who lived with his parents and younger brother in Kotahena, was a bachelor.

According to the DMO’s report, the cause of Waruni’s death had been identified as cessation of heart activity due to water getting into the lungs subsequent to drowning.
When The Sunday Times visited the scene of the tragedy in Kitulgala on Wednesday, June 20, Rogers’ body had just been washed ashore and the cause of death was the same as in Waruni’s case.

Ajith Pushpakumara who was on security duty at the construction site of the bridge on the Yatiyantota Paravelatenna Road was an eyewitness to the tragedy.

round 2.20 p.m. on Saturday and like on other days, I heard the loud shouts of a group of people. People usually scream when they are confronted with the rapid wave of Kandaketiyawala where rafts often capsize,” he said.

On hearing a cry of ‘aiyo’, Ajith had run down to the riverbank. The sight that met his eyes was of the raft which had capsized. All the eight people in the raft, including the instructor were in the water. Ajith had also seen a person caught up in the current although he was unable to identify whether it was a male or female.

“The second raft carrying another seven people and the instructor which came after a while, started to help those who were in the water to get into their raft. I shouted, asking them to remove the cable which was put up across the river for transportation of the bridge building equipment seeing that someone seemed to be entangled in it,” he recalled. He later discovered that this was Waruni.

According to Ajith, after all those in the raft that capsized were rescued, including Waruni, he noticed a life jacket and helmet floating in the water upon which he had inquired if all the people were rescued. Waruni, he noticed, still had her jacket on.“But as they said no one was missing, the instructors then attended to the victims by giving them artificial respiration and they were then taken to the hospital,” he said.

He added that usually the rafts capsize at this point and they would often have to help the people to come to the riverbank.“Some people actually hold on to the cable and slowly come to safety. The cable has been there for nearly eight months now and we have never removed it before. The instructors who take groups on whitewater rafting know that the cable is there and usually the rafts go above the cable as it lies one foot below water.”

Meanwhile, villagers told The Sunday Times that this particular spot where the tragedy took place which is known as ‘pokunu wala’ is a famous bathing place for most pilgrims who come during the Sri Pada season.“The water is about 60 feet deep here. There are people who do not pay heed to the warnings of the villagers and the signs put up by the Police indicating the dangers. As a result there have been a few deaths that have taken place here,” said a villager who did not want to be identified.

Action Lanka, the organizers of this water rafting tour refuted allegations that the deaths took place due to a defect in the life jackets they had supplied. It was the first time that an incident of this nature occurred although they had been in operation for 10- 12 years, a spokesperson for the company said. “Prior to this particular boat ride, we took three other groups on water rafting tours that morning but nothing happened. There have been times when the water levels have been much higher,” he said.
The spokesperson was also adamant that their staff were adequately trained to conduct the tours.

“We have well trained members in our team. Six of us have even followed the British Canoe Union course on rafting as well as the Red Cross First Aid course which we have also taught the rest of our team members. Before we start on a tour, we make sure that the crew members have worn their life jackets properly with all the buckles on, but there are instances where people loosen the clips if they feel uncomfortable even against our instructions. We inform them of the nature of the river, advise them on the seating positions and also instruct them on the precautionary measures to be taken in case of an emergency,” he said adding that a majority of the members of this particular group ignored their instructions.

The Action Lanka spokesperson also added that the cable on which Waruni had been entangled is usually removed during weekends and on the days when construction work is not being done. The management of the Kitulgala Plantation Hotel where the group had spent the day refused to comment on the tragedy saying that water rafting was not included in their package.

However, a director of the company said that it was only on seeing the promotional banner put up in the hotel on whitewater rafting, that the group had decided to try the adventure and it was from the hotel reception that the booking was made.“After the incident, the banner had been removed and now the hotel disclaims any connection with Action Lanka,” he said.

Police sources told The Sunday Times that there could have been several reasons for the mishap, such as the cable which was put across the river, the water level in the river being high, etc. Stressing the importance of safety measures, the Police spokesperson advised the public to refrain from consuming liquor prior to taking water rafting rides.

The police have put up boards warning of the dangerous depth of the river. “People outside the area do not know much about the level of risk attached to it,” he added. Many are the instances where the public, especially vendors, have removed the warning signs put up by the police for their convenience, he said, pointing out the terrible consequences.

(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070624/Plus/pls1.html)

Action filed for not removing grounded vessel

The Director of Merchant Shipping of the Port and Aviation Ministry informed the Galle Heritage Foundation that action has been filed against the representatives of the Trading Company concerned for not removing the barge that ran aground in a gale on May 12, near the ancient Galle rampart.

Action will be taken to sell the barge in keeping with the court decision.

At the discussion held recently at the Galle Heritage Foundation office regarding the delay in removing the barge, it was disclosed that the barge belongs to Iran and had been blown off while towing a vessel to Singapore. The Galle Resident Manager of the Sri Lanka Port Authority, L.H.R Sepala said that permission had not been granted for this barge to enter the Galle Harbour.

The representative of the Coast Protection Department said that a large number of coral reefs had been damaged when this barge was blown near the Galle Fort.

Chairman of the Galle Heritage Foundation parliamentarian Ajith Kumara requested the Ports Authority to take steps to remove this barge as it can be a threat to the safety of the rampart.

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/23/news/10.asp)

The knell of the passing waters

“My son used to sit in that chair and watch TV every night after he came home from work. He was always a quiet person and very independent. After I had a stroke and one side of my body became semi-paralyzed he always told me not to go to work and that he would take care of everything. He was the one who paid our rent. He encouraged his sister to study. We never had any problems with him,” said S. Anton chocking back sobs, gesturing at a chair beside the front door that was now occupied by a relative who had come for his son’s funeral.

The father of 26 year old , who drowned while on a company trip in Kithulgala, spoke to Daily Mirror of his harrowing experience just seconds after returning to his bleak home in Alakanda, Wattala after burying his eldest son. In a cruel twist of fate Antany was one of two people who drowned while on a white water rafting expedition as part of a company trip. Now the picture of him happily grinning on his sister’s 21st birthday has been used for his funeral poster, prominently pasted on the gate.

The dingy that he had been white water rafting in had caught in a rope stretched across the Kelaniya River. The “kambaya” was used by the builders of the Kalukohuthanna Bridge for the past eight months to ferry building materials back and forth from the shores. It was usually untied on weekends. However, on this fateful day the rope had been left strung across the way and had caught two people in the boat, trapping them underwater and eventually drowning them.

Having joined the shipping company just six months ago he was on the same trip that claimed the life of Varuni Kannangara also of the same age and the mother of a three year old daughter. A navy diver also joined them in the watery grave plunging the country into sadness over this inexplicable event. This is the first time in the decade long history of white water rafting that people have drowned and adding to the dubious record, a navy diver, who had been called in to recover the body of Antany.

“He left for work as normal on Friday (15 June) morning and we had no idea that he was going on this trip. Then in the evening he gave a call home to tell us that there was a company trip next day to Kithulgala and that he was going. Since they were leaving in the morning he was spending the night at his boss’s home. We had some business to take care of on Saturday so both my wife and I were out.

Antany’s younger brother, Anton Johnson was at home alone. When the accident had happened the people in Kithulgala had called their office in Colombo and informed them of what had happened. Two of Antany’s friends then came to our home and spoke with Anton around eight that night. The moment he heard the news he left for Kithulgala. We returned home tired and realized that neither of our sons were home but since they were in the habit of staying with their friends we did not panic. Around 1.30 am we got a call from Anton giving us details of what had happened,” S. Anton related how they had come to know of their son’s death.

A student of St. Anthony’s Boys School, Antany joined his first shipping company, Worldlink when he was still studying for his Ordinary Level exam. Being an enterprising young man he preferred to step into the job market while most of his friends did their Advanced Levels. This was also due to the strong influence of his father who being a shipping man himself encouraged his son to keep working. After a five year stint Antany used his experience to move into Acrod Express and from their entered his final job on 1 February.

Concerned over his father’s deteriorating health and the burden of two younger siblings Antany was a responsible youth who always put his family first. “He always used to tell me that he would only get married after the sister and brother. He always made his own decisions and we never stood in his way. We were living in Jampettah Street earlier but moved to Wattala four years ago,” Antany’s father explained as being Tamils they felt that Mutwal was not the best in terms of security.

A person who is employed at the same company and who was on the trip speaking to Daily Mirror on conditions of anonymity said that the trip had been long planned and that the initial plan had been to spend the day at Plantation Bungalow further up from the Plantation Hotel. However, as the bus was too large to ascend the hill the organizers had suggested they modify their arrangement and stay at the Hotel.

“They had put white water rafting as an option in the quotation that they had sent us and there was a banner prominently displayed at the reception when we arrived. So since white water rafting was the only thing that is there to do some of them decide to try it out after lunch. When the accident happened it was the boat boy in the second dingy that brought out Varuni’s body. The so called instructor didn’t even come to the police station to record a statement. That was the level of responsibility they had. What we want to emphasize to the public is be wary of unprofessional rafters who don’t use proper equipment and who don’t have properly qualified people working for them. If they really want to go rafting then go with a reputed and trustworthy person who knows what they are doing,” he said adding that the banner was removed after the incident. A fact that was confirmed when we visited the hotel.

Manager of the hotel Priyantha Samaranayake was not available to make a statement despite repeated calls. Nonetheless responding to this claim, Upul Nayanajith who was in charge of the white water rafting in Kithulgala for Action Lanka and routinely liaisons with the hotel to take people on rafting trips urged for a more balanced view.

“I have been working for this company for 8 years and they were in operation for six years before that. Never have there been any deaths. When the raft passes that bridge it capsizes 75% of the time and that is normal. Since the instructor had not seen the rope across the river, his dingy as the first of three turned over and he was swept down river with two others. When the people inside the boat had surfaced they realized that one lady was missing. Then the boy in the second boat united the rope that brought the girl to the surface. When he realized what had happened the guy in the first boat ran to the Plantation Hotel and called me and we sent a vehicle down to take the lady to the hospital. The instructor in the second boat carried the lady to the vehicle.”

the According to Upul it was only after a lapse of over one and a half hours that a person who had been staying back at the hotel had noticed Antany’s absence and alerted the boat people about it. “From that moment on we searched for him,” insisted Upul speaking after giving evidence at the Kithulgala court on Friday (22 June). The headman at the building site had also been summoned for questioning. Statements recorded by them had also been forwarded to the court by the police.

Safty First

“My two and a half year old son has done this stretch of rapids and he loves it. Now every time he comes here for school holidays we wants to go white water rafting,” fondly laughed Channa Perera, the owner of Rafter’s Retreat who was the first person to introduce white water rafting to Kithulgala.

Setting up his white water rafting “joint” in a beautiful ancestral home over a century old, just a few kilometers from where the tragedy occurred Channa is a virtual trench of information on the local white water rafting industry. Being a retired marine engineer he started out the business alone in 1998 using a tractor tube attached to a canvas. Now, nine years later it has grown among five other rafting companies operating in Kithulgala to include regular white water rafters both local and foreign.

“We have never had a death before. It seems like really bad luck because if the rope had not pinned these two people underwater and one had not lost his life jacket none of this would have happened. Mostly the deaths occur due to drunk people going swimming but never white water rafting. Before these two and the navy diver, groups of three people have drowned on four occasions at this very point but never ever while rafting,” he stressed.

“People need to learn to respect the water. After all this is the “Saman god’s adaviya” and there must be some regard for the dangers of the river. I never take people who have been drinking out on the river. For one thing they are not in their right senses and cannot react swiftly in an emergency and the other is that because alcohol speeds up their blood circulation so that they need more oxygen. A somber person can stay underwater for a minute but a drunken person needs air more often,” he continued.

Moving on to the issue of safety Channa maintained that there are “no inflatable lifejackets given. That is only on air planes where storage space is limited. Rafters are given lifejackets padded with rigiform and helmets lined with the same. These lifejackets are the same as those used on ships. That is sufficient protection. Since we have to get Tourist Board approval to get a license the Board rules makes it mandatory for the instructors to be given training in life saving techniques. So I have four of my men trained by the Ports Authority.” Moreover they need approval from the Pradeshya Sabha, to which they have to pay taxes and insurance is another must.

However, on the issue of rafters having to sign a disclaimer beforehand Channa confessed that he does not do it at present unless the thrill seekers wish to skim the “4th and 5th rapids further upriver that are a bit dangerous.” Nonetheless he advocated that even though a casualty is “unlikely” a disclaimer should be signed “to be on the safe side.” White water rafting is not fun unless the water is high and from mid-December to mid-April until the southwest monsoon starts lashing Kithulgala, Channa has the worst drought of customers.

“During a good season a rafting business can bring in between Rs.300 000 - Rs. 400 000 a month. Having said that, it must be remembered that the equipment is pretty expensive. An Avon inflatable raft, which is the best, has to be imported from the UK and that costs around 3500 pounds, each of the paddles cost US$ 25 and we lose many of them in the rapids. I have started to manufacture the lifejackets, helmets and paddles locally as that is much cheaper.”

Business has also been hurt by the lack of tourists but rafting was continuing unabated over the weekend despite the two deaths. White water rafting is never fun unless the water is high and Channa routinely has to turn back dozens of people, which includes large “packs” of 100 or more when the water level is low. The Polpitiya hydro power plant also compounds matters by closing the dam causing water levels to drop.



Seven deaths this year

Putting an official tinge on the incident Kithulgala Police OIC Jayanath Ranasinghe joined the chorus of people who believed that the rope more than anything else was responsible for the deaths.

Revealing that in 2004 and 2005 there had been seven deaths apiece by drowning in Kithulgala, which was significantly reduced to two last year. Further he blamed drunken merry makers who carelessly went swimming in the river rather than rafters, stressing that there had never been any such deaths reported before. These three deaths had brought up the total of deaths in 2007 to six so far.

“White water rafting is an adventure sport and it is understood that people might get slight wounds or bruises but there have never been any serious incidents before. We as the police also do not restrict rafting because we know that raft operators are careful enough not to let drunk people on boats and that they are all issued life jackets and helmets, which is sufficient to keep them safe. When Colombo folk come here they usually go white water rafting first and then party, which is the safe thing to do,” he said.

However, in this case authorities admit that alcohol was an unlikely culprit despite residues of beer being uncovered during the postmortem examination of Varuni Kannangara. Antany Ronirojas’s body was recovered too late for such revelations. Nonetheless OIC Ranasinghe admitted that the thick rope tied across the river was the main reason for the deaths as the boat instructors were unaware of its presence since it was usually untied during weekends. The rain swollen water levels were also about a foot higher than normal and the rope was completely submerged causing the dingy to capsize and trapping Varuni and Antany in the churning water.

“We have never had any complaints about the rope before,” said the OIC pointing at the rope that lay innocently coiled on the floor of the police station beside a tightly locked weapons box. “The headman at the building site told us that the only reason the rope was not untied was because some of the villagers use it to ferry themselves across. As it is useful for both parties they were scared of getting into trouble with the villagers by freeing the rope. Since it was the weekend no one was at the Kalukohuthanna Bridge building site and the rafting man had thought that the rope was untied as usual. Because the water level was high they could not see it either,” he explained.

Caught by the rope the raft tripped over and the police were called in to recover Antany’s body, paving the way for a second tragedy. “The people in this area are excellent swimmers and they can dive to great depths without any equipment. Some of them had looked for the body before the navy divers arrived but they could not find it. Then on Monday (18 June) morning on our request they came to meet me and left the police station around 8.30am.”

The four divers set up their equipment and around 9.15 a.m. started their operations. While two dived another held the lifeline from a boat on the river. “Suddenly we saw the lifeline shaking and the diver in the boat tightened his grip to prevent them from being carried off by the swift tide. One broke free and surfaced, calling out for the lifeline to be loosened because when he pulled away he felt his partner being trapped by the entangling lifeline. When the line was let go the diver floated down and got caught in an eddy. He popped out of the water for a few seconds and that was when we noticed that his tank was missing. Reacting quickly the other divers managed to get to him within four minutes and drag him to shore but he died on the way to hospital,” remarked the OIC.

A bewildering aspect of this incident is how the tank of the diver and the life jacket of Antany managed to get undone. The lifejackets are stuffed with blocks of regiform had held to the body with strong plastic clips that are difficult to unclasp. When a person falls into the water they automatically drag the person to the surface. In the case of Antany, his life jacket had somehow loosened and was recovered separately by the villagers’ days before his body was. Everyone from the police to the rafting instructors and people who had gone rafting before were unable to explain how these two events occurred.

“This is the third time that I have had to call in navy divers,” reminisced OIC Ranasinghe, detailing another incident where three children had drowned just 100m away from the fateful spot that claimed these three lives. Two children who had gone to the river to wash their hands had toppled in and another friend who could not swim, losing his head had leaped in after them. All three had died. In the second episode two kids who had gone bathing while returning from Adams Peak had drowned.

“The Adams Peak season is the worst time for such deaths because people on their way back always make it a point to get drunk and go bathing in the river. They have no respect for the water and cannot grasp the danger. Every year I have warning boards posted all along the river. But every single time they are defaced. If the board says “Be careful their have been 03 people drowned here” they scratch out the 3 and leave the 0. Some businessmen do it as well because it affects their sales. This year I have already made 15 boards to be put up and we will take all possible safety measures,” OIC Ranasinghe assured.

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/23/feat/3.asp)

Rangers of the sea

The Sustainable Coastal Tourism in Asia project is training a new breed of marine guards to care for our aquatic wealth

HIKKADUWA – The morning sun beat down, yet the eight men didn’t seem to feel the heat. Anticipation flickered across their faces as they gathered their masks and fins and waded across the shallow water into boats for their first experience of skin diving. Speeding out to sea, past the tourists and the fishing boats, the excitement was palpable.

For some of the rangers with the Department of Wildlife Conservation, this training was a new experience, and for others, an overdue refresher. Most rangers serve in inland wildlife sanctuaries and protected areas across the island; far too few have experience and training to work along the coastline and in the ocean to protect the country’s precious maritime ecosystems.

Through the Sustainable Coastal Tourism in Asia – Sri Lanka (SCOTIA/SL) programme, however, more government rangers are being trained in snorkelling techniques and marine life identification. SCOTIA/SL is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Louis Berger Group.

“These workshops are essential for rangers like us to protect marine sanctuaries,” said A. Jayawardene, an eight-year veteran of the Department, who is currently posted at the Pigeon Island Sanctuary in Trincomalee. “What I learn here will not only help me in my day-to-day duties, but also with research I am conducting on marine life species in the Pigeon Island region.”

After the dive, Jayawardene was still shaking his head about being several metres underwater for the first time. “It’s a whole other world down there.”

Safeguarding the natural resource base on which coastal ecosystems and surrounding communities depend will improve coastal tourism and develop new livelihoods in coastal communities. The project aims to improve coastal resource management by improving the capacity of the Department of Wildlife Conservation. At present, none of the rangers are assigned full time to coastal zones.

“The practical knowledge from this training fills an important gap for us,” said Ajith Gunatunge, who has been with the Department for nine years. “Rather than just enforcing the law, we now understand the need to educate these communities on the importance of protecting the environment.”

As the afternoon sun began to sink, the skipper of a glass-bottomed tourist boat filled with foreign tourists needled the small vessel through a group of bathers in the water, then sped close to the reef in pursuit of a turtle. He stopped, reversed, and negotiated a 90-degree turn to give his clients a few more seconds to view the frightened animal.

“People who work on the ocean need to learn that if they don’t conserve their marine ecosystems now, they might not be there for them in a few years,” Gunatunge said. “Respecting safety is also a big part of keeping their tourism-related businesses viable.”

For the rangers, there is a big difference between managing inland areas and the coast. In addition to the need for skills in snorkelling and marine life identification, rangers must deal with communities that have lived and worked along the shore for generations. While it is easier to restrict use of a wildlife refuge on land, protecting marine ecosystems presents a formidable challenge; fishermen, hoteliers, and boat operators depend on exploiting the sea to some degree to earn their living. Disputes often arise when authorities attempt to explain the environmental impact of some of their everyday activities.

To that end, SCOTIA-SL is organising a workshop on conflict resolution to better equip the rangers with skills in diplomacy and negotiation for improved relations with the communities who live and work and depend on coastal resources.

“This is the first time that I have been part of a programme where practical sessions and theory have been so effectively combined,” said Mishan Kariyawasam of the Department’s Hikkaduwa office. “Without proper identification of species, authorities too often get hoodwinked by traders of marine resources who may remove species of aquatic wildlife that need to be protected.”
Arjan Rajasooriya, SCOTIA/SL’s Coastal Zone Management Specialist who coordinates this training programme, said he saw tremendous improvement from some of the less experienced trainees.

“Some could barely swim at the start, but today they were all diving in the deep sea,” he said. “They are all still improving, and on the way to understanding key concepts like personal safety, safety of your colleagues, dangerous sea creatures, and an understanding of marine habitats and living patterns.”

SCOTIA/SL Team leader Prakash Peiris said that the decision to train these rangers gives the department an important degree of flexibility when rotating staff, and anticipates a day when knowledge of marine ecosystems is standard for the rangers.

(http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070429/Plus/015_pls.html)

A dive into Barracuda Point

Though Sri Lanka is surrounded by sea Scuba diving is not considered as a popular sport by many Sri Lankans - for many its simply because of the fear of water, specially at sea.

It was the same for me. The interest of scuba diving was a child hood dream that I had, ever since I learnt to swim during my schooling days. I was just 11 years old then.

My luck came when Internationally Qualified Diving Instructor Delia Ylva Zimmler who is the owner of a diving school called Ypsylon at Beruwala invited me for a dive. Diving in the sea is not a sport that one can do instantly. It involves internationally stipulated rules and regulations every diving school has to adhere to.Accordingly any person who want to become a casual or a professional diver has to under go special training and instructions stipulated by the international scuba diving governing body called Professional Association of Diving Instructors.(PADI).

For that my first dive wearing a professional diving kit was carried out in a pool. My instructor was Rohitha who is a professional diver who had done over 600 dives at sea. In the pool my first instruction was to spit out saliva on to the mask and wash it. According to Rohitha the saliva helps to keep the mask crystal clear. In the pool I was given an introduction on all the features of the diving kit. I was also given training on how to breathe in and breathe out, removing the mask under water, flushing water out from the mask whilst under water and so on. The entire instruction lesson lasted nearly three hours. Upon finishing my diving lesson I was told I can go scuba diving the next morning.

Last Saturday morning we reached the Ypsylon around eight in the morning where Mrs Delia and her crew were waiting to take us to sea by boat. With the crew on board we set off from the Beruwala beach and headed towards deep sea.


After traveling nearly seven kilometers we reached a place called "Barracuda point", a place that is considered as one of the country's best diving spots in the western sea coast. According to Delia, Barracuda point is considered as the rain forest under sea. The barracuda point is a formation of huge rocks under water where the depth goes as deep as 40 meters.

This place provides a home for many sea creatures that you don't see normally. They include sea snails, corals, sea plants and different varieties of fish, Delia said.

As we reached the diving spot, Rohitha dived in to secure the anchor position of the boat. With assistance from Delia I managed to prepare myself for the dive. Before that Delia checked my dive gear and said that it is the duty of each and every diver to check each other's equipments before every dive.

It was my first turn to get in to water. I was instructed to hold the back of my neck by one hand and hold the mask from the other then flip in to the water. In a moment I was floating on the water holding the dive rope. Soon Delia reached my position and we were ready to dive.

It was a memorable event -holding the rope we were going down in to the deep waters of the Barracuda Point. As we descend holding the rope Delia by using her hand signalled me constantly, enquiring how I was doing for which I answered by showing her the 'ok' sign. As we reached the first five meters my ears started to feel the under water pressure and my body started to feel the waters of the deep sea. Frankly I was frightened and was thinking what I was doing there. But that was short lived after following the instructions that I learned at the pool, Delia's constant watch on me made me feel secure and ready for action. Soon we were in the clear under waters of the Barracuda Point. My first sighting under sea was three dimple fish swimming around us probably fascinated by what these two new creatures were doing in their neighbourhood. The under sea life is indeed like a rain forest . According to Delia at night Barcudda Point turns into a hunting groundwhere big fish like sharks begin their hunting.

Anyway after diving for nearly 24 minutes Delia signed me that it was time to go up. My oxygen tank gage had reached to 50 bar point. Then we started our ascend holding the dive rope. The process of coming on to the surface is done gradually and soon we were on the surface laughing and discussing the dive. What an experience that was!

(http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/02/06/life/01.asp)