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Photo: AntanO, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A snorkelling trip to Pigeon Island is a must. There are local boats leaving to the island frequently. Snorkelling is a great way to see the abundant sea life such as turtles, colourful boxerfish or black tip reef sharks. Be careful not to hurt the still living corals. Booking the same trip with one of the diving shops around Nilaveli will likely cost more, but you'll have more time on the island as well as better equipment.
Pigeon Island National Park is one of the three marine national parks of Sri Lanka. The national park is situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli, a coastal town in Eastern Province, encompassing a total area of 471.429 hectares. The island's name derives from the rock pigeon which has colonized it. The national park contains some of the best remaining coral reefs of Sri Lanka. Pigeon Island was designated as a sanctuary in 1963. In 2003 it was re-designated as a national park, making it the 17th such park in Sri Lanka. The island was used as a shooting range during the colonial era. Pigeon Island was one of the several protected areas affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
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