The world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier — a bucket-list technical dive off Sri Lanka.
HMS Hermes was the world's first ship designed and built as an aircraft carrier (launched 1919, 182 m). She was sunk by Japanese Aichi D3A dive bombers on 9 April 1942 during the Easter Sunday Raid, going down off Batticaloa on Sri Lanka's east coast.
She lies on her port side at 45–53 m. The 5.5-inch and 4-inch deck guns are intact; the rangefinder still sits in place; the flight deck has collapsed across one side. Black coral has grown across the wreck in the 80+ years since she sank. The hangar is penetrable with the right training.
This is a technical / decompression dive — Trimix or staged decompression on air, full tec training required. Operators run from Trincomalee on Sri Lanka's east coast. Season is March–September when the east coast is calm.
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1 destination across Indian Ocean — peak seasons vary by location, so plan your trip around the right destination AND the right month.
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