Barefoot water-skiing is pretty extreme, the most extreme sport I’ve done so far. A few session of it and I was left with no choice but to retire to a more manageable sport – wake boarding.

Sigis’ place on the banks of the Bentota river has a lovely atmosphere – it’s quiet, secluded and of course the place is clean – ideal for you to just chill and relax after a hard day’s work out on the river. The day saw us trying to persuade and teach Mihira how to water ski. A few more sessions and he would be good to go! Another member to our fold perhaps…

Lunch and a game of scrabble later, we hired two man sit on top kayaks to explore the river and adjoining mangrove swamps. Definitely recommend this to anyone heading to Bentota – just be mindful of the current and wear life jackets.

Tuesday is a holiday – probably to the same again. Until then…

Dilsiri Welikala

I first came to Bentota in 2005 soon after the tsunami. One of my colleagues recommended The Den to me before leaving the country as an amazing place to hang out and do something adventurous and fun: waterski.

The Den is a small guesthouse that I found to be extremely clean and comfortable.  Everyone there did their best to provide good service and create a friendly environment. The beer was always perfectly chilled and the meals were a splendid assortment of seafood cooked to perfection. I ended up loving the place and it soon became my second home.

In my 3 years of living in Sri Lanka, I spent almost every weekend there, and was soon part of a group of frequent waterskiers that immediately became my friends. Together we enjoyed great watersports, good food and most of all we had the best of times.

Initially i skied using the gear available from PJ Mono Sports but soon i was so hooked into the sport i decided to buy my own mono ski, wakeboard, vest and gloves. It is an amazing sport and Bentota’s river is such a nice place to ski on.

Sigi, the owner of PJ Mono Sports and my waterski instructor soon became my dear friend. Looking back makes me feel so lucky to have found this place and the people there. Together we organised a waterski competition, awesome parties and the most sumptuous barbeques Bentota has ever seen

I often went on boat rides in the mangrove swamps, fishing or across the river for a swim in the ocean. Bentota Beach is to me one of the most beautiful beaches in Sri Lanka. From my passion for evenings admiring the beautiful sunsets stemmed the Sunset Bar. A coctail bar that i had built and where we had great conversations over the years.

The Den its a great family place and me and my family have always treasured our times here. My two sons have started wakeboarding here and seeing them progress in the sport has always been one of my greatest memories here.

As I now leave Sri Lanka, I find that I will miss The Den and the great times I had there with my dearest friends the most. I look forward to returning here every chance i get.

Good bye & see you soon!

PS: author requested his identity be kept private.