Mirissa guide says viral boat video showed play between friends

A Sri Lankan tour guide and his brother say a viral video showing the guide being pushed from a boat into the sea was recorded during water play among friends. The brother says the incident happened off Mirissa on November 8.

The short clip prompted criticism of an Israeli tourist's conduct. The guide's brother says the family has known the group since 2018 and that people were pushing each other into the water during the trip.

In a later video explanation, the guide said he had pushed the others first and asked that the incident not be treated as a confrontation. The tourists were also reported to have denied any intention to humiliate or hurt him.

Kotawila police looked into the incident after the controversy. A police spokesperson said no further investigation would take place after the people involved described each other as friends.

The full sequence outside the circulated excerpt has not been independently established for this report. The account distinguishes the guide and family's explanation from the police statement and from what the short clip alone can demonstrate.