Surf Sri Lanka - Quick Facts
LOCATION: Southern Asia
POPULATION: 21000000
NATIONALITY: Sri Lankan
LANGUAGE: Sinhala, Tamil
CURRENCY: Sri Lankan Rupee
The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, previously known as Ceylon, is an island in South East Asia.
The country is famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts, rubber and cinnamon. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka's tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage, make it a world famous tourist destination and its world class waves make it a great destination for a surf holiday.
The capital city is Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte and its largest city is Colombo (that's right, just like the detective). Its population is now over 20 million and its currency is the Sri Lankan Rupee.
Sri Lanka Surf Spot Map
Our Sri Lanka surf map is growing all the time. Please spare a few minutes to add your spots and information in order to improve the quality of this guide for other surfers.
Sri Lanka is located to the south of India in the Indian Ocean and gets the same swells as the Indonesian islands. Sri Lanka has a tropical climate and November to March is the driest and sunniest time of year. The south west of the country has been the most popular destination for travelling surfers, being cheap, safe and having access to quality waves.
April to October is the time of year that brings the most consistent swells, but onshores can be a problem during this time. Morning is the time to go out with the best chance of offshore conditions. During the surf season you can expect swells from 3-8ft, and at the rest of the year the surf is in the smaller 2-6ft range.
The multiple breaks around
Hikkaduwa are rarely flat, and
would be a good choice to base a surf trip around. Other Sri Lanka surf spotsof note are
Arugam Bay and
Madiha.
Surfing Sri Lanka - The Good
Nice Mellow Waves
Cheap
Surf Sri Lanka - The Bad and the Ugly
No Truly World Class Waves
Localism
History Of Civil Unrest
Sri Lanka Surfing Conditions
Sri Lanka Swell Size (ft)
Sri Lanka Water Temperature (°C)
If you have information on surfing, recommended tours of camps, or helpful travel tips, either post them here or over on
the surfers travel forum.
Richie Sills - The Main Point at Arugam Bay. Photo courtesy UK Pro Surf Tour / Vicky Walker
If you're thinking of travelling here, take a look at
the Lonely Planet Guide to Sri Lanka