The best surfing spots for your holidayin Sri Lanka !
Sri Lanka might not top the list of the surf destinations, not yet. The island nation is so popular for its tea gardens, temples and rich nature reserves that the attractiveness of its beaches as surfing destinations was long overlooked. One other reason was the fact that the decades’ long civil war peaked almost simultaneously when surfing started gaining popularity. Today, Sri Lanka’s reputation as a surfing destination is growing.
South & West Coast
From October to April, surfing enthusiasts from Sri Lanka and around the world take up the southwest coastline. Comfortable and affordable hotels and guesthouses have sprung up all along the coastline to fulfil the needs of tourists wishing to enjoy pristine surfing spots that offer great breaks and ultra warm waters. Hikkaduwa is probably the main surf destination here offering three main surf points:
The Main Point (or main reef): Situated 1.5 km away from Hikkaduwa town, Main Point offers the most popular surf breaks in the island with both left and right hander waves. It is reef bottomed but safe because it is quite deep. The height of the waves ranges between 2 and 10 feet.
Benny’s: South of Hikkaduwa town, this spot is the classic left hander on a reef break. The surfing conditions here are suited for experienced surfers. Waves generally measure over 6 feet.
Beach Break: Situated 100 metres south of main point, this is the ideal spot for beginners.
The other spots on this coast are:
The Rock or “Kabalana”: Situated near Unawatuna, this spot offers both left handers as well as right handers (but mainly left handers). Waves reach up to 6 feet regularly. A mostly quiet area.
Plantation Point, Midigama: This famous place is just west of Weligama Bay. It offers amazingly perfect reef bottom right breaks. The place is suited to both experiences surfers as well as beginners. Waves can reach up to 5 feet here. An ideal place if you have children of different ages and prefer avoiding crowded places.
Weligama: Weligama is the ideal spot to learn surfing in this part of the island. The sandy bottom and soft waves here make it a great choice for families.
Mirissa: A perfect reef in a perfect setting and a perfectly crescent shaped beach to go along. Suitable to both beginners and intermediate surfers. Sandy sea bed.
Polhena: Just south of Matara town, Polhena offers two surf breaks, the Polhena left hander and Polhena right hander. Both of them are reef bottomed. Waves here are fast and as big as in Hikkaduwa albeit a bit less crowded.
Situated almost equidistant from Matara and Tangalle, the fishing village of Nilwella offers big reef bottom waves from April to June. The place is not very crowded but the waves are not very regular here.
East Coast
April to September is the best period to take full advantage of great weather conditions on the east coast of the island. Here is a list of the best spots:
With waves fresh from Antarctica, the same ones that hit Indonesia’s southern coastline, that come swirling onto the beach, Arugam Bay (or “A Bay”) is claimed by those who have tried it as one of the top ten surf points in the world. Many international tournaments are hosted here with teams coming from near and far. It is hence logical that this spot tops the list of surfing destinations in Sri Lanka. The waves are long and fast. They can sometimes be as high as 10 feet.
Peanut Farm: 20 minutes South of Arugam Bay. Right sandy breaks and sometimes tubes. The waves are generally between 2 and 6 feet.
Potuvil Point: Just north of Arugam Bay, Potuvil point is reputed to be the best point on the East Coast, second only to Arugam Bay. The beach is long and sandy as is the point break. The best waves can ride up to 700 metres here and can reach 6 feet.
Crocodile Rock: Just two kilometres south of Arugam Bay, Crocodile Rock (also known as Elephant Rock, depending whether you are a reptile lover or a mammal freak!) offers a right sand point break off the river mouth. Ideal for beginners and intermediate surfers. Waves rarely reach heights over 3 feet here.
Okanda Point: Okanda Point is a right sandy point break about 20 kilometres from Arugam Bay, to the north of the famous Yala National Park. The waves can be very strong here and the presence of rocks is to be taken into consideration if you want to ride some of the powerful left and right handers here. Waves regularly reach 6 to 8 feet here.
