Guide to Surfing in Sri Lanka

Your Guide to Surfing in Sri Lanka! Updated 2023

Sri Lanka, the small island nation off the southern coast of India, is quickly becoming a top destination for surfers from around the world. With its warm water, consistent swells, and beautiful beaches, it’s no surprise that more and more surfers are flocking to Sri Lanka to ride its waves.

Sri Lanka’s coastline stretches over 1,300 kilometers, offering a diverse range of waves for surfers of all skill levels. From the long, point breaks of the east coast to the reefs of the southwest, there’s something for everyone in Sri Lanka. In addition to the surf, Sri Lanka is also home to a rich culture and stunning natural beauty, making it a perfect destination for a surf trip. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner looking to catch your first wave, Sri Lanka has something to offer.

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at everything you need to know about surfing in Sri Lanka. AWAVE Travel offers a range of quality resorts and surf camps in Sri Lanka! Let our expert surf travel team find your next trip!

Where is Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka is located in South Asia, just off the southern coast of India. It’s a tropical paradise with a long history and a rich culture. With its warm weather, beautiful beaches, and friendly locals, it’s no wonder that it’s such a popular destination for travelers and surfers alike.

Surfers have been gracing the country’s shores since the 60s. The country was subject to a long-fought civil war, which kept many surfers at bay until the late 2000s. Just a hardy few traveled in these years. Surfing in Sri Lanka became much easier after the end of the war with a burgeoning surf culture emerging across the island!

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Best time for Surfing in Sri Lanka

The best time to surf in Sri Lanka depends on where you are on the island. The West and South coasts of Sri Lanka see the best swells from November to April, while the East coast has more consistent waves from April to November.

Fun waves can also be found along the South Coast with lighter winds! In general, the water is warm and the waves are good year-round, so it’s always a good time to surf in Sri Lanka.

Global Surf Beach House Kabalana Activities

How to travel to Sri Lanka?

There are a few different ways to travel to Sri Lanka, depending on where you’re coming from. The most common way to get to Sri Lanka is to fly into Colombo, the capital city. There are several international airlines that fly to Colombo, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines. Once you arrive in Colombo, you can take a domestic flight or a bus to get to your final destination.

AWAVE Travel’s favourite Waves in Sri Lanka!

Sri Lanka has become well known for its user-friendly waves, warm water, and vibrant local culture. The island has something for everyone, with beginners to advanced wave riders finding something to suit! Please see some of AWAVE Travel’s favourite waves in the country!

Arugam Bay: Arugam Bay is a small fishing village on the east coast of Sri Lanka known for its world-class waves and laid-back atmosphere. A series of fun righthand point breaks dot the coast north and south!

Hikkaduwa: Located on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, Hikkaduwa is a popular tourist destination with a long stretch of sandy beach and good waves for all skill levels. A few peaky reefs to choose from.

Kabalana Beach: Located on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, Kabalana is a popular destination for travelers and surfers alike. With a long beach and consistent waves, it’s a great spot for both beginners and experienced surfers. Peaky beach breaks with a higher quality a-frame ‘The Rock’ which can produce great surf.

Mirissa: Located on the south coast of Sri Lanka, Mirissa is better known for its beautiful beach scene but has a fun righthander at the end of the beach. Grab a coconut or beer and enjoy the vibe!

Weligama: Located on the southern coast of Sri Lanka, Weligama is a popular spot for beginner and intermediate surfers. With its wide, sandy beach and gentle waves, it’s a great place to learn to surf or improve your skills.

Where to stay in Sri Lanka

If you are looking for comfort and quality accommodation whilst surfing in Sri Lanka, our range of resort and surf camps could be perfect for your trip!

Anantara Peacehaven Tangalle

Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle has always been a firm favorite for surfers wanting to escape their busy lives and experience the beautiful waves of Sri Lanka! Nestled on the far southern coast of Sri Lanka sits Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle. This tropical oasis of calm is the perfect location to stay and explore the waves of the local area.

With its southerly facing coastline, the area around Tangalle has great waves for beginners through to advanced surfers, year-round. After a day of waves, take a stroll through the well-manicured grounds, enjoy a cocktail at the oceanfront restaurant or relax in one of the many luxury room options.

Cape Weligama

Cape Weligama is one of Sri Lanka’s most luxurious and well-appointed resorts. Sitting atop the high cliffs near Weligama Bay and overlooking a left and right-hand reef break, Cape Weligama is the perfect luxury resort to explore the surrounding surf!

Nearby Weligama is well known for its beginner-friendly beach breaks but there is also a range of more challenging reefs in the local area for you to explore and enjoy!

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Kabalana Beach House

Kabalana Beach House is a high-quality and well-run surf camp located on the beach at Kabalana. Wake up overlooking the emerald waters of the Indian Ocean, just a stone’s throw from one of the best beginner beach breaks in the country.

The team at Kabalana Beach House offers surf camps for all levels, catering from beginners to advanced surfers! With a range of beaches and reef breaks in the area, this camp is perfect for all levels wanting to experience Sri Lankan surf!

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Sunshine Stories

Sunshine Stories has become a firm favorite with AWAVE Travels clients. Located in the cool town of Ahangama, the retreat is located perfectly between waves for all levels!

This boutique surf retreat has a strong focus on surfer progression in the water and relaxation on land. The experience onsite team make sure you feel completely at home during your stay and our clients love it!

Travel Insurance

World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance and safety advice to help you travel confidently. World Nomads offers travel insurance for independent travelers and intrepid families. It has been designed by travelers for travelers, with coverage for more than 150 activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation, and more. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.

Booking Your Trip

AWAVE Travel’s team is here to help you find the perfect resort for your trip. Once you have decided on the trip and the route that would suit you, we can set you up with an offer for booking!

All of our trips are covered by our Best Price Promise, so you will always get the best rate booking with AWAVE Travel!

Sri Lanka, Surf Guide

January 3, 2023

Cobus and Jackie Van Aswegen 10/19/23

Google

awesome last minute trip which was well communicated, friendly crew and great surf guide! waves were not the best but we realised at the time of booking that it was end of season. crew could not be more friendly and willing to help all the time - chef prepared a wide variety of food and never any complaints on that front - thanks!!!... we will be back for more!

Steve 10/07/23

TrustPilot

I've used Awave twice ... so far. This is the second time I've used Awave for a trip to the maldives. Stayed in 2 different resorts this time. They've always been incredibly prompt at replying and handled everything for us, making sure the 2 Resorts were in touch to get us transfered half way through our trip. At one of the resorts I even bumped into Giulia and Delia who were out there surfing at the time. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll use awave again if I'm booking a surf trip

Donald Ayres 11/06/23

Indonesia Surf Trip/ Java/Bali/Sumba - James Colston was my representative from AWAVE - I’m an older solo surfer and James was attentive, respectful, extremely responsive from the initial planning stages all the way through the booking. And he was so patient with all my crazy questions along the way. I couldn’t have been more pleased with James’s level of service. Thank you James

Alex Daish 12/28/23

Giulia was an amazing person to book with. I was overwhelmed with choices initially, but AWAVE knew their stuff and helped me with my options and even suggested delaying my trip so I could go to a certain hotel which ended up being the best decision I made all year.

Mickey 01/24/24

Giulia and James were always on line to answer any question or to give an advice. The Ayada resort is perfect both for families or for couples. We did not have waves as the season goes from April to September, but there are plenty options to have fun and good times. Highly recommended both Awave and Ayada.

James 01/30/24

The AWAVE team are knowledgable and helpful. Giulia is a very helpful and patient person to deal with, and do not worry, you can trust her. I had to delay my trip to Morocco due to unforeseen circumstances and Giulia was very understanding. I have just returned from having a fantastic week at Amouage in Taghazout. Thanks AWAVE!

Omar AlJammaz 03/07/23

Great travel options, great customer support, simplifying planing process.
Looking forward for my next trip.

Nina Ross 03/08/23

Awesome holiday to Hudhuranfushi. Giulia was very helpful and quick to respond and overall we were very impressed with Awave Travel.
Lohi's is a private, on site, awesome left hander that just kept giving. Also had options of 2 daily surf boat trips that went to other local breaks such as Sultans, Ninja's, Cokes, Jails. The surf team are amazing and we scored great waves the whole time we were there.
Stayed in a Sunset family beach villa which was perfect for a family of 4, then upgraded for the last 3 nights to Ocean Villas, both great for different reasons!
Island staff are so helpful and welcoming, and there's a good variety of food options available. Lots of other things to do such as paddleboarding, jet ski-ing, spa treatments, yoga and amazing snorkelling - with sharks, turtles and rays! We also hired bikes to get around and do morning surf checks!
An amazing trip, thank you Awave and Hudhuranfushi!

Seb Speck 25/06/23

We had an amazing time on the Mentawai islands booked through Awave Travel.
Giulia was very helpful and available at all times during the booking process. And we had the best time on the Mentawais on the Maki Boat. The staff were amazing. Raul the surf guide was very helpful, friendly and coached us on the waves. Kaique the photographer produced top quality pictures and videos from the water, boat and drone.
Overall very happy and would highly recommend it.

Tom Ward 18/06/23

We charted Seafarer for a 10 day trip in the Maldives. We booked with AWAVE about 12 months before. James was super helpful, really responsive and just easy to deal with. We even made a very last minute change to go to the central atolls which he arranged pretty much straight away. The trip itself was unreal, great surf, amazing wildlife and scenery. If you’re thinking about a surf charter, do it and book through these guys!