South West Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka, INDIAN OCEAN

Midigama, Tara Moller

The Surf

Sri Lanka, a teardrop shaped island below India, is the highest latitude, reliable surf destination in the Indian Ocean. The S coast is open to the same regular, long distance SW swells, that pepper Indonesia. Arugam Bay, on Sri Lanka’s E coast, Arugam Bay was a very popular port of call for surfers travelling across Asia in the ‘70’s, but trips here came to a halt in 1983 with the outbreak of civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government. Surfers forced to look elsewhere for waves didn’t take long to discover the Hikkaduwa reefs.

When to Go

The same swells that turn Indonesia on, deliver the goods to Sri Lanka, although the higher latitude causes some swell decay. The main problem is that the most consistent SW swell season (April-Oct) will be accompanied by frequent SW onshores. It’s still possible to surf in the morning but expect rain, dirty water and strong winds with the 3-8ft (1-2.5m) swells. If it were safe, this is the ideal time to travel to the SE coast around Arugam Bay. The best time for the S coast is at the start and end of the dry season (November to April), when NE winds are most likely to coincide with the bigger SW groundswells. During the dry season, waves are typically 2-6ft (0.5-2m) and clean, so it’s rare to see it totally flat in Hikkaduwa, at any time of year. Even during the NE monsoon, the afternoons tend to go onshore. The S wind affects the spots east of Gallé far more than the Hikkaduwa breaks. Tidal ranges are minimal, and the A-frame surf shop in Hikkaduwa provides tide tables. Most shallow reefs will change significantly with the tides.

Population
Hikkaduwa - 100,000

Coastline
1,340km (837mi)

Timezone
GMT +5.30hr

Travel Information

Weather It’s a typical tropical monsoon climate with 2 definite seasons. Maha means NE monsoon (Nov - Mar) and this is the driest and sunniest period for the SW. The transition periods have very hot temperatures but relief can be found in the mountains. The rainy monsoon lasts from April to Oct and the winds blow strong onshore (SW - Yala), bringing lots of rain. This rainy period lasts until Nov, which is the coolest, most pleasant time to travel. Most of the year the water temperature remains a perfect 27°c (80?F), so you can ride rubberless.

Nature The island where Jonah was spat out of the Whale and Adam and Eve walked in paradise has much more to offer than average surf or snorkelling on the coral reefs. Visit colonial Gallé, climb Adam’s peak for the spectacular sunrise and see the Buddhist temples in Kandy. Wildlife (elephants and monkeys) is plentiful. Hikkaduwa has surprisingly good nightlife.

Hazards There have been some serious cases of violent localism towards visiting waveriders from the local Hikkaduwa surfers. Bring a good attitude, be mellow in the line-up and instead of aggression, you’ll be treated well. Sewage pollution and coral cuts mix badly. As a big tourist resort, many local people make their money by scamming gullible tourists.

Hints The A-Frame surf shop is the base for Mambo Surf Tours, who can arrange trips to waves in other areas of the country. Boards can be rented for $1/h. A gun is not needed. This area is trouble-free regarding the civil war. Learn a few words of Sinhala and you’ll be greeted with smiles.

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