SriLanka is a reliable surf destination in the Indian Ocean. The south coast is open to the same regular, long distance SW swells, that pepper Indonesia.

Over the years, the south-west has become a popular spot to hang out and surf, being safe and full of visitors.

The variety of mellow reefs at HIKKADUWA tend to favor lefts which perfectly groom the small, clean swells. The most consistent spot is Main Reef which has fun lefts and rights on a flat coral reef facing the Surfing Beach Guest House. But expect crowds including foreign and locale tourists.

Benny is an outside reef that is reached after five minute paddle and offers a pretty radical and fairly consistent lefts that can hold big swells.

Another good surf spot to check out for big swells is North Jetty, which has long lefts. South of Main Reef is Inside Reef, which is another left peak that deals out some power. Beyond here is a long stretch of beach breaks, which varies from a fat wave, ideal for beginners and body-boarders. If it ever gets big, the river-mouth will have a rideable wave, although the water can be very dirty.

Galle is southeast from HIKKADUWA and is the most interesting colonial town in the area. You would find good left breaks near the jetty just outside of town,but doesn't work very often.

A bit further east is Kogalla, where reefs here don't pick up much swell, but when it's on, the left is excellent.

 Midigama is a small village further east, which is less consistent than HIKKADUWA and more exposed to south winds. There are two spots: a long fat left and a short power full right breaking over a shallow reef. Conditions here are far more primitive than HIKKADUWA but far less crowded, inviting many surfing fanatics.

The beach brake in Weligama can be surfed even when small and the rest of the south coast is blown-out.

The same swells that turn Indonesia on, deliver the goods to SriLanka, although the higher latitude causes some swell decay. The main problem is that the most consistent SW swell season (April-October) will be accompanied by frequent SW rain. It is still possible to surf in the morning but expect rain, dirty water and strong winds with the 1-2.6m swells. This is the ideal time to travel to the south-easterly coast around ARUGAMBAY.

The best time for surfing in the south coast is at start and end of the dry season (November-April), when NE winds are most likely to coincide with the bigger SW ground swell.

During the dry season, waves are typically 0.6-2m and clean, so it's rare to see it totally flat in HIKKADUWA at any time of the year. Even during the NE monsoon, the afternoons tend to have some rain. The south wind affects the spots east of Galle far more than the HIKKADUWA breaks.