Archive for the 'press coverage' Category

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Rangaa??s a??Shorepiecea??

Published on 25/07/2010 in accomodation, Blogs, cabanas, front page, guesthouse, people, press coverage, restaurants, surf, the bay, Traveler's Reports and wild life. 3 Comments

By M. Naushad Amit
Sri Lanka, as a global tourist destination, has many wonders on offer to its visitors who come with different plans during their stay in this beautiful pearl shaped island situated in the Indian Ocean. Within Sri Lanka itself, there are many holiday destinations which are popular among local and foreign tourists alike. But the unspoiled beachfront of Arugam Bay is a beautiful location yet to be explored by holidaymakers.

Arugam Bay. A popular Surf Destination

Though Arugam Bay is gradually picking up in popularity among the locals as an infrequent getaway, it has been a surfing haven for foreigners for three decades. Even during the peak of the 30-year long ethnic war that affected tourists arrivals, Arugam Bay Cheap cyklokapron catered to many foreigners, especially surfers, who found the waves there a special treat to their surfing a??needsa??.
Arugam Bay, which is located near Pottuvil in the countrya??s east coast, is rich in bird life and wildlife in the surrounding jungles, wetlands and lagoons nearby. Being an area with links to ancient kingdoms, there are many remnants in the jungle from old Buddhist culture. Just outside Pottuvil, behind the dunes, are excavations of a 2000-year-old temple, the Modu Maha Vihare. About 3,500 people live in and around Arugam Bay. It consists of three small villages, where fishing and farming are the main livelihoods. Since Arugam Bay is reputed to be one of the worlda??s best surfing points, the number of foreign surfers to visit the location has increased. To meet the demands, many in Arugam Bay have shifted their interest and trades into tourism. Though the area lacks luxury hotels, the limited number of beachfront resorts and cabanas provide the best in tourist hospitality.

Ranga of Beach Hut fame

Comfort Zone
One such resort with a difference is a??Rangaa??s Beach Huta??, where guests get to enjoy a totally new experience in hospitality. Rangaa??s Beach Hut which is located at two different places neighbouring each other, is owned by Continue reading ‘Rangaa??s a??Shorepiecea??’

Help to find my brother at Arugam Bay

Published on 22/07/2010 in AbTa News, Blogs, front page, people, press coverage and the bay. 0 Comments

A few days ago, while perusing Surfermag.coma??s bulletin board for news, and doing some research for the New York Times on Tsunami survivors, I found the post that Tanner at Reef posted about Marcelo Bengoechea. Marceloa??s brother Fernando, a well-known New York photographer and an adventure travel addict went missing in Sri Lanka after literally being hit while sleeping in his bungalow at the Stardust Hotel in Arugam Bay. As many of you may know, Fernando was staying at Arugam, a place with an excellent series of right hand waves, with Nate Berkus a?? Oprah Winfreya??s favorite interior decorator.

Here are excerpts of the conversation. Marcelo by the way, is the creative director at Reef Brazil. If anyone reading this is in Sri Lanka, and can help him find his brother, youa??d sure go a long way in bringing some peace to a hell of a nice guy, and a mightily distraught familya??A?Chris Dixon

From Marcelo Bengoechea:

a??Fernando, hea??s a fashion photographer and lives in New York. Does interiors and location photograpy. Hea??s very well known. Hea?? s done a lot of lifestyle shots for Reef too. Not the girla??s butts, but the product shots.a??

a??He was in Sri Lanka staying at the Stardust Hotel in Arugam Bay. The place is very well known and has an excellent righthand wave. One of the latest issues of Transworld Surf says a??Big Sri Lankaa??, and they talk about that place in particular. The website of the resort is www.arugambay.com.a??

a??He was on a vaction trip. Hea??s not as hardcore a surfer as me a?? so he doesna??t have to carry a board with him wherever he goes, but if there were waves, Ia??m sure he was surfing.a??

a??He planned to be in Sri Lanka for Christmas and New Years. Ia??m not sure if hea??d actually been there before. Hea??s been a photographer and an adventurer a?? hea??s traveled extensively to very remote locations. I dona??t know anybody who has traveled more than my brother, and I know a lot of surfers. Hea??s got so many free air miles, he was always going places.a??

When asked what Nate Berkus had told him, he replied:

a??I actually talked to Nate. They were swept away by the wave together. From his own mouth, he told me that they were woken up in the water. They were staying in a bungalow right on the beach. They were hit first and got swept out, and between the first and second wave, there was about a 20 second lapse and they were able to grab onto a telephone pole. They thought, a??ita??s over, ita??s overa??, and thata??s when the second wave hit them. Nate was able to climb onto a roof and my brother was swept into the lagoon and the jungle area.a??

a??The hotel was on a strip between the ocean and the lagoon. My brother was swept over into the lagoon and thata??s the last time he was seen. His friend was lucky enough to have been in an area with an international cellphone and they were able to start a search.a??

a??Authorities are searching for everybody they can find alive. I contacted a person whoa??s looking exclusivelly for my brother. Hea??s in the area doing that. The search only happens during the day. Therea??s no power, no electricity, no lights and no communication. The guy has a satellite phone and Ia??m doing all sorts of research on the Internet. Ia??m pretty much putting as many descriptions on as I can. I went on CNN and they work worldwide. Thata??s why I put the posting on Surfer too. Maybe international surfers who are in the are, or who have been therea?? Ia??m just reaching out to surfers. I assume that maybe if you even have a surfboard in that area youa??ll paddle around and look for my brother. Ia??m just reaching out to as many people as I can.a??

When asked how he and his family was holding up, he replied:

a??Ita??s tough. Being so far away, therea??s not much you can do aside from watch TV and the Internet. We all come from Argentina. My family is there. I have a sister and another brother, but Fernando is an American citizen, which helps the search. Wea??re just all in touch as much as we can be. We believe in him. Knowing Fernando a?? hea??s a great athlete a?? surfer, scuba instructor. Physically, hea??s able to do whatever it takes. Hea??s been to remote locations and gone feral a number of times. We believe that if he did not die from the power of the wave, he might be lost in the jungle and unable to communicate. Hea??s strong, hea??s smart and he knows survival techniques well enough that he could survive in the jungle. Thata??s an isolated area. Therea??s just nothing around there. So we have every reason to hope.a??

a??You know, ita??s a crazy story when you actually know someone who has been in that situation. Ita??s unbelievable. I still dona??t believe it.a??

If anyone has any leads, Marceloa??s email is: marcelo.b@reef.com. Otherwise, send a prayer his way.

Go to Surfermag.comA?Message Board thread regarding Fernando.

An NYTimes Article on Victims, including Fernando
Off the Runway, and in Disastera??s Path CLICK HERE.

The Fernando and Nate Blog
Most Updated Information CLICK HERE.

source:

http://www.surfermag.com/features/findfernando/

Youngsters from Arugam Bay swap fishing for surfing

Published on 18/07/2010 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, Kitesurf, people, press coverage, surf, Surf competition, Surf Federation News, the bay and Wind Surf. 0 Comments

From fighting the waves to riding them
By M Naushad Amit

Sri Lanka has some excellent up-and-coming professionals in the sports field who are making a name for themselves as players, trainers and coaches. Cricket and rugby top the list while many in the track and field sports have also come into the limelight recently.

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Arugam Bay Surf Club

Strangely a bunch of youngsters from Arugam Bay are on the verge of swapping their traditional profession of fishing to take up to surfing, an internationally popular sport hitherto alien to Sri Lanka and confined mainly to occasional glimpses of foreign events on television.
The Arugam Bay surfing break which was recognised by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the global governing body in surfing has now developed to be a popular destination for international surfers. Many in Arugam Bay who were battered by the ethnic war and the raging tsunami are now gradually picking up the threads of their shattered lives and moving on by taking to surfing along with the unceasing number of international surfers who come here on training or holiday.

To cater the demands of the tourists who come to stay in Arugam Bay for long periods, a young set of surfing enthusiasts took the initiative of forming the Arugam Bay Surf Club (ABSC) seven years ago. At the beginning these youngsters only knew to balance their body weight on a surfing board with their natural talent to swim. But during this period the ABSC has grown to become a dominant force in surfing in Sri Lanka.
a??When we began seven years ago we knew nothing on surfing. We had only ten members then who knew to swim well but had no idea of how to handle a surf board. As years passed by our boys learned a great deal on surfing through the huge number of international surfers who came down to Arugam Bay. Now our membership has grown to 35 and all are equally talented,a?? Krishantha Ariyasena the secretary of ABSC told The Nation.
The ABSC were further boosted by a group from England who had come down to uplift the living standards of the people of Arugam Bay after the devastating tsunami. The group a??Paddle for Reliefa?? headed by Tim Tanton consisting great surfing enthusiasts promoted Arugam Bay to the outside world as an ideal surfing destination while engaging in social welfare work. The local surfers who used to train on borrowed surfers were presented two brand new surf boards by Tantona??s Group.
a??Tim and his group were really behind our efforts in promoting surfing among the local youngsters here. Over the years they helped us in many ways and we also came to know a lot of foreign friends through them,a?? Krishantha added.

The ABSC who are now affiliated to the Surfing Federation of Sri Lanka has become a leading club in the sport by holding many locally organised events throughout the country. But their greatest break in surfing came during late June with the SriLankan Airlines Pro Surfing 2010, a six-star event recognised and organised by the ASP. Sri Lanka was presented two wild card entries and through a qualifying championship the local surfers from Arugam Bay Duphalac syrup cost won the slots to represent Sri Lanka along with over 100 professional and international surfers. The ASP officials were really impressed by the local talent who competed without less technical knowledge.
a??This was the greatest moment for us at ABSC. AH Milan and WL Asanka from our club won the wild card slots for the event. Continue reading ‘Youngsters from Arugam Bay swap fishing for surfing’

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A journey through the wilderness: Lahugala

Published on 12/07/2010 in Historical sites, people, press coverage and wild life. 0 Comments

A lone Elephant in Lahugala near (Arugam Bay) Sildalis cheap

It was around 4.30 pm when a group of us passed through the gates and entered the Lahugala National Park. The evening light was casting shadows on the ground and the large trees and foliage were shading our path. As the vehicle drove forward I could not help but feel that I was truly entering the wilderness.

Words Udeshi AmarasingheA?Photographs Mahesh Bandara

The Lahugala National Park was opened to the public recently, therefore the tranquillity of an untouched environment still prevails. The roads are still rough and newly cut with an occasional branch or two barring the way. Continue reading ‘A journey through the wilderness: Lahugala’

Alan Stokes and Beth Mason win the Arugam Bay Champion of Champions

Published on 07/07/2010 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, Blogs, front page, people, press coverage, surf, Surf competition and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

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Arugam Bay Champion of Champions winners

Alan Stokes at Arugam Bay

The weeks Sri Lanka Champion of Champions Surf Contest saw two new champions, some great weather and perfect conditions. UK Pro Surf Tour Champion Alan Stokes from Newquay and Welsh Champion Beth Mason showed stunning form in 3 to 4 ft conditions to take the top spots on the podium at one of the yeara??s most prestigious contests.

Organised by the UK Pro Surf Association (UKPSA), the event saw one of the largest ever entries with over 50 contestants travelling from all over the world to bid for this major title at Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka. Continue reading ‘Alan Stokes and Beth Mason win the Arugam Bay Champion of Champions’

When they surf expressed!

Published on 04/07/2010 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, Blogs, From our own Correspondent, front page, people, press coverage, surf, Surf competition, Surf Federation News and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

by Nilma Dole
The Coolum-born 21 year-old Australian endured many a wave and stride to come out clean with a good score of 14.33 that saw him win over 19 year-old American Nat Young in the Sri Lankan Pro Surf Tournament 2010 held in ARUGAM BAY

THIS IS THE SPIRIT OF ARUGAM

Hailing from a family where surfing runs through their veins, Julian is a down-to-earth surfer with a wave of a charisma that shows that you dona??t need a big surfboard to win big. He said, a??Sri Lankan surfers do have the potential to make it big because the Arugam Bay waves are first-class and are great to practice on.a??

2010 Winner. Best Surfer Julian

Winning Sri Lankaa??s first ever 6 star rated Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) SriLankan Airlines Pro tournament in awesome style, the surf went up 4 to 6 feet surf on the day of the finals. Continue reading ‘When they surf expressed!’

Surfs up in Arugam Bay

Published on 04/07/2010 in Environmental, Kitesurf, Money Matters, people, press coverage, Security & Safety, services, surf, Surf competition, Surf Federation News and the bay. 0 Comments

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By David Stephens
For several years Arugam Bay and the surrounding town of Pottuvil found their development strangled by the turbulence of a bitter civil conflict as well as the carnage of a devastating Tsunami. Now with both tragedies buried in its past, the area is gradually becoming one of the worlda??s premier surfing destinations.

There was ample evidence to support this claim when Arugam Baya??s strong waves played host to the Sri Lanka Airlines Pro Surf event last week. The week long tournament drew in some of the worlda??s best known surfers from countries as far flung as South Africa, UK, USA and Hawaii. The event organizers, The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), had previously held the competition in the Maldives but had always eyed Arugam Bay as a potential location.

a??We were waiting to hold this event here for a very long time, but the war was a major obstacle. Now that ita??s over, and after seeing what a success this tournament has become, we plan on bringing it to Buy antabuse online canada Arugam Bay annually,a?? ASP Australasia Tour Manager, Dane Jordan explains. Continue reading ‘Surfs up in Arugam Bay’

Kite Friends of Arugam Bay

Published on 04/07/2010 in Arugam Surf Club, Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, Kitesurf, parties, people, press coverage, surf, Traveler's Reports and Wind Surf. 1 Comment

Kitesurfing Cheap betapace af is an extreme that has just got off the ground in Sri Lanka. The sport itself is just over 15 years old and numerous developments have occurred increasing the performance and safety of kites. Faith Kiteboarding are a high quality brand that has constantly redesigned kites on a yearly basis to suite the requirements of todaya??s riders.

The a??Jump Eventa?? was more straight forward where Kiters had two opportunities to Jump the longest distance. There was no restriction on the kite size. The results for the respective events are as follows; Continue reading ‘Kite Friends of Arugam Bay’

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Water sports crucial to attract tourists: Thilak Weerasinghe

Published on 04/07/2010 in Blogs, front page, Kitesurf, people, press coverage, surf, Surf competition, the bay and Wind Surf. 1 Comment

Last week during the countrya??s first major international surfing event at Arugam Bay Vantin online , an energetic figure could be seen enthusiastically mingling with the eventa??s officials and spectators. Some whom he spoke to perhaps did not know that the man smiling warmly at them was not only one of the main proponents for the development of water sports in the country but is also hailed as Sri Lankaa??s most successful wind surfer.


Thilak Weerasinghe

Throughout the eighties and into the early nineties, Thilak Weerasinghe was a force to be reckoned with in the local and international wind surfing arena. He competed in and dominated events staged in places like Trincomalee, Beruwela and Mount Lavinia and further reinforced his dominance by shining in countries like Germany, Singapore, Holland, France, Belgium and the Maldives. According to Thilak his most memorable and outstanding showing came in an event in Feman, Germany in the mid eighties.

a??I think I really surfed well there and that was probably my best ever performance. I won the event and beat out several of the worlda??s leading wind surfers,a?? Thilak reveals. Thilak took to the water at a very early age, becoming part of the Life Saving Club at Kinross when he was still a teenager. Then, while in Trincomalee, he discovered the sport that was to shape his life for the next several years.

a??It was a new sport to both me and Sri Lanka and I was very excited to learn it. Then gradually I started getting better at it,a?? Thilak explains. In fact Thilak got so good that he not only started winning tournaments but also earned a scholarship from the German Embassy to travel there and be taught the finer points of the sport. Continue reading ‘Water sports crucial to attract tourists: Thilak Weerasinghe’

A-Bay hosts UK pros at Champion in Champions

Published on 04/07/2010 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, press coverage, surf, Surf competition, Surf Federation News, the bay and Traveler's Reports. 0 Comments

….. Renowned as one of the best a??point breaksa?? in the world, A?Arugam Bay Order venlor medication on the East coast of Sri Lanka…..

Arugam Bay : photo Jason Feast

Champion of Champions

UKPST
Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka
2 – 4 July 2010

UK surfers will include Alan Stokes, Reubin Ash, Oli Adams, Lynden Wake, Nicole Morgan

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 2 July, 2010 : – – The heat is rising and the swell is pumping for the start of the Sri Lanka Champion of Champions Surf Contest at Arugam Bay. Today the contest kicked off with some great surfing by the local Sri Lankan talent from Arugam Bay and Hikkaduwa, who spent the day fighting it out all the way to the semi finals.

The highest scoring wave of the day was from none other than the man who actually lives on the point, Asanka Sanjey. Who got a nine point wave with a double hand grab air, in the first heat.A? Asanka went on to make it into the finals alongside Kavinthirian, Santharuwan and Milan all from Arugam Bay.A? The Local, Open and Womena??s final will all be held on Sunday 4th July.

The top ten surfers from the local division have been drawn into the line up for tomorrowa??s first and second heat of the Open.A? Which will see them fighting for the title up against UKa??s top surfers such as Oli Adams, Reubyn Ash, Alan Stokes and Johnny Fryer.

Warren Tuck : photo Jason Feast/UKPST

Sponsored by Sri Lanka Airlines, Crystal Holidays, Sri Lanka Tourism and Airtel, the renowned as one of the best a??point breaksa?? in the world, Arugam Bay on the East coast of Sri Lanka. Continue reading ‘A-Bay hosts UK pros at Champion in Champions’

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Arugam Bay Surf Club

Published on 02/07/2010 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, Kitesurf, parties, people, press coverage, presse-deutsch, services, surf, Surf competition, Surf Federation News and the bay. 0 Comments

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The long trek to …. Arugam Bay

Published on 02/07/2010 in Blogs, front page, people, press coverage, surf, Surf competition and the bay. 0 Comments

……. Finally, good luck to Lyndon Wake, Order isoniazid adverse Stuart Campbell and his sister, Lucy, who have made the long trek to Sri Lanka‘s famed break of Arugam Bay for the 2010 British Pro Tour Champion of Champions event…….

BRIGHTENING UP: The sun is out at Croyde and so are Steve Altrum’s famous shorts ahead of this weekend’s Hotdoggers date. Picture: Rob Tibbles

north_devon_journalBRIGHTENING UP: The sun is out at Croyde and so are Steve Altrum's famous shorts ahead of this weekend's Hotdoggers date. Picture: Rob Tibbles

NORTH DEVON’S army of longboarders headed over the border for the third round of the British Championships at Watergate Bay, Newquay.

Saturday started slowly in the small surf, but the swell grew as the weekend progressed, with the competitors greeted by massive 6ft-plus sets on Sunday morning.

The big conditions were a real test of stamina, Continue reading ‘The long trek to …. Arugam Bay’

TOP UK SURFERS RETURN TO Arugam Bay

Published on 01/07/2010 in Arugam Bay Surf Club, Arugam Surf Club, Arugambay Surf Club, Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, front page, press coverage, surf, Surf competition, Surf Federation News and the bay. 0 Comments

click on the banner to get directly to UK Pro Surf

Purchase copegus rogaine The UK Pro Surf Tour has announced it will be returning to Sri Lanka in July this year for the a??Sri Lanka Champion of Champions Surf Contesta?? at Arugam Bay. Renowned as one of the best a??point breaksa?? in the world, Cheap cozaar Arugam Bay on theA?East coast of Sri Lanka. It is now a hotspot in the surfing calendar and is accessible as a result of the recent end to the civil unrest in the country.

The 2010 Championships will see topA?surfersA?fighting it out to become the ultimate champion including some of UKa??s top professional surfers, international stars and local Sri Lankan surfers.

Llewelyn Whitaker

source:

http://www.ukprosurf.com/item.do?item=770

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Arugam Bay Highlights Day 1- Final Sri Lankan Airlines Pro 2010

Published on 30/06/2010 in front page, people, press coverage, surf, Surf competition, Surf Federation News and the bay. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

…. continue below to admire short YouTube highlights of every day of the recent ASP Surf Competition, including the exciting final Continue reading ‘Arugam Bay Highlights Day 1- Final Sri Lankan Airlines Pro 2010’

Arugam’s parking spaces ….

Published on 28/06/2010 in Environmental, front page, Money Matters, people, press coverage and services. 0 Comments

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Empower the people and make them self reliant
by R.M.B Senanayake

……… (Extract) … Can they exercise power in the present centralized environment? Read the reports of proceedings of the Pradesiya Sabhas in the Lakbima. There was an interesting article on the Arugam Bay resort which lacks latrines, water, no covered shelters and central parking space for the thousands of tourists both local and foreign.

The Chairman of the Pottuvil Buy aldactone cheap Pradesiya Sabha was asked about them. He said he had applied to the central government for a piece of land to provide such facilities and would do so when he gets it. Continue reading ‘Arugam’s parking spaces ….’

Sri Lanka welcomes surfers as shadow of war recedes

Published on 27/06/2010 in front page, Money Matters, parties, people, press coverage, surf, Surf competition, the bay, Traveler's Reports and tuk tuk. 1 Comment

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……Late at night, there is a party on the beach.

“I guessA?[Arugam Bay] is not as developed as some other surfing areas,” says the ASP’s Jake White.

“But I think surf tourism here is really going to boom after this event put it on the map.”……

Just over a year after the end of the long war between the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tiger rebels, the country has played host to its first surfing championship. And as the BBC’s Charles Haviland discovered, both surfers and local residents hope it will not be the last.

Julian Wilson, Arugam - June 2010

Australian Julian Wilson won the first surfing championship in Sri Lanka

As dawn breaks over Arugam Bay, a fisherman casts his net into the lagoon near the long, low bridge that links the remote village to the rest of the country.

By 0700, Arugam’s other main industry is storming into life at the southern end of the beach.

On the massive waves breaking in a blue-green sea, contestants in the Sri Lankan Airlines Pro Surf 2010 “surf their brains out”, to quote one of the live commentators.

They ride the waves in virtuoso performances, astonishingly staying upright – mostly.

“Oh, and he’s disappeared!” roars the Aussie commentator as a losing semi-finalist disappears into a wave that looks 20 feet tall.

“Oh my gosh – just 40 seconds remaining – it was do or die – he had to roll the dice, had to have a go!”

‘Cool experience’

By now there are just two surfers left, of the 128 that started a week earlier. The final winner is a 21-year-old Australian, Julian Wilson.

Top-notch surfing – this is known as a six-star contest – has come to Sri Lanka and Wilson says he feels “unreal” to have won.

“It’s been such a cool experience over here,” he tells the BBC.

“The local people have taken such good care of us; the waves have been good every day,” he says. He hopes to return next year.

The locals of Arugam and Pottuvil, including groups of well-behaved schoolchildren and their teachers, have flocked to see the surfing.

Early in the morning some clamber up the dunes for the best view.

I foolishly follow them when the sun is higher and am forced to retreat from the burning heat of the sand.

It is better under the big canopy where drinks are on hand and where the reggae and hip-hop music is being pumped out.

“We really appreciate the surfers coming here,” Abu Saleem Muzzamil, a tuk-tuk driver, says.

Abu Saleem Muzzamil, tuk-tuk driver

“It gives us a lot of business – tuk-tuks, restaurants, hotel rooms, vegetable shops.

“They’re really friendly: they talk to the local people and the kids. For us, it is like meeting long-lost friends.”

Local surfers

The moment Julian Wilson is out of the water and receiving his trophy, Sri Lankans are in the sea as members of the Arugambay Surfing Club “reclaim” their surf point.

Twenty-four locals were given spots in the tournament and two received prize money.

The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) donates some surfboards to their local colleagues and the club’s 26-year-old chairman, Fawas Lafeer, is grateful.

Sri Lankan surfer, Arugam - June 2010

“We have really good skilled surfers but we don’t have any lessons, no surf coaches or anything,” he says.

But the club, whose members sport a uniform of black, red-trimmed T-shirts, are doing their own teaching for young local people, including swimming training.

They hope to increase their strength from 35 to 60 quite soon, says Fawas.

He says the membership completely cross-cuts the ethnic and religious divisions in this very mixed part of the country.

Never far away Continue reading ‘Sri Lanka welcomes surfers as shadow of war recedes’