Sri Lanka is still one of the surfing world’s secret gems, discovered by a few lucky ones who return year after year to enjoy the tropical waters, fun waves and diverse cultural experiences the country has to offer.

Yet to the majority of the worlds’ travel addicted surfing community it has been overlooked as a surf travel destination. The local surfing community and exposure of Sri Lanka as a surfing holiday destination are in their infancy, but this trend is rapidly changing as more and more surfing travellers experience the beauty and adventure Sri Lanka has to offer and share their stories about this once forgotten paradise with the world.

Every year between April and October, storms from below South Africa, whip the ocean into a frenzy and send large, consistent swells up the length of the Indian Ocean and into the coastline of Sri Lanka. The storms are usually located thousands of kilometres away, so that by the time the swells reach Sri Lanka, they are perfectly groomed ground swells that wrap their way around the southern and eastern sides of the island. During the surf season it is not unusual to encounter at least one solid ground swell every single week and with the prevailing wind coming from the west, the majority of the southeast and eastern coasts of Sri Lanka are protected from the wind offering hundreds of uncrowded and sometimes even undiscovered locations to surf. Breaks range from gentle beach breaks, reef breaks and sandy bottomed point breaks, catering for every type of surfer from the complete novice, up to the experienced professional.

Arugam Bay or A-Bay as it is predominantly known is the hub of the Sri Lankan Surfing community, with the entire village set up to handle surfing tourists, with a huge range of accommodation and eating options. Unlike many surfing destinations which cater for only the hard core surfer and his or her desire to spend 10 hours a day catching waves over sharp shallow reefs, Arugam Bay and all of the Sri Lankan surfing destinations are the perfect place to take your girlfriend or the family. While they enjoy swimming in the protected turquoise waters of the bay, you can slip out to the point to surf perfect uncrowded waves for the morning. Once surfing is over there are so many adventures and places to explore only a short tuk tuk ride away.

Continue reading ‘Arugam Bay: A Surfing Adventure’