Surfing in Sri Lanka in January

Conditions in January

Water temp. : 28 °C
Wetsuit : Shorty or 2 mm

January sits in the middle of the south coast season. The north-east monsoon crosses the island and reaches Weligama, Midigama and Ahangama as an offshore, so the reefs and beach breaks along that stretch hold their shape through the morning and often the day.

It is the driest and the busiest month on that coast, and the two go together: this is European winter, the camps are full and Weligama bay has a lot of boards on it. The east coast is shut, so nothing to consider there until May. The water is at 28°C and boardshorts are the whole kit, which is most of why people fly eleven hours for it.

Learning in January

One of the best months anywhere to start. Weligama is a sand-bottomed bay with waist-high waves and a school every fifty metres.

Where a beginner goes in January

These spots are reachable all year. What the month changes is the size of the waves, not the access.

For an experienced surfer

Surf : Excellent

Peak conditions and peak company. Midigama's reefs at Lazy Left and Rams Right are the step up, and they are busy too.

How January compares

All twelve months, side by side

Where these figures come from

Air, rain and sunshine: WMO / NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Agadir Al Massira, a station some twenty kilometres inland and so a little warmer than the coast in summer. Swell, period and share of workable wind: Swell Archive and surf-forecast. Water temperature: seatemperature.org and weather-and-climate. Crowds and prices are an editorial judgement, not a measurement.