Surfing in Sri Lanka in October

October falls between the two monsoons. The south-west monsoon has finished, so the east coast is losing the wind that made it work, and the north-east monsoon has not yet arrived to give the south its offshore. Rain falls on both coasts. For a week of surf, October is the least dependable month of the Sri Lankan year, but it is not a flat one.

The best wave on the island this month is on the east. Pottuvil Point, the long right north of Arugam Bay, still comes up clean four days out of seven. The catch is the town around it: half of Arugam Bay has shut for the year, the season staff have gone home, and the offshore can no longer be relied on. It suits someone who already surfs and wants empty points more than open bars.

The south is slowly switching back on. Weligama bay and Plantations in Midigama each give about one day in seven, and the count rises towards the end of the month as the monsoon turns. Hiriketiya is the village that makes most sense here: its cove sits between two headlands that wrap the swell inwards, so it keeps a rideable wave on days when the open beaches are in pieces, and the schools work the sandy right-hand side. Of the southern villages, it holds up best in October.

What October offers in return is price. It is the cheapest month of the year alongside May, nothing is booked out, and the southern villages are reopening rather than full, so you can decide where to go on the morning rather than weeks ahead. If your dates are fixed on October, choose the east for the waves or the south for the second fortnight, when November starts to show. If they are not fixed, November is the same south coast with the season properly under way.

If you already surf, October in Sri Lanka comes down to one wave: Pottuvil Point, the long right north of Arugam Bay, which still comes up clean four days out of seven as the east coast season closes. It is the best wave on the island this month by a distance, and on most mornings there will be very few people on it.

The trade is the town around it. The south-west monsoon has finished, so the offshore is no longer something to count on, rain comes through, and half of Arugam Bay has shut for the year. Some of the guesthouses and restaurants you would use in August are closed, the season staff have gone, and the evenings are quiet. Go knowing that, book a place that stays open for the whole month, and plan to ride to the point at first light. Arugam Bay is six to eight hours from the airport across the interior, so the first day is a travel day.

The south is the other option and the weaker one for now. Plantations in Midigama gives about one day in seven, rising towards the end of the month as the north-east monsoon arrives, on its way to four in November. If you choose the south, take the second fortnight and use Hiriketiya as the fallback: its two headlands wrap the swell into the cove, so it holds a wave when the open beaches close out, and its left-hand reef is the part of the bay for surfers rather than schools. Hiriketiya is about an hour from Midigama by road, some thirty-five kilometres, so pick one as your base rather than planning to commute between them.

Whichever side you pick, October is the cheapest month of the year alongside May and nothing is booked out, which means you can decide on the morning rather than weeks in advance. Go east for the waves, south for what November is about to become.