Surfing in Sri Lanka in September

Conditions in September

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

September is the last month of the south-west monsoon, and on the east coast it behaves like the tail of a good season. The swell is less frequent than in July and August and the offshore is less reliable towards the end of the month, but the days that work are the same days, on points that are suddenly empty.

The European holidays are over and Arugam Bay empties out in the first week, so a September trip is the same coast at a fraction of the crowd. It is the value month of the east season, and the last before the island spends October between monsoons. The water is at 28°C.

Learning in September

Easier than August simply because there is room. The points are still points, and Baby Point is still the answer.

Where a beginner goes in September

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

For an experienced surfer

Surf : Very good

The east season's last month, with nobody on it. If you can be flexible about size, this beats July.

How September 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.