Katunayake (BIA)KandyNuwara Eliya+2 stops
Family Sri Lanka: hills, turtles and the south coast
From $430 / person
Things to do
Learning to surf at Weligama
A long, forgiving beach break and a great many surf schools
Learning to surf at Weligama at a glance
- How long
- Two hours
- Usual start
- 7am or 4pm
- Season
- November to April
- Effort
- Moderate
- Minimum age
- Usually 6
- From
- $20 per person
Works well with children.
Weligama is a wide bay ten minutes west of Mirissa with a sandy bottom, a gentle beach break and, at last count, a very large number of surf schools on the sand. It is where most people in Sri Lanka learn, and there is a good reason: the wave is slow, the water is warm, and there is nothing underneath you but sand.
A first lesson
Two hours, usually starting around 7am or 4pm when the wind is lightest. Half an hour on the beach on paddling, popping up and where to sit, then the rest in waist-deep whitewater with an instructor pushing you into waves. Most people stand up in the first session.
Boards are soft-topped foamies. Rash vests are provided or cheap to hire, and you want one — two hours face-down on a board will take the skin off your ribs otherwise.
The season
November to April on this coast, in line with the south-west dry season. May to September puts the swell on the east coast instead, and Arugam Bay becomes the place to be — but Arugam Bay’s Main Point is not a beginner’s wave, and Whiskey Point is the equivalent there.
Beyond the first lesson
Once you can stand, Midigama and Ahangama a few minutes further west have reef breaks that step up gradually. Board hire along this coast is inexpensive and most schools will rent by the day once you are competent.
A week here is enough to go from never having surfed to catching unbroken waves, which is a satisfying thing to take home.
How the day runs
-
30 min
On the sand
Paddling, the pop-up, and where to sit. Done on a board on the beach before you get wet.
-
1 hour
Whitewater
Waist-deep, with an instructor pushing you into broken waves. Most people stand in the first session.
-
Session 2 onwards
Out the back
Paddling for unbroken waves, which is where surfing actually starts.
-
Once competent
Move along the coast
Midigama and Ahangama step up gradually from beach break to reef.
Questions we get asked about Learning to surf at Weligama
Weligama, on the south coast, between November and April. It is a wide bay with a sandy bottom and a slow beach break, which is the right combination for a first lesson. Between May and September the season flips and Whiskey Point near Arugam Bay is the equivalent on the east coast.
Usually USD 15 to 30 for a two-hour group lesson including board and rash vest, and around double that for a private one. Board hire once you can stand is a few dollars an hour.
Yes — most schools take children from about six, and the sandy bottom and slow wave make it one of the safer places to start. Private lessons work better than group ones for younger children.
You need to be comfortable in waist-deep water and able to swim well enough not to panic if you come off. A first lesson stays in water you can stand up in. Once you paddle out the back, genuine swimming ability matters.
Trips that include it
Where this fits
Katunayake (BIA)ColomboKandy+2 stops
Leisure Sri Lanka: Colombo, Kandy, tea country and Bentota
From $375 / person
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