Surfing in Sri Lanka

Surfing in Sri Lanka is one of the popular sports in Sri Lanka among foreign tourists despite not being popular among the Sri Lankan locals. Surfing in Sri Lanka dates back to early 1960s.[1] The country has many beaches for surfing, especially in the southern and eastern regions. Places such as Arugam Bay, Hikkaduwa, Weligama, Mirissa and Unawatuna are popular surf spots in Sri Lanka and among tourists.[2] The Tourism in Sri Lanka is also very closely related to the sport of surfing and the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau support the sport of surfing as one of the measures of attracting tourists.

Surfing in Sri Lanka
CountrySri Lanka
Governing bodySri Lanka Surfing Federation
National team(s)Sri Lanka national surf team
International competitions
Arugam Bay one of the finest surf locations

Arugam Bay
Main article: Arugam Bay
Arugam Bay severely affected due to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

Arugam Bay is the most popular surf spot and is also the only international surf competition venue in Sri Lanka. It is also rated as one of the top ten surf destinations in the world. It has also hosted most of the international surfing competitions in Sri Lanka since 2004.[3] Arugam Bay has also notably hosted two Pro Surf League competitions as part of the World Surf League in 2011 and in 2019. Most notably, Arugam Bay hosted the So Sri Lanka Pro 2019 event which was also the first major international competition to be held in Sri Lanka in 2019 since the Easter Sunday bombings.[4] The event was won by Australia's Mitch Parkinson and Indonesia's Oney Anwar became runnerup.[5][6]

Whiskey Point in Arugam Bay

The best season to visit Arugam Bay is generally between April to October. The beach consists of about 6 ft and rides of approximately 400m. It has points including Crocodile Rock, Panama, Okanda and Whiskey Point.

Mirissa
Main article: Mirissa
Mirissa beach

The areas such as Kabalana, Midigama, Weligama, Ahangama and Matara in Mirissa are notable spots for surfing.[7]

Hikkaduwa
Main article: Hikkaduwa
Hikkaduwa beeach with coral reefs

The best season to visit Hikkaduwa for surfing is between November and April. The beach is also known for its coral reefs.[2]

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See also

References
  1. "Surfing in Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka Experiences | Red Dot Tours". www.reddottours.com. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  2. Velarde, Orana. "The Best Surf Spots in Sri Lanka". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  3. "Surfing in Arugam Bay". Lakpura LLC. 2014-01-01. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  4. "WSL set to Sri Lanka in September 2019". World Surf League. Retrieved 2019-09-29.
  5. "Results for Mitch Parkinson at 2019 So Sri Lanka Pro". World Surf League. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  6. "Mitch Parkinson Raises The Bar at A-Bay". World Surf League. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  7. "Best Surf Spots on Sri Lanka's South Coast". Ceylon Sliders. 2017-01-28. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
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