Staying Home Sucks, home
Beach life
Dewella (Unawatuna). Photo: Umeshani Wickramanayake, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Dewella (Unawatuna)

Surf spot · Sri Lanka

Is it worth the trip?

67Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Wed 4: 4 ft swell at 9 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 75 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
199kJ
Wind
NW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 82 out of 100

Swell
4 ft9 scrumbling
Energy
206kJ
Wind
NNE 7 kn
Temp
29°C

Thu 5 · 75 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 scrumbling
Energy
167kJ
Wind
ENE 1 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 54 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 shollow
Energy
170kJ
Wind
E 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 56 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 shollow
Energy
182kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 53 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 shollow
Energy
150kJ
Wind
S 1 kn
Temp
27°C

Mon 9 · 39 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 shollow
Energy
107kJ
Wind
SE 3 kn
Temp
29°C

Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 273, good
  2. Tue 376, good
  3. Wed 480, good
  4. Thu 574, good
  5. Fri 653, fair
  6. Sat 755, fair
  7. Sun 854, fair
  8. Mon 940, too small
  9. Tue 1029, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces Stakes swell from the S
  • Offshore: Nwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Feb, Dec6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.

Dewella (Unawatuna) does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at Dewella (Unawatuna), each day
DayScorefor Inter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov73, good4 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)173kJwind from the south-east, 2 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov76, good4 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)199kJwind from the north-west, 4 knots28°C
Wed 4Nov80, good4 ft9 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)206kJwind from the north-north-east, 7 knots, offshore29°C
Thu 5Nov74, good4 ft8 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)167kJwind from the east-north-east, 1 knot28°C
Fri 6Nov53, fair2 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)170kJwind from the east, 4 knots28°C
Sat 7Nov55, fair3 ft12 shollow5 ft at break (est.)182kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov54, fair2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.)150kJwind from the south, 1 knot27°C
Mon 9Nov40, too small2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.)107kJwind from the south-east, 3 knots29°C
Tue 10Nov29, too small2 ft7 shollow2 ft at break (est.)33kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots28°C

Energy is the swell's power, in kJ per metre of wave. Wind is in knots, the arrow where it blows to; green is offshore. More

Tide

  • Mon 2 NovHigh 06:06 +0.1 mLow 13:04 −0.1 mHigh 21:04 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 01:42 −0.1 mHigh 09:14 +0.0 mLow 15:58 −0.1 mHigh 23:10 +0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 05:48 −0.1 mHigh 11:07 +0.1 mLow 17:20 −0.1 mHigh 23:58 +0.1 m

Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

the spot, its town, photos

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Dewella (Unawatuna)

White sands of Dalawella
Photo: Umeshani Wickramanayake, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Footprints in the Sand - panoramio
Near Dewella (Unawatuna). Photo: Face Potter, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Dewella (Unawatuna)

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.

The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). It is exposed to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 2–8 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 20). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually February and December, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Unawatuna, 2.7 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 3 dive sites.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,140–US$2,280 each

about US$1,140–US$2,280 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, board and wetsuit.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KCT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB and CMB, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$904–US$1,880
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$20–US$33
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$80–US$141
Food7 days eating outabout US$94–US$167
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$40–US$67
Totalabout US$1,140–US$2,280

For 2 people sharing a room. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: 3 towns

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Talpe

about 5 min by car · 104 places to stay

about US$33/nightcountry average

See 104 places to stay in Talpe · Booking.com

About Talpe its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$33 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 31h 10m

About 31h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KCT, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), then 35 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.