Staying Home Sucks, home
Aluthgama
Aluthgama, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Supunsamithajayalath, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

GD's

Surf spot · Sri Lanka

Is it worth the trip?

56Fair out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Mon 2 · 53 out of 100

Swell
3 ft9 ssoft
Energy
121kJ
Wind
SE 3 kn
Temp
28°C

Tue 3 · 74 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 smushy
Energy
159kJ
Wind
ENE 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 68 out of 100

Swell
3 ft8 ssoft
Energy
152kJ
Wind
NNE 2 kn
Temp
27°C

Thu 5 · 37 out of 100

Swell
2 ft14 ssoft
Energy
128kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 46 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 ssoft
Energy
153kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
27°C

Sat 7 · 43 out of 100

Swell
2 ft9 ssoft
Energy
90kJ
Wind
ESE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 44 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
123kJ
Wind
SW 2 kn
Temp
27°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Sun 131, too small
  2. Mon 253, fair
  3. Tue 374, good
  4. Wed 468, good
  5. Thu 537, too small
  6. Fri 646, fair
  7. Sat 743, too small
  8. Sun 844, too small
  9. Mon 939, too small
  10. Tue 1027, too small

The spot in six facts

  • Faces SWtakes swell from the SW
  • Offshore: NEwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 2–8 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
  • Best Apr, Oct2 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number

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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at GD's, each day
DayScore for intermediatesSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 1Nov31, too small2 ft12 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)88kJwind from the east, 3 knots, offshore30°C
Mon 2Nov53, fair3 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)121kJwind from the south-east, 3 knots28°C
Tue 3Nov74, good4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.)159kJwind from the east-north-east, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov68, good3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)152kJwind from the north-north-east, 2 knots, offshore27°C
Thu 5Nov37, too small2 ft14 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)128kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Fri 6Nov46, fair2 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)153kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots27°C
Sat 7Nov43, too small2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)90kJwind from the east-south-east, 4 knots28°C
Sun 8Nov44, too small2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)123kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots27°C
Mon 9Nov39, too small2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)100kJwind from the west-south-west, 3 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov27, too small2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)68kJwind from the west, 3 knots27°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

  • Sun 1 NovHigh 05:10 +0.1 mLow 11:43 −0.2 mHigh 17:21 +0.0 mLow 23:17 −0.2 m
  • Mon 2 NovHigh 06:01 +0.1 mLow 13:03 −0.1 mHigh 20:23 −0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 01:10 −0.1 mHigh 08:42 +0.0 mLow 15:42 −0.1 mHigh 22:59 +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 and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates, a surf spot for intermediates: 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.

More surf near here

1 place

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About GD's

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

The spot faces SW (235°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (55°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 130). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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 April and October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Aluthgama, 1.7 km away (about 5 min by car).

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$1,150–US$2,310 each

about US$1,150–US$2,310 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, 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 CMB, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$898–US$1,860
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$40–US$74
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$1,150–US$2,310

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

Where to stay: 2 towns

Closest

Aluthgama

3 min by car · 138 places to stay

about US$33/nightcountry average

See 138 places to stay in Aluthgama · Booking.com

About Aluthgama 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 30h 10m

About 30h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → CMB, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 2h 50m by road

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