kingfisher
Surf spot · Sri Lanka
Is it worth the trip?
73Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 73 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 171kJ
- Wind
- SW 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tue 3 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 165kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Wed 4 · 82 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 182kJ
- Wind
- NW 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 148kJ
- Wind
- NNE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 99kJ
- Wind
- NE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 61 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 98kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 48 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 126kJ
- Wind
- SSE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 154, fair
- Mon 273, good
- Tue 382, good
- Wed 482, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 661, good
- Sat 761, good
- Sun 848, fair
- Mon 935, too small
- Tue 1032, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces SEtakes swell from the SE
- Offshore: NWwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–11 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best in Apr5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 54, fair | 3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 115kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 2 knots | 30°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 73, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 171kJ | wind from the south-west, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 82, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 165kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 82, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 182kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 3 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 148kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 61, good | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 99kJ | wind from the north-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 61, good | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 98kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 48, fair | 2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 53kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 32, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 30°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 05:12 +0.1 mLow 11:46 −0.1 mHigh 18:14 +0.0 mLow 23:36 −0.1 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:48 +0.0 mLow 12:52 −0.1 mHigh 21:17 +0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:57 −0.0 mHigh 09:09 +0.0 mLow 16:03 −0.1 mHigh 23:18 +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.
Best time to go
best in Apr
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun0of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul0of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug0of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast.
Map
the spot and its town
kingfisher on Google Maps · Directions
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.
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More surf near here
1 place
- hiriketiya 13.2 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About kingfisher
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SE (137°), so it takes swell from the SE. The wind blows offshore from the NW (317°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–11 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 1.4 km out (1 in 139). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. The sea is about 27°C in July, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best month is usually April, with about 5 good days in 7; in June, July and August, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Tangalle, 1.3 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$1,160–US$2,320 each
about US$1,160–US$2,320 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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to KCT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB and CMB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$904–US$1,880 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$40–US$74 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$80–US$141 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$94–US$167 |
| Board and wetsuit | 5 days, or about US$114 to fly your own | about US$40–US$67 |
| Total | about US$1,160–US$2,320 |
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
2 min by car · 108 places to stay
about US$33/nightcountry average
About Tangalle its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Dikwella on Booking.com
25 min by car · 64 places to stay
- Beds in Matara on Booking.com
52 min by car · 68 places to stay
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 32h 35m
About 32h 35m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KCT, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), then 1h 55m by road
Flights ORD → KCT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.