kingfisher
Surf spot · Sri Lanka
Is it worth the trip?
70Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 8 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 81 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 79 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 163kJ
- Wind
- WNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 150kJ
- Wind
- ENE 1 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 106kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 70 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 115kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 134kJ
- Wind
- SE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 37 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 273, good
- Tue 381, good
- Wed 479, good
- Thu 575, good
- Fri 660, good
- Sat 770, good
- Sun 847, fair
- Mon 937, too small
- Tue 1033, 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.
kingfisher does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.
| Day | Scorefor Intermediate | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 73, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 161kJ | offshorewind from the west, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 81, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 79, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 163kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 75, good | 3 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 150kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 60, good | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 106kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 70, good | 3 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 115kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 47, fair | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 134kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 37, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 33, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 37kJ | wind from the south-east, 2 knots | 29°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 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
- Wed 4 NovLow 06:14 −0.1 mHigh 11:17 +0.0 mLow 17:33 −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 Tue 3 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 beginners: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
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More surf near here
2 places
- Unakuruwa Surf Spot 5.1 km away
- 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
about 5 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
about 25 min by car · 64 places to stay
- Beds in Matara on Booking.com
about 55 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.