Local's Point
Surf spot · Sri Lanka
Is it worth the trip?
59Fair out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 191kJ
- Wind
- ENE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 71 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 186kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Thu 5 · 52 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 143kJ
- Wind
- NNE 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Fri 6 · 47 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 ssoft
- Energy
- 160kJ
- Wind
- SE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 57 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 179kJ
- Wind
- SSW 4 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 ssoft
- Energy
- 142kJ
- Wind
- W 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Mon 9 · 40 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 107kJ
- Wind
- S 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 272, good
- Tue 371, good
- Wed 471, good
- Thu 552, fair
- Fri 647, fair
- Sat 757, fair
- Sun 851, fair
- Mon 940, too small
- Tue 1024, 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 Mar, Dec–Jan5 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
Local's Point 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 | 72, good | 4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 160kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 1 knot | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 71, good | 4 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | offshorewind from the east-north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 71, good | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 186kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 52, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 143kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 47, fair | 2 ft14 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 160kJ | wind from the south-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 57, fair | 3 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 179kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 51, fair | 2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 142kJ | wind from the west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 40, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 107kJ | wind from the south, 2 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft7 smushy1 ft at break (est.) | 38kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 28°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 13:07 −0.1 mHigh 20:40 −0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:25 −0.1 mHigh 08:53 +0.0 mLow 15:50 −0.1 mHigh 23:02 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:27 −0.1 mHigh 10:54 +0.1 mLow 17:09 −0.2 mHigh 23:51 +0.2 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 Mar, Dec–Jan
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May1of 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
- Sep0of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec5of 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, its town, photos
Local's Point 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.
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 Local's Point
More surf near here
5 places
- Main Point 0.2 km away
- Coral Garden 1.7 km away
- Hikkaduwa 1.9 km away
- Bennys 2.5 km away
- Owerkanda 4.1 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Local's Point
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces SW (231°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (51°). 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 1.1 km out (1 in 111). 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 January, March and December, with about 5 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Hikkaduwa, 2.5 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots.
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
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to CMB, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$898–US$1,860 |
| 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$1,150–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: 3 towns
4 min by car · 218 places to stay
about US$33/nightcountry average
About Hikkaduwa its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Galle on Booking.com
26 min by car · 175 places to stay
- Beds in Unawatuna on Booking.com
33 min by car · 263 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 31h 15m
About 31h 15m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → CMB, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 3h 55m by road
Flights ORD → CMB on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.