Staying Home Sucks, home
Nilwala River in Matara Sri Lanka 2011 - panoramio
Matara, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: aska fathima, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Madiha

Surf spot · Sri Lanka

Is it worth the trip?

23Poor 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

Tue 3 · 30 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
215kJ
Wind
NW 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 13 out of 100

Swell
1 ft17 shollow
Energy
95kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft15 shollow
Energy
163kJ
Wind
NNE 5 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 23 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 shollow
Energy
196kJ
Wind
NNW 2 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 25 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
193kJ
Wind
NNW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 22 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
151kJ
Wind
SSE 3 kn
Temp
27°C

Mon 9 · 16 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
98kJ
Wind
ESE 5 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 233, too small
  2. Tue 330, too small
  3. Wed 413, too small
  4. Thu 518, too small
  5. Fri 623, too small
  6. Sat 725, too small
  7. Sun 822, too small
  8. Mon 916, too small
  9. Tue 1011, 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 Dec–Feb6 good days in 7

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Madiha, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov33, too small4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)185kJwind from the west-north-west, 1 knot27°C
Tue 3Nov30, too small4 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)215kJwind from the north-west, 2 knots28°C
Wed 4Nov13, too small1 ft17 shollow3 ft at break (est.)95kJwind from the north, 7 knots, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov18, too small2 ft15 shollow4 ft at break (est.)163kJwind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore28°C
Fri 6Nov23, too small2 ft13 shollow5 ft at break (est.)196kJwind from the north-north-west, 2 knots, offshore28°C
Sat 7Nov25, too small3 ft12 scrumbling5 ft at break (est.)193kJwind from the north-north-west, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov22, too small2 ft12 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)151kJwind from the south-south-east, 3 knots27°C
Mon 9Nov16, too small2 ft11 scrumbling4 ft at break (est.)98kJwind from the east-south-east, 5 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov11, too small2 ft9 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)43kJwind from the west-north-west, 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 06:02 +0.0 mLow 13:07 −0.1 mHigh 21:30 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 02:16 −0.0 mHigh 09:33 +0.0 mLow 16:16 −0.1 mHigh 23:20 +0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 06:05 −0.1 mHigh 11:18 +0.0 mLow 17:31 −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 experts: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

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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

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Madiha

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

The spot faces S (187°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (7°). 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 moderately: 10 m deep about 350 m out (1 in 37). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would crumble. The sea is about 27°C in August, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in April, its warmest (no wetsuit). For intermediate surfers the best months are usually January, February and December, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Matara, 3.7 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 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$1,160–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 
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
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$1,160–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

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

Closest

Matara

about 10 min by car · 68 places to stay

about US$33/nightcountry average

See 68 places to stay in Matara · Booking.com

About Matara 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 45m

About 31h 45m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → KCT, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), then 1h 10m by road

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