Matara
Surf spot · Sri Lanka
Is it worth the trip?
71Good out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Mon 2 · 72 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 169kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 197kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 75 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 218kJ
- Wind
- NW 4 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 78 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 173kJ
- Wind
- N 2 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 51 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 ssoft
- Energy
- 175kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 60 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 188kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 54 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 ssoft
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- NNW 6 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 148, fair
- Mon 272, good
- Tue 378, good
- Wed 475, good
- Thu 578, good
- Fri 651, fair
- Sat 760, good
- Sun 854, fair
- Mon 935, too small
- Tue 1031, 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
The score doesn't know rips, currents, rocks or your skill.
| Day | Score for intermediates | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 48, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 124kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 72, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 78, good | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 197kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 75, good | 4 ft9 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 218kJ | wind from the north-west, 4 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 78, good | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 173kJ | offshorewind from the north, 2 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 51, fair | 2 ft14 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 175kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 60, good | 3 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 188kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 54, fair | 2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 35, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 31, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 40kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 2 knots | 27°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 05:16 +0.1 mLow 11:49 −0.2 mHigh 18:01 +0.0 mLow 23:38 −0.1 m
- 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
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 Dec–Feb
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr5of 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
- Oct2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov5of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec6of 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
Matara 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
5 places
- Madiha 4.5 km away
- Turtle eco beach 5.4 km away
- Mirissa 10.8 km away
- Weligama 13.5 km away
- Devils rock 15.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Matara
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (188°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (8°). 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 1.9 km out (1 in 185). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would spill softly. 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, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 1 surf spot.
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 · 68 places to stay
about US$33/nightcountry average
About Matara its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Mirissa on Booking.com
20 min by car · 195 places to stay
- Beds in Weligama on Booking.com
26 min by car · 145 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 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
Flights ORD → KCT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.