Matara
Surf spot · Sri Lanka
Is it worth the trip?
24Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Mon 2: 4 ft swell at 8 s
Mon 2 · 30 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 169kJ
- Wind
- SSW 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Tue 3 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 208kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Wed 4 · 11 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft17 ssoft
- Energy
- 95kJ
- Wind
- NW 6 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Thu 5 · 18 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 ssoft
- Energy
- 149kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft14 ssoft
- Energy
- 175kJ
- Wind
- ENE 3 kn
- Temp
- 27°C
Sat 7 · 25 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft13 ssoft
- Energy
- 188kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 28°C
Sun 8 · 23 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 116, too small
- Mon 230, too small
- Tue 324, too small
- Wed 411, too small
- Thu 518, too small
- Fri 622, too small
- Sat 725, too small
- Sun 823, too small
- Mon 915, too small
- 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
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 88kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 30, too small | 4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 169kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 24, too small | 4 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.) | 208kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 3 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 11, too small | 1 ft17 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 95kJ | wind from the north-west, 6 knots | 27°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 18, too small | 2 ft15 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 149kJ | offshorewind from the north, 7 knots, offshore | 27°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft14 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 175kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 3 knots | 27°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 25, too small | 3 ft13 ssoft5 ft at break (est.) | 188kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 23, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 6 knots, offshore | 28°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 15, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 77kJ | wind from the east-south-east, 4 knots | 28°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 11, too small | 2 ft11 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 74kJ | wind from the south-south-east, 1 knot | 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 experts: 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.
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.