The Peaks
Surf spot · Sri Lanka
Is it worth the trip?
20Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sat 7: 2 ft swell at 12 s
Tue 3 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft8 smushy
- Energy
- 203kJ
- Wind
- NE 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 12 out of 100
- Swell
- 1 ft17 shollow
- Energy
- 86kJ
- Wind
- NNW 5 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Thu 5 · 17 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft15 shollow
- Energy
- 140kJ
- Wind
- NNE 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Fri 6 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft13 shollow
- Energy
- 162kJ
- Wind
- ENE 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft12 shollow
- Energy
- 164kJ
- Wind
- N 7 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Sun 8 · 22 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 129kJ
- Wind
- NNE 6 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 16 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft11 shollow
- Energy
- 89kJ
- Wind
- SE 3 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 231, too small
- Tue 317, too small
- Wed 412, too small
- Thu 517, too small
- Fri 622, too small
- Sat 724, too small
- Sun 822, too small
- Mon 916, too small
- Tue 1010, 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 Feb, Dec6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
| Day | Score for experts | Swell | Energy | Wind | Temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 31, too small | 4 ft8 shollow5 ft at break (est.) | 190kJ | wind from the south-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 17, too small | 4 ft8 smushy5 ft at break (est.) | 203kJ | offshorewind from the north-east, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 12, too small | 1 ft17 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 86kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 17, too small | 2 ft15 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 140kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 5 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft13 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 162kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 4 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft12 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 164kJ | offshorewind from the north, 7 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 22, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 129kJ | offshorewind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 16, too small | 2 ft11 shollow4 ft at break (est.) | 89kJ | wind from the south-east, 3 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 10, too small | 2 ft11 shollow3 ft at break (est.) | 69kJ | wind from the south-south-west, 3 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 06:06 +0.1 mLow 13:04 −0.1 mHigh 21:04 +0.0 m
- Tue 3 NovLow 01:42 −0.1 mHigh 09:14 +0.0 mLow 15:58 −0.1 mHigh 23:10 +0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 05:48 −0.1 mHigh 11:07 +0.1 mLow 17:20 −0.1 mHigh 23:58 +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 Feb, Dec
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
- 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
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 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
The Peaks 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.
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More surf near here
5 places
- Thalpe 1.1 km away
- Dewella (Unawatuna) 2.2 km away
- Wijiya Beach 2.3 km away
- Unawatuna 3.6 km away
- Koggala Lefts 4.7 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About The Peaks
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces S (196°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (16°). 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 steeply: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 18). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. 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 February and December, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Talpe, 0.6 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 2 dive sites.
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$1,140–US$2,280 each
about US$1,140–US$2,280 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, 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 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| 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$1,140–US$2,280 |
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
1 min by car · 104 places to stay
about US$33/nightcountry average
About Talpe its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Unawatuna on Booking.com
8 min by car · 263 places to stay
- Beds in Koggala on Booking.com
8 min by car · 27 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 05m
About 31h 05m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → KCT, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), then 30 min by road
Flights ORD → KCT on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.