Arugam Bay
Surf spot · Sri Lanka
Is it worth the trip?
60Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 9 s, sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow
Tue 3 · 74 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 191kJ
- Wind
- W 4 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Wed 4 · 67 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 211kJ
- Wind
- NW 2 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Thu 5 · 68 out of 100
- Swell
- 4 ft9 ssoft
- Energy
- 195kJ
- Wind
- NNW 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Fri 6 · 55 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft8 ssoft
- Energy
- 116kJ
- Wind
- N 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sat 7 · 49 out of 100
- Swell
- 3 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 81kJ
- Wind
- NNW 3 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Sun 8 · 38 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 63kJ
- Wind
- N 5 kn
- Temp
- 29°C
Mon 9 · 24 out of 100
- Swell
- 2 ft7 smushy
- Energy
- 33kJ
- Wind
- NNE 4 kn
- Temp
- 30°C
Tap a day for waves, wind and the temperature. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Mon 258, fair
- Tue 374, good
- Wed 467, good
- Thu 568, good
- Fri 655, fair
- Sat 749, fair
- Sun 838, too small
- Mon 924, too small
- Tue 1028, too small
- Wed 1134, too small
The spot in six facts
- Faces Etakes swell from the E
- Offshore: Wwind from the land
- Intermediate +who it suits
- Works 3–10 ftof swell
- Water 29 °Cno wetsuit
- Best Oct–Nov3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 58, fair | 3 ft8 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 126kJ | wind from the south, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 74, good | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 191kJ | offshorewind from the west, 4 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 67, good | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 211kJ | offshorewind from the north-west, 2 knots, offshore | 29°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 68, good | 4 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 195kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 55, fair | 3 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.) | 116kJ | wind from the north, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 49, fair | 3 ft7 smushy4 ft at break (est.) | 81kJ | wind from the north-north-west, 3 knots | 29°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 38, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 63kJ | wind from the north, 5 knots | 29°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 24, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 33kJ | wind from the north-north-east, 4 knots | 30°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 28, too small | 2 ft8 ssoft3 ft at break (est.) | 48kJ | offshorewind from the west-north-west, 4 knots, offshore | 30°C |
| Wed 11Nov | 34, too small | 2 ft7 smushy3 ft at break (est.) | 42kJ | wind from the east-north-east, 1 knot | 30°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 01:25 +0.1 mLow 08:49 −0.1 mHigh 14:47 −0.0 mLow 19:08 −0.1 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 02:09 +0.1 mLow 09:18 −0.1 mHigh 15:34 +0.0 mLow 20:10 −0.1 m
- Wed 4 NovHigh 02:47 +0.1 mLow 09:43 −0.1 mHigh 16:16 +0.0 mLow 21:02 −0.0 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 Oct–Nov
Good days in a typical week, each month, for intermediate surfers, from 2016 on (history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb0of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun1of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug1of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep1of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov3of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec1of 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
Arugam Bay 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
- Gaza Strip 0.6 km away
- Pottuvil Point 3.8 km away
- Elephant rock 5.1 km away
- Whiskey point 5.7 km away
- Peanuts Farm 7.9 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Arugam Bay
Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated.
The spot faces E (100°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (280°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 3–10 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves very gently: 10 m deep about 2.5 km out (1 in 250). 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 October and November, with about 3 good days in 7; in February, about 0. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Arugam Bay, 1.3 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 2 surf spots and 1 wind sports 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$1,150–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 2 November 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to BTC, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB and CMB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag | about US$899–US$1,860 |
| Hire car | 6 days, shared | about US$40–US$74 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$81–US$141 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$94–US$168 |
| 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
Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn
about 5 min by car · 98 places to stay
about US$34/nightcountry average
About Arugam Bay its beds, food and every spot near it
- Beds in Pottuvil on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 27 places to stay
- Beds in Pottuville on Booking.com
about 5 min by car · 22 places to stay
About US$34 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 2 November 2026.
Getting there: about 33h 10m
About 33h 10m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → BTC, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), then 2h 30m by road
Flights ORD → BTC on your dates · AviasalesAdeSIM for your phone · Search on AiraloAd
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Saved: this link opens the same trip
The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.