Staying Home Sucks, home
Arugam bay beach
Arugam Bay, the nearest town, 23 km away. Photo: Kondephy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Okanda

Surf spot · Sri Lanka

Is it worth the trip?

25Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: too small (5 ft swell at 9 s), sheltered (estimated): holds up in a blow

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 39 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
286kJ
Wind
WSW 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Wed 4 · 28 out of 100

Swell
5 ft9 ssoft
Energy
299kJ
Wind
NNE 3 kn
Temp
30°C

Thu 5 · 22 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
209kJ
Wind
NE 4 kn
Temp
29°C

Fri 6 · 20 out of 100

Swell
3 ft14 scrumbling
Energy
271kJ
Wind
NE 3 kn
Temp
30°C

Sat 7 · 21 out of 100

Swell
3 ft14 scrumbling
Energy
244kJ
Wind
N 4 kn
Temp
30°C

Sun 8 · 15 out of 100

Swell
2 ft12 scrumbling
Energy
127kJ
Wind
WNW 2 kn
Temp
29°C

Mon 9 · 12 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 scrumbling
Energy
81kJ
Wind
ENE 4 kn
Temp
30°C

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

Forecast: next 9 days

Full forecast
  1. Tue 337, too small
  2. Wed 429, too small
  3. Thu 525, too small
  4. Fri 622, too small
  5. Sat 721, too small
  6. Sun 817, too small
  7. Mon 912, too small
  8. Tue 1013, too small
  9. Wed 1114, too small

The spot in five facts

  • Faces Etakes swell from the E
  • Offshore: Wwind from the land
  • Intermediate +who it suits
  • Works 5–19 ftof swell
  • Water 29 °Cno wetsuit

Full forecast

every day, every number
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Okanda, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Tue 3Nov37, too small5 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)286kJwind from the west-south-west, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Wed 4Nov29, too small5 ft9 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)299kJwind from the north-north-east, 3 knots30°C
Thu 5Nov25, too small4 ft8 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)209kJwind from the north-east, 4 knots29°C
Fri 6Nov22, too small3 ft14 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)271kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots30°C
Sat 7Nov21, too small3 ft14 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)244kJwind from the north, 4 knots30°C
Sun 8Nov17, too small2 ft12 scrumblingunder 1 ft at break (est.)127kJwind from the west-north-west, 2 knots, offshore29°C
Mon 9Nov12, too small2 ft11 scrumbling1 ft at break (est.)81kJwind from the east-north-east, 4 knots30°C
Tue 10Nov13, too small2 ft8 smushy2 ft at break (est.)49kJwind from the north-east, 3 knots30°C
Wed 11Nov14, too small2 ft8 smushy3 ft at break (est.)65kJwind from the south-east, 1 knot30°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

  • Tue 3 NovHigh 02:11 +0.1 mLow 09:23 −0.1 mHigh 15:30 +0.0 mLow 19:35 −0.0 m
  • Wed 4 NovHigh 02:36 +0.1 mLow 09:26 −0.1 mHigh 15:59 +0.0 mLow 20:10 −0.0 m
  • Thu 5 NovHigh 02:51 +0.1 mLow 09:28 −0.1 mHigh 16:26 +0.0 mLow 20:39 −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.

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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More surf near here

5 places

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Okanda

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

The spot faces E (88°), so it takes swell from the E. The wind blows offshore from the W (268°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits intermediate surfers and up. It works in 5–19 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves gently: 10 m deep about 700 m out (1 in 71). 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). The town to stay in is Arugam Bay.

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 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to CMB, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bagabout US$899–US$1,870
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$40–US$74
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$81–US$141
Food7 days eating outabout US$94–US$168
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$40–US$67
Totalabout 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

Closest

Arugam Bay

46 min by car · 98 places to stay

about US$34/nightcountry average

See 98 places to stay in Arugam Bay · Booking.com

About Arugam Bay its beds, food and every spot near it

Nearest beds: Arugam Bay, 23 km (46 min by car)

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 34h 10m

About 34h 10m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → CMB, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 6h 50m by road

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

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