Staying Home Sucks, home
Weligama Beach in Sri Lanka
Weligama, the nearest town, 4 km away. Photo: Honeplus, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Plantations

Surf spot · Sri Lanka

Is it worth the trip?

25Poor out of 100 for your dates

Stay home

Best on Tue 3: 4 ft swell at 8 s

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 39 out of 100

Swell
4 ft8 ssoft
Energy
230kJ
Wind
NNW 5 kn
Temp
27°C

Wed 4 · 12 out of 100

Swell
1 ft17 scrumbling
Energy
96kJ
Wind
N 7 kn
Temp
28°C

Thu 5 · 18 out of 100

Swell
2 ft15 ssoft
Energy
164kJ
Wind
NNE 6 kn
Temp
28°C

Fri 6 · 24 out of 100

Swell
2 ft13 ssoft
Energy
189kJ
Wind
NNE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

Sat 7 · 23 out of 100

Swell
3 ft12 ssoft
Energy
176kJ
Wind
N 9 kn
Temp
28°C

Sun 8 · 23 out of 100

Swell
3 ft11 ssoft
Energy
155kJ
Wind
NE 1 kn
Temp
28°C

Mon 9 · 17 out of 100

Swell
2 ft11 ssoft
Energy
101kJ
Wind
SE 4 kn
Temp
28°C

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

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 234, too small
  2. Tue 339, too small
  3. Wed 412, too small
  4. Thu 518, too small
  5. Fri 624, too small
  6. Sat 723, too small
  7. Sun 823, too small
  8. Mon 917, too small
  9. Tue 1011, too small
  10. Wed 1112, 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
Forecast and score for expert surfers at Plantations, each day
DayScore for expertsSwellEnergyWindTemp
Mon 2Nov34, too small4 ft8 ssoft5 ft at break (est.)220kJwind from the west-north-west, 1 knot29°C
Tue 3Nov39, too small4 ft8 ssoft6 ft at break (est.)230kJwind from the north-north-west, 5 knots, offshore27°C
Wed 4Nov12, too small1 ft17 scrumbling3 ft at break (est.)96kJwind from the north, 7 knots, offshore28°C
Thu 5Nov18, too small2 ft15 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)164kJwind from the north-north-east, 6 knots, offshore28°C
Fri 6Nov24, too small2 ft13 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)189kJwind from the north-north-east, 4 knots, offshore28°C
Sat 7Nov23, too small3 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)176kJwind from the north, 9 knots, offshore28°C
Sun 8Nov23, too small3 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)155kJwind from the north-east, 1 knot, offshore28°C
Mon 9Nov17, too small2 ft11 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)101kJwind from the south-east, 4 knots28°C
Tue 10Nov11, too small2 ft9 ssoft3 ft at break (est.)47kJwind from the south-west, 2 knots28°C
Wed 11Nov12, too small2 ft12 ssoft4 ft at break (est.)92kJwind from the west, 3 knots28°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 06:05 +0.0 mLow 13:05 −0.1 mHigh 21:21 +0.0 m
  • Tue 3 NovLow 01:58 −0.0 mHigh 09:27 +0.0 mLow 16:14 −0.1 mHigh 23:18 +0.1 m
  • Wed 4 NovLow 06:01 −0.1 mHigh 11:15 +0.1 mLow 17:29 −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.

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 Plantations

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

The spot faces S (197°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (17°). 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 gently: 10 m deep about 1000 m out (1 in 99). 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 January, February and December, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Weligama, 3.9 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 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 
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

Midigama

about 5 min by car · 103 places to stay

about US$34/nightcountry average

See 103 places to stay in Midigama · Booking.com

About Midigama its beds, food and every spot near it

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 30h 20m

About 30h 20m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → CMB, changing at İstanbul Airport (IST), then 3h by road

By bus: SLTB, SLTB expressway bus, Local bus. Time from the operators and travel guides, checked by hand.

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

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The link holds the trip itself: nothing about you is kept. Check the forecast again before you book.