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Dewella (Unawatuna), Sri Lanka

Stay in Galle: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Galle

All 14 on Galle's map

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Beach life
Dewella (Unawatuna). Photo: Umeshani Wickramanayake, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Dewella (Unawatuna)

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces S (199°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (19°). 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 20). 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 Galle, 6.4 km away (about 15 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 5 surf spots and 3 dive sites.

Water about 28°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 31 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to KCT, changing at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB).

    See flights ORD → KCT · Skyscanner from about £805 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 30 min from the airport to Dewella (Unawatuna).

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in GalleAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Galle · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Galle · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Dewella (Unawatuna) on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

Dewella (Unawatuna) does not suit beginners. This is the forecast for intermediates, so you can see what it does.

The score for intermediates, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreInter­mediateSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct614 ft8 scrumbling195kJ30°C
Mon 19Oct534 ft10 shollow366kJ28°C
Tue 20Oct535 ft10 shollow541kJ30°C
Wed 21Oct485 ft10 scrumbling438kJ28°C
Thu 22Oct484 ft8 smushy197kJ28°C
Fri 23Oct463 ft8 smushy124kJ29°C
Sat 24Oct634 ft13 shollow466kJ29°C
Sun 25Oct494 ft12 shollow431kJ29°C
Mon 26Oct594 ft10 shollow285kJ27°C
Tue 27Oct464 ft8 scrumbling154kJ29°C
Wed 28Oct0––––

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to KCT, changing at DXB and CMB, then 30 min by road. About 31h 10 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf Dewella (Unawatuna)

    Best 17:30 to 20:30 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, offshore wind.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf Unawatuna

    Best 11:30 to 14:30 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Surf Dewella (Unawatuna)

    Best 17:30 to 20:30 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Surf Dewella (Unawatuna)

    Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 3 ft at 8 s, wind 3 kn (5 km/h).

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Surf Unawatuna

    Best 17:30 to 20:30 local time: 4 ft at 13 s, offshore wind.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to KCT, changing at DXB and CMB, then 30 min by road. About 31h 10 door to door

The plan picks the best of 4 spots near Galle each day: Dewata, Galle, Dewella (Unawatuna), Unawatuna, Wijiya Beach.

The trip from Galle, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £1,030–£2,065 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to KCT, estimated from distance and season, changing at DXB and CMB, full-service airlines, with a hold bag£805–£1,675
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Taxiairport and back, shared£15–£25
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£75–£125
Food7 days eating out£70–£125
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£30–£50
Total£1,030–£2,065

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Galle

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.