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south beach, Sri Lanka

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

Also within 20 km of Koggala

All 14 on Koggala's map

Watch this spot We email you when south beach is worth the trip.

Koggala
Koggala, the nearest town, 2 km away. Photo: Astronomyinertia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About south beach

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

The spot faces S (198°), so it takes swell from the S. The wind blows offshore from the N (18°). 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 very gently: 10 m deep about 1.3 km out (1 in 128). 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 February and December, with about 6 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Koggala, 1.8 km away (about 5 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots.

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 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. 25 min from the airport to south beach.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in KoggalaAd

    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 Koggala · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Koggala · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

south beach on Google Maps · Directions

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Forecast

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

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct325 ft10 ssoft388kJ31°C
Mon 19Oct365 ft10 ssoft549kJ29°C
Tue 20Oct485 ft10 ssoft541kJ31°C
Wed 21Oct375 ft10 ssoft426kJ28°C
Thu 22Oct244 ft9 smushy248kJ28°C
Fri 23Oct193 ft7 smushy122kJ30°C
Sat 24Oct294 ft13 ssoft466kJ30°C
Sun 25Oct224 ft12 ssoft355kJ29°C
Mon 26Oct264 ft10 ssoft285kJ27°C
Tue 27Oct204 ft8 ssoft154kJ29°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 expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Fly ORD to KCT, changing at DXB and CMB, then 25 min by road. About 31h door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Surf south beach

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

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Surf south beach

    Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 0 kn (1 km/h).

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Fly ORD to KCT, changing at DXB and CMB, then 25 min by road. About 31h door to door

The plan picks the best of 3 spots near Koggala each day: Koggala Lefts, south beach, The Peaks.

The trip from Koggala, 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 Koggala

  • Surf 'n' Turf0.2 km from the centre
  • Catalina Grill RestaurantBarbecue · 0.7 km from the centre
  • Wiener Dschungel1.5 km from the centre
  • හුචාස් RestaurantChinese · 1.9 km from the centre
  • surfnturf_local_kitchen0.2 km from the centre
  • The Fishers Sunset Bar0.8 km from the centre

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.