GD's, Sri Lanka

No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Induruwa, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Colombo Ratmalana International Airport (RML), 44 km.

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About GD's

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

The spot faces SW (235°), so it takes swell from the SW. The wind blows offshore from the NE (55°). 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 130). 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 April and October, with about 2 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. No town nearby. No stay checked for this site yet: Induruwa, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Colombo Ratmalana International Airport (RML), 44 km.

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

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From Chicago: about 30 h 10 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB), changing at İstanbul Airport (IST). About 7 flights a week that month.
See flights ORD → CMB · Skyscanner from about £800 returnAd
Getting there. 2 h 50 from the airport to GD's.
Car hire · Discover CarsAd
Accommodation.
No town nearby
No stay checked for this site yet: Induruwa, 8 km away, is the nearest town we list. Nearest airport: Colombo Ratmalana International Airport (RML), 44 km.
Hire and lessons.
Surf lessons in GD's · GetYourGuideAd Board and wetsuit hire in GD's · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

GD's on Google Maps · Directions

Surf spot

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Forecast

GD's 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

Forecast and score for intermediate surfers at GD's, each day
Day	Scorefor Intermediate	Swell	Energy	Wind	Temp
Mon 19Oct	48, good	5 ft10 ssoft	384kJ	wind from the south-south-east, 4 knots	28°C
Tue 20Oct	45, fair	5 ft10 ssoft	465kJ	wind from the north-west, 3 knots	29°C
Wed 21Oct	43, fair	5 ft10 ssoft	376kJ	wind from the south, 4 knots	27°C
Thu 22Oct	40, fair	4 ft8 smushy	182kJ	wind from the west-south-west, 8 knots	28°C
Fri 23Oct	45, fair	3 ft14 smushy	372kJ	wind from the west, 7 knots	28°C
Sat 24Oct	56, good	4 ft13 ssoft	429kJ	wind from the south-south-west, 2 knots	29°C
Sun 25Oct	50, good	3 ft11 ssoft	263kJ	wind from the south-west, 5 knots	28°C
Mon 26Oct	52, good	4 ft10 ssoft	237kJ	wind from the west, 4 knots	27°C
Tue 27Oct	38, fair	3 ft10 ssoft	113kJ	wind from the west-north-west, 3 knots	28°C
Wed 28Oct	0, poor	–	–	–	–

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 Tue 20 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for intermediate surfers. Change dates

Tue 20 Oct
Travel out
Fly ORD to CMB, changing at IST, then 2h 50 by road. About 30h 10 door to door
Wed 21 Oct
Surf GD's
Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 5 ft at 10 s, wind 4 kn (8 km/h).
Thu 22 Oct
Surf GD's
Best 11:30 to 14:30 local time: 4 ft at 8 s, wind 8 kn (14 km/h).
Fri 23 Oct
Surf GD's
Best 17:30 to 20:30 local time: 3 ft at 14 s, wind 7 kn (13 km/h).
Sat 24 Oct
Surf GD's
Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 4 ft at 13 s, wind 2 kn (4 km/h).
Sun 25 Oct
Surf GD's
Best 08:30 to 11:30 local time: 3 ft at 11 s, wind 5 kn (9 km/h).
Mon 26 Oct
Travel home
Fly ORD to CMB, changing at IST, then 2h 50 by road. About 30h 10 door to door

Rough cost

About £965–£1,955 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book. No town nearby, so no stay is in it.

Rough cost per person for this trip
What	How we worked it out	Each
Flights	return ORD to CMB, estimated from distance and season, changing at IST, full-service airlines, with a hold bag	£800–£1,660
To the UK airport	parking or the train, there and back	£35–£65
Hire car	6 days, shared	£30–£55
Food	7 days eating out	£70–£125
Board and wetsuit	5 days, or about £85 to fly your own	£30–£50
Total		£965–£1,955

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

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