Sri Lanka to the Maldives: Surfing All Along
Sri Lanka and the Maldives are both considered as unavoidable tropical surfing destinations. In fact, a visit to the coast of Sri Lanka and Maldives is bound to be fascinating due to all the kinds of surfing adventure one can partake in. Perhaps the factor making Sri Lanka and Maldives such popular destinations for surfing tourism is the friendly weather and the generous middle-size swells that can be enjoyed by intermediate surfers. Sri Lanka is an island country situated in Indian Ocean, south of India, while Maldives is a faction of paradise islands also located in the Indian Ocean, one and a half hours flight away from Sri Lanka.
Since Sri Lanka covers a vast area of shore-line, it offers plenty of resorts for surfers. Such resorts are famously known, not just for surfing, but also for the food, night-life culture, entertainment and serene environment. If you are ready to leave the beaten path, you can take excursions through the tea plantations, climb on top of Adam’s Peak and observe wild animals but you will never be too far away from the next big swell coming. In Sri Lanka, the prime surfing season with perfect conducive conditions is usually from March to December when most surfers embark the oceanic adventure. However, surfing is quite possible in Sri Lanka throughout the year when the weather is friendly.
From November to March, the best places to surf are located in the Southwest of Sri Lanka, around the resort towns of Hikkaduwa or Galle. Just within the vicinity of the resort town, tourists who do not know how to surf can enroll for surfing lessons in one of the many surf schools available. After taking practical surfing lessons, visitors can graduate to adventurous surfing in the ocean with the guide of a surfing instructor. Highly regarded as the most beautiful beach on the south coast of Sri Lanka, Mirissa beach is quite popular with the locals and a must visit for any surfing tourist in Sri Lanka.
From April to November, the best region to surf is in the east coast, the most consistent spot being Arugam Bay that peels perfectly (right hander point break).
To recover from your adventurous trip in Sri Lanka and to practice a little bit more of your surfing in skills perfect waves, surfers can take an hour and a half flight from Sri Lanka to the Maldives. Srilankan airlines offers flights from Colombo (CMB) to Male (MLE) for around 150 USD only. This is good to know that when it comes to planning your annual surf trip, you can book a multiple stop ticket that will enable you to fly back home directly after your peaceful stay in the Maldives without having to fly back to Sri Lanka. Maldives offers lots of good waves including a few of so called world class breaks.
The color of the water is however more transparent and the vast majority of its waves are reef breaks. Also, the service offered is more sophisticated, allowing you to rest between the surfing sessions. The tour operator Surfatoll ensures you don’t have to worry about anything during your stay: being on a boat is the perfect means to discover the archipelago and enjoy the most of it.
The surfing season in Maldives begin as early as March until November when the weather is mostly sunny and windy. Unlike most parts of the world, the weather in the Maldives is usually consistent throughout the year hence it’s easy to know when to surf. Apart from surfing, other lively activities that tourists can partake on the beach include fishing and snorkeling.
The Surfing areas in the Maldives are divided into 3 different locations namely; the northern atolls, the central atolls and the southern atolls which cover the whole archipelago of Maldives. Access to all the three surfing areas is usually by boat where one is likely to find perfect waves. The Southern Atolls and Central Atolls are usually less crowded with surfing season expected from February to October while the Male Atoll is more popular due its proximity to the international airport.
Tourists who want to visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives can only apply for a Sri Lankan visa since one is offered a 30 days visa free visit to the Maldives regardless of the country.
