Surfing Beaches in Sri Lanka

Arugam Bay is the most popular and the best surfing beach in Sri Lanka and it is considered one of the top ten surfing beaches in the world as well. However it is not the only one and in this article I will discuss few of them and various details about those beaches. Being an island Sri Lanka has plenty of coastal area and since it is a relatively small island you can reach any beach within a day. Beaches in the eastern coast was the hardest to reach but even now that is also possible because of the construction of the new road systems. Lets take a look at some popular surfing beaches in Sri Lanka.
Arugam Bay beach is by far the most popular among surfers. The only negative thing about Arugam Bay being it is far from Colombo, but as I mentioned before in the article, with the new road system in place it isn't hard as it used to be. April to October is the best time to go surfing, but you will find some people visiting there anyway throughout the year. Since the war ended just recently there are no luxurious hotels in the area, but there are some boutique hotels that offer modern luxuries like Cable TV and Internet. Arugam Bay is safe for all surfers regardless of there experience level.
Other than Arugam Bay the whole southern coast in Sri Lanka is good for surfing. Best time to visit there is from December to March with January and February being the ideal months. Souther coast was never affected by the war so there are plenty of luxurious hotels in the area. There are some parts of the coast that is not safe for surfing or suitable for only experienced surfers. Be sure to take local advice before going surfing in this area.
Surfing is not that popular among Sri Lankans and there are not many good local surfers, So you can enjoy surfing without much hindrance.

Marble Beach in Trincomalee ( China Bay )

Marble beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the Trincomalee area. The water is crystal blue and there are hardly any waves making it an excellent bathing spot. Before the war the beach was mainly used by Air Force officers and even now it is under the control of Air Force. You need to get approval to get to the beach, which can be obtained by the nearby China Bay Air Force camp. You need to pay an entrance fee of 20 rupees per person to enter the beach area. There are some huts available in the beach which were booked when we went there, but it is likely that you have to have a contact in Air Force to book them. The name Marble beach comes from the Marble stones found in the area. There are lifeguards in the area so you can enjoy a bath without the fear of drowning, and you can go a fair distance towards the sea because of shallow waters. Another thing I noticed was the water did not have the salt taste. There is a restaurant near the beach maintained by the Air Force, Although the food was great the price tag was a bit on the high side. For various other attractions nearby you can check out attractions near Trincomalee.

Casuarina Beach in Karainagar, Jaffna

Casuarina beach is considered as the best beach in the Jaffna peninsula and once you visit there it is easy to imagine why. Its referred as Kasurina beach, Jaffna beach, Karainagar beach etc so you might have trouble finding directions to the place.It is about one hours drive from Jaffna and although a road with direct access is being built we have to take a circular route to the location.There is an entrance fee for vehicles to enter the beach area and since you get toilet facilities and fresh water bathing facilities paying a small fee is worth it.The beach itself is pretty different to a normal Sri Lanka beach. Instead of coconut trees you get some strange looking trees, I think they are casurina tress, hence the name of the beach. The color of the sand is also a bit different and it was very soft making it a pleasant experience. The greatest thing about the casurina beach is the ability to walk towards the sea for miles. The shallowness of the beach combined with no waves makes it an ideal bathing place.
Since this is a very popular beach in Jaffna you get some shops here with food, handicrafts etc.There are no luxury hotels near the casurina beach and there were only very few small hotels as well.If you are looking to spend a day or a night you have the option of renting a house near the sea. The price is much lower compared to the house prices near Jaffna and you have all the basic facilities like toilets, showers, fans etc. If you ever visit Jaffna and looking for a place to relax, then this is one of the best places to visit.

Pasikuda Beach in Sri Lanka

Pasikuda beach although popular among locals and well known among locals isn't a place frequented by locals or foreigners. Which is a bit strange because it is one of the safest beaches for sea bathing in the east coast. Because of the lack of crowd is very clean most of the time and the nave does a good job of keeping it clean. It has the basic facilities like fresh water bathing etc as well making it an ideal place for a sea bath. You want find any shops or traders unless you go on a weekend and even if you go on a weekend you want find many people. There are no luxury hotels in the are and you have to do with small hotels or houses rented out for visitors. The prices are very reasonable and you can get it very cheaply especially if you happen to visit on week day. The closest major town is Batticaloa which is about 20-30 minutes ride in a vehicle.Although the road is a bit tricky now it is being constructed and should be finished by 2011. Lack of hotels in the Pasikuda area is one of the major reasons why tourism is not taking off in that beach but some of the land are already bought by some hotel groups so in the future we are bound to see an increase in tourism in the Pasikuda beach.

Nilaveli Beach in Sri Lanka

Nilaveli beach is considered one of the purest white sand beaches in Asia. It has remained protected from tourists and visitors for a long time because of the war and after the war thousands of people are visiting Trincomalee and the Nilaveli beach. With the reconstruction of the roads and the newly built hotels the visitor count is ever growing and the beach is loosing some of its serenity.Nilaveli beach is relatively less crowded than most beaches in Sri Lanka and you want find many small shops or various other traders. Although this makes it ideal to relax sometimes it is an inconvenience because you cant find a place to have a quick bite.

Nilaveli beach hotel is the oldest and the most prominent hotel near the area. Although there is a new luxury hotel in Chaya Blue.Most people who cant afford a stay in a luxury hotel prefer to stay in small houses and small hotels in the nearby area. There are plenty of these around so you want have trouble finding one.Visiting pigeon island, going snorkeling in the nearby corals and dolphin watching are some of the activities available to you to do in your leisure time.

Arugam Bay Beach in Sri Lanka

Arugam Bay beach is considered one of the top ten surfing destinations in the world and compared to most other famous beaches it is relatively less crowded as well. Because i it is far away from Colombo and also because of the poor condition of the roads leading to Arugam Bay, the beach has being kept relatively clean all these times. But because of the end of the war and also because of the roads being built in the east more and more people are visiting there and enjoying the waves. Because it is not attracting tourists like most other famous beaches there are not many luxurious hotels near the area, mostly they are small hotels with adequate facilities. Having said that there are small boutique like places where they have all the modern day facilities like cable TV and Internet and they do offer quite a variety when it come to food as well.
When it comes to Arugam Bay the most popular activity is surfing. Compared to most other beaches in Sri Lanka you can surf here almost throughout the year but April to October it is perfect for surfing. You can easily buy a surfing board here and if you are a novice in surfing but want to try it out for fun there are special places that teach your surfing. You wont become a professional overnight but at least you can try out something adventurous.