Roti, Tuktuks and Surfing in Sri Lanka
by Lydia Schuldt
Along the southwest coast of Sri Lanka during the winter months, the monsoon winds build perfect swells in this unique corner of the world. If you are lucky enough to travel to this incredible country during this time of year, you are in for a treat. With rich coconut curries, Buddhist temples and tropical beaches, the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka is the most captivating place to surf and travel with an abundance of culture and endless waves.
In the winter of 2023, my boyfriend, Chase, and I packed up our bags to head out on an adventure of a lifetime surfing around the world. After falling in love the prior summer on the North Coast of Oregon, we committed to traveling the world to surf together. One country on Chases’ bucket list was Sri Lanka, and I easily gave into the idea of having that be one of our stops on our winter surf trip.
Sri Lanka was, without a doubt, one of the most incredible places we had ever been to.
Enjoy some of our highlights of our surf trip around the southwest coast of Sri Lanka!
Roti and Vegetable Curry
Roti is a popular staple in Sri Lankan cuisine made with rice flour dough that is prepared in a variety of different flavors and dishes. Often, roti is one of the most commonly found foods and also one of the spiciest foods you can find in Sri Lanka! One of our favorite roti flavors was coconut roti, which, to our delight, wasn’t very spicy and is often served with vegetable curries. At times, we couldn’t decide which was better, the beautiful display of the food we were eating or the delicious rich flavors that would melt in our mouths.
Stick Fishing
Fishing on a stick, often referred to as stick fishing in Sri Lanka, is a traditional and simple fishing method only practiced on the southwest coast of the country. During our first week in Ahangama, we saw small shallow sections of reef with large sticks poking out of the water. We heard from others that local fishers used them during incoming tides as a traditional fishing method. We were so excited when we finally came across the local stick fishermen and watched them fish with patience and ease as they carefully balanced on a stick, as if they were suspended in the air. As they caught fish, they would place them in baskets or bags slung over their shoulders to bring back to their families or to sell at the market later in the day.
Local Culture and People
The Sri Lankan were some of the friendliest people we had ever come across. Their warm and inviting demeanor and simple approach to life was refreshing. Buddhist temples were scattered around the landscape, the air always smelled like incense and the traditional Sri Lankan garments worn by the locals were all uniquely different from each other. Around every corner, we would find a market selling local produce, freshly caught fish or spices. The Sri Lankan carry themselves strongly and are very present in their everyday lives. With a history of oppression, they have a lot of pride for their country and their kindness is contagious.
Elephant Safari
During our stay at Coconuts beach, we organized a side trip to Minneriya National Park to go on an elephant safari. For an affordable price, we booked our own buggy and driver to take us through the national park and see dozens of Asian elephants in the wild. This was one of the most incredible experiences of our entire winter trip. Being able to observe these majestic creatures in their own habitat was mind blowing and eye-opening.
Traveling by Tuktuk
One of the best parts about Sri Lanka was traveling from town to town by tuktuk. Every time we checked out of a guesthouse, we would flag down a tuktuk on the street to take us to our next destination. Our surfboards would get strapped to the roof with a thin rope and we would squeeze into the back of a tuktuk with our luggage piled on top of us. It was such a fun way to travel around and a really neat way to observe our surroundings. It wasn’t the fastest way to get from place to place, but it sure was the most fun and the cheapest!
Favorite Surf Breaks
Surfing in Sri Lanka was what we came for and it sure delivered! With tropical waters and reef breaks, the waves were clean and consistent, but a bit more crowded than we had expected. In order to avoid the crowds and heat, we tried our best to surf early in the morning. Our dawn patrol sessions didn’t always go as planned, but we found a variety of surf breaks that all offered different types of waves and warm water.
Here are our top 5 waves for surfing the southwest coast of Sri Lanka.
Marshmallows
This wave in Ahangama is a long and mushy wave that goes both right and left. It spans across a large section of reef, so the crowd is more spread out than other breaks in the area. This is a great surf spot during a bigger swell, since the softer waves aren’t as intimidating, creating a more playful section when the waves are big.
Kabalana
This wave is a heavy reef break that barrels during larger swells. This wave wasn’t particularly for me, but Chase had one of his best sessions there. If you are looking for more challenging waves with a steep drop and a lot of power, this is for you. The lineup isn’t as friendly and inviting as other waves in the area, so don’t expect to be welcomed with warm smiles like other spots on the southwest coast.
Lazy Left
This wave is where I caught one of my all time best waves on my 6’6 fish! This crumbly left point break offers mushy but long lefts that are easy to paddle into from the bay in Midigama. When the crowd gets busy at Lazy Left, paddle across the bay to Lazy Right, which has fewer crowds, but is just as fun.
Coconuts
This wave is nestled in a quiet oasis off the busy highway on Coconuts beach offering both lefts and rights. The hardest part of the wave is getting in and out of the water because of the reef shelf that spans across the whole beach. Opt in for reef booties if you don’t want to cut up your feet on rocks or urchins and save yourself some stress of getting in and out of the water. When you get out of the water, enjoy a coconut on the beach and watch the sunset on the grassy lawn overlooking the ocean.
Mrissa Beach
Although the town of Mrissa wasn’t our favorite spot in Sri Lanka, the north side of Mrissa Beach offered a pretty incredible right. We weren’t expecting to surf in this town, but the surf break coughed up a pretty perfect wave for both longboards and shortboards the two days we were in town. If you are in Mrissa when the swell is hitting right, do not miss this surf spot!
From the unique culture, epic waves and delicious cuisine, Sri Lanka is both an affordable and a tropical paradise for a surf trip! We were so lucky to experience this spectacular country and we look forward to going back to explore more one day. For more outdoor adventure and travel stories, check out the EBL Journal. At Ecobadlandz, we want to inspire people to travel sustainably, share stories and enjoy outdoor recreation in beautiful places around the world!
