Dondra Surf Break

Lat Long: 5.92° N 80.60° E

Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 10 pm 06 Sep 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Dondra sea temperature is
28.7°C
0.9° 

Dondra surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Dondra surf forecast from 6 Sep 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Monday 7 Sep, 8PM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 12 Sep, 11AM (local time) - 6.5ft (2.0m), 18s period, SSW swell with 2,432 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 7 Sep, 5AM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 10s period with S swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Dondra this week:

The surf forecast for Dondra over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Monday (Sep 07) at 5AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.9m and 10s period with a secondary swell of 0.4m and 15s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Dondra in the next 16 days are 2.0m 18s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 12) at 11AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.4m 6s period and expected on Sunday (Sep 13) at 8PM.

Wave TypeTime (+0530) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 5AM (Mon 7th Sep)3ft (0.9m) 10s
Best Surf 8PM (Mon 7th Sep)2.5ft (0.7m) 18s
Most Powerful11AM (Sat 12th Sep)6.5ft (2.0m) 18s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Dondra over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get straight into it. We've got a solid run of waves on the cards, but it's not all smooth sailing. We'll be looking at plenty of days with size on offer, but the wind is going to be the real talking point.

The first few days are a write-off, honestly. Monday and Tuesday are blown out by a decent cross-shore breeze, making a mess of things. We do start seeing some clean conditions creeping in from Wednesday afternoon, but the real action starts kicking off towards the end of the week and into the weekend.

Now, the standout period is looking like Thursday 10th through to Saturday 13th. The swell is building from the SSW, and we're seeing some proper size with that clean, cross-off wind. The energy in the water is climbing from moderate to strong (1372-2688). That long period, 16-18 second groundswell is going to produce some powerful, well-shaped lines.

The best bet in that window is Dondra itself. On Thursday afternoon, we’re looking at a clean 4.9 ft from the SSW with a 17-second period. The moderate breeze is off-shore, so the face will be clean. Friday morning is another good shout with 4.9 ft and a 15-second period, also clean. But the pick of the bunch is Saturday the 12th. Both morning and afternoon have a solid 6.6 ft of SSW swell with a 17-18 second period, and that cross-off wind is keeping it clean. The wave energy is ramping up into the strong category (2653-2688), so you'll feel the push. Dondra is a reef break, so that long period groundswell will wrap in nicely and give you some proper shape. Just keep in mind it can be inconsistent, and the crowds show up here sometimes, so get out there early.

The following week gets a bit more mixed. The second half of Monday the 14th looks okay with 5.2 ft and clean conditions, but Tuesday and Wednesday are still decent with consistent 4.3 ft to 5.6 ft SSW swells and that offshore wind. The energy remains strong (1462-1804).

However, we hit a bit of a wild card around the 17th, 18th and 19th of September. The swell is still big, up to 8.2 ft on the 19th, but the wind swings back to a messy cross-shore. This is expert territory here; anything over 8.2 ft at a reef break with lumpy conditions is not for the faint-hearted. For the bigger days with a cross-shore wind, this setup might look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The very end of the outlook, around the 21st and 22nd, is promising but it's far out. We're looking at a huge, very long-period swell (20-23 seconds) from the SSW, with massive energy values (2258-3901). If that cross-off wind holds, it could be the best of the whole run, but it's two weeks away so don't book the time off just yet.

So, to sum it up: for the best all-round conditions with clean surf and good size, aim for Saturday the 12th. That's the standout. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Stay safe.

Short Range Forecast

Moderate rain (total 15mm), heaviest on Wed morning. Warm (max 29°C on Mon morning, min 25°C on Tue night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 5-7 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 19mm), heaviest on Fri night. Warm (max 29°C on Thu morning, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light.

Monday
7
Tuesday
8
Wednesday
9
Thursday
10
Friday
11
Saturday
12
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
2
0
0
3
1
1
1
0
2
2
1
3
3
3
2
3
2
2
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1
S
10
1
SSE
10
1.1
SSE
9
0.7
SSW
18
0.9
SSW
16
0.8
SSW
16
0.7
SW
15
0.7
SW
14
0.9
SSE
11
0.6
SSW
19
1.4
SSW
18
1.5
SSW
17
1.5
SSW
16
1.5
SSW
15
1.6
SSW
14
1.5
SSW
19
2
SSW
18
2
SSW
17
1.8
SSW
17
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
200
197
193
280
412
298
220
214
208
283
1165
1299
1150
996
1010
1719
2432
2377
1887
Wind (km/h)
15
W
20
WSW
20
WSW
15
W
25
WSW
25
WSW
20
W
25
WSW
20
W
20
W
25
WSW
20
W
20
W
25
W
25
WSW
25
W
25
W
25
W
25
W
Wind State
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
1:19AM0.31m
12:36PM0.40m
1:25AM0.38m
1:10PM0.45m
1:46AM0.45m
1:39PM0.49m
2:09AM0.51m
2:05PM0.52m
2:34AM0.55m
2:31PM0.53m
2:58AM0.58m
2:56PM0.53m
3:21AM0.59m
Low Tide
6:23AM0.23m
7:15PM0.14m
7:06AM0.17m
7:33PM0.08m
7:39AM0.12m
7:55PM0.03m
8:08AM0.08m
8:18PM-0.00m
8:36AM0.05m
8:40PM-0.02m
9:02AM0.03m
9:03PM-0.03m
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
5:58
5:58
5:58
5:58
5:58
5:58
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:10
6:10
6:09
6:09
6:08
6:08
 mm
1
8
4
2
2
1
2
2
5
3
4
6
Temp °C
27
29
29
27
29
29
26
28
29
26
29
29
27
28
28
26
28
28
26
Feels °C
30
30
30
30
29
29
27
29
29
28
29
29
29
29
29
27
28
28
27
  • Map Icons:
  • Break
  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
Map placeholder
How to use the Wavefinder 
submit an eyeball surf report

Quick surf report for Dondra:

join our community of surf reporters

FREE! Surf-Forecast.com widget for your website

The surf report / weather widget below is available to embed on third party websites free of charge and provides a summary of our Dondra surf forecast. Simply grab the html code snippet that we provide and paste it into your own site. You can choose your preferred language and metric/imperial units for the surf forecast feed to suit users of your site. Click here to get the code.


Information about the Dondra Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Dondra provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Dondra can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Dondra surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Dondra) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Dondra may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

Dondra is 8 km (5 miles) from Matara. If you plan a holiday in West Sri Lanka, look for hotels and other accommodation in Matara. Matara has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.

Nearest locationNearest