Surf Forecasts:
Dondra surf forecast from 26 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Monday 31 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 8ft (2.4m), 17s period, SSW swell with 3,467 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Dondra this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Dondra in the next 16 days are 2.4m 17s and forecast to arrive on Monday (Aug 31) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.5m 6s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 11AM.
| Wave Type | Time (+0530) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Mon 31st Aug) | 8ft (2.4m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Dondra over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, this is Rusty.
Alright, let’s be straight with you—Dondra is our only game in town for this 16-day stretch, and it’s a classic reef setup that’s exposed to the southwest. The water is sitting at 28°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no wetsuit worries. The big picture? We’ve got a solid run of SSW groundswell, but it’s always a bit of a gamble with the conditions. The first few days are plagued by risk tstorms and moderate winds, which take the shine off, but the swell energy is building.
Wednesday the 26th kicks off with a 4 ft SSW swell, period a very long 16 seconds, and cross-off wind from the WSW. The wave energy is moderate (969) but the morning has that risk tstorm vibe. It’s clean, but only just marginal. Afternoon picks up a touch more energy (1007) and stays clean. Thursday the 27th sees the swell jump to 6 ft, same long period of 17 seconds, and energy roaring to 2855—that’s strong. But the morning wind is cross-shore, leaving a chop, so better wait for the afternoon cross-off when it’s clean again at 5 ft. Friday the 28th holds similar size, 5-5 ft, with energy still strong (1104-1016), but again the morning is messy, afternoon is the go.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Saturday the 29th is a bit of a drop-off—4 ft, 13-second period, energy dropping to 649-765—but it’s clean all day. Sunday the 30th, however, brings a standout: the morning has a 4 ft swell with a very long 19-second period, energy 1587, and the afternoon pumps to 6 ft at 18 seconds, energy 2150. Winds are cross-off from the W, and it’s clear skies. That Sunday afternoon is the best of the whole run—clean, strong groundswell, and that long period means the reef will be shaping up nicely. Dondra is inconsistent, so this is a rare moment to get in.
Monday the 31st keeps the energy high—8 ft morning, 7 ft afternoon, 17-18 second period, energy over 3300. But that’s getting big for a reef, definitely one for the experienced crew. The wind is still cross-off, so it’s clean, but the size and that long period might make it a bit of a handful. Tuesday 1st September is still solid at 7 ft, easing off through the week.
From Wednesday 2nd September onward, the swell gradually drops from 5-5 ft, period getting shorter into the 14-13 second range, energy down to moderate. Winds stay cross-off mostly, keeping it clean, but it’s more of a fun-sized wave. The real drop-off hits around 5th September—swell drops to 4 ft, period 10 seconds, and the energy is weak (466-560). The wind turns cross-shore, and the surf quality goes poor. There’s a few days of flat, weak junk from 5th to 8th September, with the odd clean session on the 8th afternoon (3 ft, 19-second period, energy 638). Then 9th and 10th September see a slight pickup to 4-5 ft, but the period’s back to 15-17 seconds, and the wind is cross-off in the afternoons, so it’s clean but not pumping.
Bottom line: Sunday 30th August afternoon is the standout—go then. Monday 31st for the big-wave hunters. The rest is a mixed bag of clean but marginal surf, with a flat patch in the middle of the second week.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 34mm), heaviest during Wed afternoon. Warm (max 28°C on Wed morning, min 25°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 7mm), mostly falling on Sat morning. Warm (max 29°C on Sun afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
715 | 620 | 773 | 1611 | 1346 | 1551 | 983 | 1016 | 561 | 547 | 468 | 932 | 1288 | 1856 | 2325 | 3286 | 2800 | 2637 | 2033 | 1671 | 1257 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 1:56PM0.50m | 2:26AM0.47m | 2:19PM0.53m | 2:47AM0.51m | 2:43PM0.55m | 3:09AM0.54m | 3:06PM0.55m | 3:32AM0.57m | 3:30PM0.54m | 3:56AM0.58m | 3:55PM0.51m | 4:21AM0.57m | 4:18PM0.48m | 4:48AM0.54m | |||||||
Low Tide | 8:19PM0.04m | 8:15AM0.09m | 8:37PM0.01m | 8:41AM0.06m | 8:57PM-0.01m | 9:07AM0.04m | 9:18PM-0.02m | 9:34AM0.03m | 9:39PM-0.02m | 10:01AM0.04m | 10:01PM-0.01m | 10:29AM0.06m | 10:23PM0.02m | ||||||||
6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:00 | — | — | |
— | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:14 | — | |
mm | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 28 | 27 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 20 | SSW 19 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
715 | 620 | 773 | 1611 | 1346 | 1551 | 983 | 1016 | 561 | 547 | 468 | 932 | 1288 | 1856 | 2325 | 3286 | 2800 | 2637 | 2033 | 1671 | 1257 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 8 | S 8 | SSW 19 | SSW 20 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | S 8 | SW 20 | SSW 20 | SSW 13 | S 12 | S 12 | SSE 9 | S 13 | SSE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SE 8 | SSE 10 |
88 | 86 | 644 | 507 | 99 | 10 | 65 | 15 | 33 | 102 | 272 | 257 | 299 | 294 | 99 | 14 | 75 | 68 | 82 | 24 | 61 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 24 | SSW 12 | SSE 8 | SSW 20 | SSW 13 | — | W 9 | — | SE 8 | SE 9 | WNW 9 | S 10 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSW 12 | S 13 | SSW 11 | — | — | SSE 10 | WNW 8 |
11 | 117 | 42 | 507 | 192 | — | 56 | — | 15 | 20 | 25 | 71 | 18 | 18 | 94 | 14 | 47 | — | — | 36 | 24 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | W 9 | WSW 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | WSW 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 5 | WSW 6 |
155 | 184 | 202 | 230 | 220 | 87 | 57 | 80 | 95 | 140 | 106 | 102 | 96 | 85 | 59 | 89 | 95 | 72 | 83 | 92 | 84 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 174 | 175 | 175 | 174 | 803 | 895 | 176 | 895 | 175 | 174 | 395 | 175 | 174 | 395 | 175 | 174 | 809 | 175 | 175 | 176 | 175 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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.











