
Surf Forecasts:
Dondra surf forecast from 22 Jul 2026:
- Best quality surf: Friday 24 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 10s period, SSE swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 26 Jul, 8AM (local time) - 5ft (1.6m), 11s period, SSE swell with 595 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Wednesday 22 Jul, 11PM (local time) - 4ft (1.2m), 12s 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 Wednesday (Jul 22) at 11PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 1.2m and 12s period with a secondary swell of 0.5m and 8s. 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 1.6m 11s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Jul 26) at 8AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.3m 5s period and expected on Tuesday (Jul 28) at 8PM.
| Wave Type | Time (+0530) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 11PM (Wed 22nd Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 12s |
| Best Surf | 11PM (Fri 24th Jul) | 4ft (1.2m) 10s |
| Most Powerful | 8AM (Sun 26th Jul) | 5ft (1.6m) 11s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Dondra over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Hey folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you, lookin' at the charts for this place... it's a grind. We got one spot called Dondra, and it's inconsistent at the best of times, and this forecast is a long, slow tease. There's nothing happening right now and not a single real standout session in the whole 16 days.
Your first sniff might come on Wednesday afternoon, July 22nd. Dondra's a reef break, exposed to the SW, so when it turns on, it's got potential. But we're startin' with a weak 4ft S swell, period around 13 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 620, but the wind is cross-shore and the report calls it "marginal." Don't get your hopes up.
The next few days into late July are a bust. Thursday the 23rd and Friday the 24th are flat or near-flat with "poor surf conditions." The swell just disappears. You're lookin' at a gap of several days with basically nothing rideable. The wind stays moderate cross-shore or cross-off, but the wave height just ain't there. By Friday afternoon the 24th, we get a tiny 2ft SW groundswell with a period of 14 seconds, energy of 469, and the wind cleans up to a cross-off. It's better, but it's still marginal.
The best of a bad lot looks like it might be Saturday the 25th. The afternoon shows a 5ft SSE swell, but the period drops to a short 10 seconds, givin' it a less powerful feel, even if the total energy jumps to 861. The wind goes cross-offshore, so it'll be clean on the surface. Still, the report says marginal. You might snag a few, but it's not gonna be epic. This pattern of marginal surf with clean cross-off winds in the afternoon continues through the end of July and into early August. The morning slots are generally too messy with cross-shore winds.
Now, into the first week of August, the swell direction swings to the SSW and the period starts to push up, hittin' 15 to 20 seconds. This is real groundswell. The combined energy values get strong, regularly over 1000, peaking like at 1596 on the afternoon of July 31st and 1514 on August 2nd. The wave heights stay between 3ft and 5ft, so it's not a big swell, but that long period means it will have some punch. The wind looks generally offshore or cross-offshore, so the conditions will be clean.
Here's the thing, though. Dondra is a reef break, and a long-period swell from the SSW like this, with 15 to 20 seconds between waves... that'll be good for shape and make paddlin' out easier with longer lulls. But the swell size is small, and Dondra is inconsistent. It rarely fires. The crowds are *sometimes* a factor there, so you might have a few others out. For a week out, this is a promising but less certain call. The Wednesday, August 5th morning run shows a 4ft SSW swell with a 19-second period (very long period), energy at 1477, and clean cross-off wind. That's the session in the whole window that has the best potential. And Thursday, August 6th holds 5ft SSW swell with 16-second period and strong energy around 1400, again with clean winds.
But overall? This is a dry spell for the area. If you're an intermediate, you might find a few clean waves on those August afternoons, but don't expect much. For a beginner, the swell tops out around 5ft, so it's manageable, but the long period can make it a bit tricky. For an expert, it's never gonna get big enough to get stoked about. Honestly, with the consistent clean cross-off winds and that long period groundswell energy, this whole setup looks more interesting for a kite surfer than for a paddle surfer. The waves are small, but the wind is right for it.
Keep an eye on the charts, things can change, but for now, I'd say give it a miss.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 4mm), mostly falling on Sat night. Warm (max 30°C on Sat afternoon, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | |||||||||||||||||||
Wed 22 | Thursday 23 | Friday 24 | Saturday 25 | Sunday 26 | Monday 27 | Tuesday 28 | ||||||||||||||
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) | S 13 | S 12 | SSW 12 | S 10 | SW 16 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSE 10 | SSW 16 | SSE 10 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | ||||||||||||||||||||
490 | 344 | 145 | 190 | 251 | 217 | 214 | 301 | 382 | 386 | 593 | 533 | 400 | 284 | 284 | 256 | 226 | 192 | 291 | 382 | |
Wind (km/h) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 6:36PM0.32m | 8:19AM0.37m | 7:42PM0.27m | 10:33AM0.36m | 00:35AM0.28m | 12:16PM0.39m | 1:26AM0.32m | 1:06PM0.43m | 1:55AM0.35m | 1:42PM0.47m | 2:21AM0.39m | 2:11PM0.50m | 2:46AM0.42m | |||||||
Low Tide | 00:55AM0.18m | 3:41PM0.26m | 1:50AM0.23m | 6:49PM0.22m | 5:10AM0.24m | 7:26PM0.18m | 6:39AM0.21m | 7:54PM0.14m | 7:23AM0.18m | 8:19PM0.10m | 7:57AM0.14m | 8:42PM0.06m | ||||||||
— | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | 6:01 | — | — | |
6:25 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:25 | — | — | 6:24 | — | — | 6:24 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
Temp °C | 30 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 30 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 |
Feels °C | 30 | 30 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 13 | S 12 | S 9 | S 10 | S 10 | S 9 | S 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SSE 10 | SE 11 | SSE 11 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 | SE 10 |
490 | 344 | 140 | 190 | 146 | 103 | 146 | 301 | 360 | 386 | 593 | 533 | 400 | 284 | 284 | 256 | 226 | 192 | 192 | 192 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 8 | W 10 | SSW 12 | W 9 | W 9 | SW 15 | SW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 13 | SSW 12 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 |
16 | 70 | 145 | 61 | 74 | 217 | 214 | 229 | 382 | 275 | 394 | 316 | 336 | 269 | 261 | 190 | 131 | 125 | 291 | 382 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 16 | SE 8 | W 9 | SSW 12 | SW 16 | SE 8 | SE 8 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | S 20 | W 10 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 | SSW 12 | SSW 12 | WNW 10 | WNW 10 |
10 | 16 | 63 | 79 | 251 | 43 | 43 | 10 | 36 | 8 | 50 | 90 | 119 | 156 | 141 | 139 | 164 | 121 | 98 | 128 | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | W 9 | W 4 | W 5 | W 5 | — | W 8 | W 8 | W 8 | W 4 | W 10 | W 10 | W 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | W 6 |
120 | 10 | 11 | 18 | — | 68 | 66 | 64 | 17 | 192 | 198 | 27 | 35 | 48 | 39 | 47 | 50 | 64 | 93 | 50 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | ||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 788 | 0 | 765 | 41 | 0 | 676 | 788 | 4 | 174 | 788 | 175 | 676 | 788 | 175 | 676 | 787 | 175 | 174 | 787 | 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.










