Dondra Surf Break

Dondra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Lat Long: 5.92° N 80.60° E

Issued: 10 am 05 Jul 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Dondra sea temperature is
28.3° C

Slightly warmer than usual

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


Dondra surf forecast from 5 Jul 2026:

  • Most powerful swell: Thursday 9 Jul, 2PM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 16s period, SSW swell with 906 kJ wave energy.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Dondra this week:

The most powerful waves expected at Dondra in the next 16 days are 1.4m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Jul 09) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (+0530) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+)--
Best Surf--
Most Powerful 2PM (Thu 9th Jul)4.5ft (1.4m) 16s

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


Updates in  hr  min  s Forecast update imminent

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ out there. The only spot on the cards over this 16-day stretch is Dondra, a reef break. It’s inconsistent, so we’re not talking about a solid, everyday kind of wave, but when it does pulse, there’s something to work with.

The water’s sitting at 83° with barely any temperature anomaly, so it’s pretty standard for this time of year – no surprises there.

First up, Sunday the 5th of July kicks things off. We’ve got a west swell rollin’ in around 6 ft with an 8-second period. The combined energy’s sitting at 850 (moderate), but that short period means the waves are a bit crumbly and gutless. The wind’s a moderate cross-offshore from the west at 16 mph, which is decent for keeping the face relatively clean, but the surf is pretty marginal. A tide issue or just a messy forecast is keeping it from being a standout.

Monday the 6th and Tuesday the 7th see the swell drop a touch to 5–6 ft, but the period lifts to a more respectable 10 seconds. Energy climbs from 862 up into the 1087–1190 range by Tuesday afternoon (moderate to strong). Still cross-off wind, still clean. The waves are okay, but nothing to write home about – still tagged as marginal. A bit of a risk of thunderstorms on Tuesday afternoon adds some spice to the air, but not the water.

Wednesday the 8th of July is interesting. The morning holds a 6 ft west swell, but by the afternoon we see a direction shift to SSW with a 14-second period and a solid energy reading of 1290 (strong). That long-period groundswell will wrap in nicely to a reef setup like Dondra, with clean faces and more power. This is starting to look like the first decent window.

Thursday the 9th of July is where things start to really hum. The morning still has a solid 5 ft west swell at 11 seconds, but the arvo is the real highlight: 5 ft from the SSW with a very long 16-second period, and the energy hitting 1761 (very strong). That’s proper groundswell. The wind stays cross-offshore at 16 mph. For a reef break, that long period is ideal – long, lined-up walls with plenty of push. This is the best session of the week. A bit of a risk of thunderstorms, but worth the gamble.

Friday the 10th and Saturday the 11th carry on the run of good swell. Friday brings 6 ft from the west at 12 seconds, with energy around 1739–1769 (very strong). Saturday also holds 6 ft from the west at 11 seconds. Both days have that same clean, cross-off breeze. Consistency is not Dondra’s strong point, but this run of days is a gift.

From Sunday the 12th of July into the second week, the swell drops back. Sunday morning is 5 ft at 10 seconds, easing to 4 ft from the south at 13 seconds in the arvo. The combined energy is still moderate to strong (953–1045). The long-period south swells start to dominate from Monday the 13th onward, with periods pushing 19–21 seconds, but the heights drop to 2–4 ft. Those very long periods mean the waves will be super clean, peeling lines at Dondra, but they’ll be small and the sets will be few and far between. The energy readings are still high relative to the size (up to 1415), which tells you there’s a lot of deep-water punch on those rare sets. Not for the impatient.

The tail end of the second week from the 17th of July looks a bit sketchy. The wind swings more cross-shore, and we get a poor surf call on the 17th with a cross-chop. A small spike on Saturday the 18th with a 5 ft swell from the SSW at 9 seconds (short period) and moderate cross-shore wind, but it’s messy. The last few days from the 19th into the 20th settle back down with clean cross-off winds and swell around 3–5 ft from the south, but nothing that’ll spin your head.

Honestly, the true standout here is Thursday the 9th of July afternoon: 5 ft of long-period SSW groundswell, very strong energy, clean cross-off wind. Dondra’s an inconsistent reef, so when it lines up like that, you get in the water.

Rusty

Short Range Forecast

Some drizzle, heaviest during Tue afternoon. Warm (max 29°C on Sun morning, min 26°C on Sun night). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Moderate rain (total 10mm), heaviest on Thu morning. Warm (max 30°C on Wed afternoon, min 26°C on Wed night). Mainly fresh winds.

Sunday
5
Monday
6
Tuesday
7
Wednesday
8
Thursday
9
Friday
10
Saturday
11
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
1
2
2
1
1
2
2
3
3
2
3
3
2
3
3
2
3
3
2
3
3
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.8
W
8
1.7
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.6
W
10
1.6
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.8
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.3
SSW
14
1.2
SSW
14
1.6
W
11
1.4
SSW
16
1.4
SSW
15
1.8
W
12
1.8
W
12
1.8
W
12
1.8
W
11
1.8
W
11
1.6
W
10
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
387
533
544
474
474
555
625
603
676
569
624
545
621
894
836
880
894
864
792
764
524
Wind (km/h)
25
W
25
W
25
W
25
W
25
W
20
W
25
W
25
W
25
WNW
30
W
25
W
20
W
25
W
25
W
15
W
25
W
25
W
20
W
25
W
25
W
20
W
Wind State
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
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
cross-off
High Tide
5:13PM0.47m
6:05AM0.44m
5:48PM0.42m
6:49AM0.44m
6:27PM0.37m
7:46AM0.43m
7:21PM0.32m
9:05AM0.43m
9:02PM0.28m
10:42AM0.44m
11:27PM0.28m
12:05PM0.46m
00:51AM0.32m
Low Tide
11:15AM0.15m
11:40PM0.07m
11:58AM0.17m
00:12AM0.09m
12:53PM0.20m
00:49AM0.12m
2:12PM0.22m
1:39AM0.15m
4:15PM0.23m
3:00AM0.18m
6:09PM0.19m
4:52AM0.18m
7:10PM0.15m
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
clear
thunderstorm
clear
clear
clear
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
thunderstorm
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
rain showers
thunderstorm
clear
part cloud
<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
5:58
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
6:24
6:24
6:24
6:25
6:25
6:25
6:25
 mm
1
3
3
3
1
1
Temp °C
29
29
27
29
29
27
29
29
27
29
30
27
28
29
27
29
29
27
29
29
27
Feels °C
29
28
29
28
27
28
28
29
29
29
30
29
29
29
29
29
28
29
29
29
29
Swell 1
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.9
SSE
10
0.9
SSE
10
0.9
SSE
10
0.9
SSE
10
0.9
SSE
10
0.9
SSE
10
0.8
SSW
16
0.8
SSW
15
0.8
SSW
15
1.1
SSW
14
1.3
SSW
14
1.2
SSW
14
1.6
W
11
1.4
SSW
16
1.4
SSW
15
1.4
SSW
14
1.4
SSW
14
1.2
SSW
14
1
SSW
13
1
SSW
13
1.1
S
14
Energy kJ
143
140
143
143
140
135
318
279
279
465
624
497
621
894
795
778
778
490
372
367
508
Swell 2
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SSW
17
0.6
SW
16
0.6
SSW
16
0.7
SW
16
0.7
SW
15
0.7
SW
15
0.8
SSE
9
0.7
SSE
9
0.8
S
16
0.7
S
15
0.6
SSE
10
0.9
SSE
11
1
SSW
13
0.8
SSE
9
0.7
SSE
9
0.6
SSE
9
0.6
SSE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.5
SE
8
0.5
SE
10
0.5
SE
9
Energy kJ
200
211
173
245
226
220
98
88
330
205
74
161
356
100
73
50
48
35
35
45
40
Swell 3
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
0.6
SSW
13
0.5
SW
13
0.5
SW
14
0.4
WNW
12
0.3
S
18
0.3
S
16
0.6
S
17
0.6
SSE
9
0.6
SSE
9
0.3
SE
9
0.8
S
17
0.9
SSW
16
0.3
SW
15
0.3
SW
15
0.2
SSW
18
0.3
SW
18
0.3
S
16
0.4
S
16
0.4
S
16
0.1
S
23
Energy kJ
120
84
89
58
58
46
220
66
66
12
351
432
33
33
31
49
48
81
75
11
Wind waves
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
1.8
W
8
1.7
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.6
W
10
1.6
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.8
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.7
W
10
1.6
W
10
1.7
W
11
1.8
W
11
1.8
W
12
1.8
W
12
1.8
W
12
1.8
W
11
1.8
W
11
1.6
W
10
Energy kJ
387
533
544
474
474
555
625
603
676
569
580
545
734
836
880
894
864
792
764
524
Nearest Offshore or Glassy
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
2
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
Distance (km)
171
174
175
171
896
676
167
175
167
125
125
125
395
167
175
167
174
175
174
395
175
Best forecast wave conditions in West Sri Lanka
Rating
(10 max)
Best forecast wave conditions in Sri Lanka
Rating
(10 max)
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
Header Global
Rating
(10 max)
9
7
5
6
8
7
5
5
9
8
9
9
5
6
6
5
8
7
4
9
9
  • 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
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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.

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