Surf Forecasts:
Galle surf forecast from 19 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Thursday 20 Aug, 5AM (local time) - 7ft (2.2m), 16s period, SSW swell with 2,398 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Galle this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Galle in the next 16 days are 2.2m 16s and forecast to arrive on Thursday (Aug 20) at 5AM. Winds are predicted to be cross-onshore at the time the swell arrives.
| Wave Type | Time (+0530) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 5AM (Thu 20th Aug) | 7ft (2.2m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Galle over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Galle is a reef/jetty setup that’s really been feeling the full force of the SW and SSW swells across the 16-day window, but the wind is a persistent problem. The opening days are a write-off. Thursday the 20th of August has a 7ft S swell at 16 seconds, but it’s smacked by a 12 mph W cross-on breeze, making it choppy and hard to enjoy. The energy is strong, at 2168, but the wind wrecks it. The pattern doesn’t shift much through the rest of the week. Friday and Saturday mornings stay cross-on with moderate winds, and the swell generally drops until Saturday afternoon, when a 4ft S swell at 15 seconds hangs around with a cross-shore wind, offering only a marginal window. Sunday and Monday follow the same cross-on, choppy theme, with energy dropping to moderate levels. The water temperature is typical for this time of year, nothing unusual to report.
The real standout in this outlook is the Sunday the 30th of August and Monday the 31st of August. A solid SSW groundswell rolls in, with a 7ft swell at 19 seconds on Sunday afternoon, pumping out a very strong energy reading of 3766. The wind is cross-shore at 16 mph, which is still a bit messy, but it’s the cleanest the wind gets across the whole forecast. This is a big, powerful swell for Galle, and it’s going to be one for experienced surfers only at that size. The long period of 19 seconds means the reefs will hold shape, but the sets will be spaced out, making the paddle out a bit easier. Crowds are possible at this spot, so get there early if you want a clean take-off. Monday the 31st of August keeps the SSW swell going at 8ft, period dropping to 18 seconds, and energy still very strong at 3589, but the wind kicks back to cross-on and the surf quality fades. After that, the first week of September drops back into cross-on, choppy conditions with moderate swell, and the energy slides back to moderate levels. The final Friday, the 4th of September, has a weak 3ft S swell at 10 seconds, with only 422 energy and a persistent cross-on breeze. Overall, the best call is definitely the Sunday the 30th of August, giving you a chance at some solid, powerful reef waves.
Rusty
Short Range ForecastHeavy rain (total 53mm), heaviest during Wed night. Warm (max 28°C on Sat morning, min 26°C on Wed night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 5-7 Weather SummaryModerate rain (total 17mm), heaviest on Sat night. Warm (max 28°C on Sun morning, min 26°C on Sat night). Wind will be generally light. | ||||||||||||||||||
Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | ||||||||||||||
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 | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 14 | SSW 14 | S 17 | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 18 | S 16 | S 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph  | |||||||||||||||||||
 kJ | 2684 | 2088 | 1643 | 1310 | 965 | 704 | 562 | 544 | 636 | 569 | 736 | 591 | 490 | 408 | 529 | 930 | 456 | 443 | 243 |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross-on | cross-on | cross | cross | cross-on |
High Tide | 6:19AM0.40m | 5:48PM0.33m | 7:01AM0.35m | 6:00PM0.27m | 8:31AM0.31m | 3:10AM0.22m | 12:10PM0.33m | 1:41AM0.27m | 12:54PM0.38m | 1:42AM0.33m | 1:23PM0.43m | 1:59AM0.38m | |||||||
Low Tide | 11:38PM0.04m | 12:08PM0.17m | 11:53PM0.10m | 12:41PM0.22m | 11:59PM0.15m | 10:41PM0.20m | 7:22PM0.15m | 6:43AM0.18m | 7:42PM0.09m | 7:23AM0.13m | 8:03PM0.04m | ||||||||
 |  | | | | | |  | | | | |  | | | | | |  | |
 | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — | 6:03 | — | — |
 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:21 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:20 | — | — | 6:19 | — | — | 6:19 | — |
mm | 16 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 3 | — | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
Temp °C | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 28 | 27 | 27 | 28 | 27 |
Feels °C | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 16 | S 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 14 | SSW 14 | S 12 | S 15 | S 15 | S 14 | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | SSW 18 | S 16 | S 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | WSW 5 |
| kJ | 2684 | 2088 | 1643 | 1310 | 965 | 704 | 404 | 544 | 636 | 569 | 736 | 591 | 490 | 408 | 529 | 930 | 456 | 443 | 44 |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 12 | — | W 10 | W 10 | W 10 | S 18 | S 17 | S 11 | S 10 | S 10 | S 21 | S 20 | S 18 | S 10 | S 12 | W 11 | S 11 | S 9 | SSW 14 |
| kJ | 221 | — | 67 | 48 | 30 | 240 | 562 | 274 | 218 | 186 | 233 | 276 | 404 | 118 | 285 | 55 | 223 | 180 | 243 |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | — | S 24 | S 22 | W 9 | SSW 13 | S 18 | S 26 | S 24 | WNW 11 | WNW 10 | W 10 | S 12 | W 10 | — | W 10 | W 10 | S 9 |
| kJ | — | — | — | 11 | 36 | 28 | 59 | 221 | 13 | 173 | 12 | 11 | 17 | 144 | 53 | — | 49 | 48 | 81 |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 6 | WSW 6 | WSW 5 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | W 6 | WSW 6 | W 6 | W 5 | W 5 | W 5 | W 6 | W 10 |
| kJ | 81 | 80 | 87 | 62 | 85 | 85 | 54 | 89 | 73 | 57 | 75 | 55 | 40 | 49 | 57 | 36 | 34 | 30 | 216 |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 205 | 204 | 863 | 205 | 663 | 205 | 205 | 204 | 358 | 205 | 661 | 748 | 205 | 204 | 863 | 205 | 205 | 889 | 863 |
Best forecast wave conditions in West Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||
- Map Icons:
Break
Live Wave Height (m)
Live Wind Speed (km/h)
Surf Rating (10 Max)
Ocean Swells (m)- Wind Speed (km/h)
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 Galle 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 Galle Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Galle provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Galle can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Galle 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 (Galle) 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 Galle 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.
Galle is 3 km (2 miles) from Galle. If you plan a holiday in West Sri Lanka, look for hotels and other accommodation in Galle. Galle has rooms for a wide range of budgets as well as car hire and transport links.
Nearest