Hikkaduwa (A-Frame) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for the Hikkaduwa stretch (Sri Lanka). To be honest, this is a tough one to write. For the next week and a half, the surf is a write-off, so we’re looking at a long 10-day gap of nothing worthwhile before things get interesting. The first decent surf recommendation doesn’t show up until the end of the month, way out on the 31st of July.

Starting off, from the 20th through to the 30th of July, it’s a real battle. The wind is mostly a moderate breeze from the West, either cross-onshore or directly onshore, and that’s just trashing whatever swell is around. You’ll see some decent-sized south swells, like 5ft to 6ft, coming in with a long period of 15 to 18 seconds, giving solid energy, but with that wind, the quality is just poor. It’s choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

The only spot on the radar is Hikkaduwa (A-Frame), a reef break that’s fairly consistent. But with these conditions, it’s a no-go. The water temp is about what you’d expect for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Now, the standout window. The best on offer is from Thursday, 31st July, through to Sunday, 3rd August. There’s a building swell, but it comes with a trade-off. The winds finally start to ease up a bit, going more onshore or cross-onshore, but the swell size really jumps. On the 31st, we’re seeing 5ft to 5ft from the SSW with a period of 16 to 15 seconds (strong energy). That’s a solid groundswell, but the wind is still a moderate breeze, so it’s not going to be perfect.

The real highlight, and the one to circle, is Saturday, 1st August. The swell pumps up to 8ft to 10ft from the West, but check the period – it’s only 8 seconds. That’s short-period, windswell junk. The energy is there, but it’s raw and powerful. This is strictly for experts only; over 8ft is too big for beginners. The wind is a fresh breeze from the WSW, onshore, making it even more unruly. Honestly, with that much swell and strong onshore wind, Hikkaduwa (A-Frame) is going to look more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers. The break is a reef, so that long-period issue isn’t the problem, but the short period and wind will make it a bumpy, lumpy mess.

The following days, 2nd and 3rd of August, drop back to 8ft, then 7ft from the West, still with short period (8-9 seconds) and moderate breeze. The quality remains poor. Not a classic run by any means.

So, to sum it up: the first 10 days are a total blank. The only serious swell comes in at the start of August, but it’s short-period and blown out. If you’re an expert looking for a challenge, the 1st of August might have some grunt, but don’t expect any clean, lined-up waves. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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