Inside Reef (Hikkaduwa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s get into it.

Alright, I won’t sugarcoat it – we’re looking at a pretty grim stretch for Inside Reef (Hikkaduwa). This is a reef break that needs clean conditions to shine, but the wind is a persistent problem. For the entire 16-day window, the forecast is essentially a write-off for surfers. The first recommendation doesn’t appear until Friday the 17th of July, and unfortunately, it’s a hard pass.

From Friday the 17th right through to the end of the month, we’ve got poor surf conditions day after day. The wind is mostly onshore from the west, blowing at 12 to 19 mph, which is a moderate to fresh breeze. That's going to trash the surface. Even when the swell is decent, the wind just ruins it. The swell direction is mostly coming from the SSW or S, which is the optimum for this spot, but it doesn’t matter when it’s all blown out.

The best of a bad bunch might be the 20th of July, Monday afternoon. We see a 6 ft swell from the south with a 16-second period, which is a nice long-period groundswell. The combined energy is moderate at 1883, but it’s still a cross-onshore breeze and the forecast calls it marginal. There’s a risk of thunderstorms too. It’s not worth paddling out for.

Later in the month, around the 30th and 31st of July, we get some bigger swell – 5 ft to 6 ft from the SSW with a very long 18-19 second period. The energy jumps up to strong, around 1908 to 2461. But again, the wind is onshore at 15 to 19 mph, and thunderstorms are likely. That’s a messy, dangerous combo for a reef. Then on the 1st of August, we see an 12 ft swell from the west with a short 9-second period and a fresh onshore breeze. That’s way too big for most, and the quality will be poor.

For a reef break that’s only fairly consistent, this is a long dry spell. If you’re a kite surfer, the strong onshore winds and decent swell might look interesting, but for paddle surfing, there’s nothing to get excited about. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, but that’s small comfort.

Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it tends not to stay this poor forever. But for now, leave the board in the car.

Rusty

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