Inside Reef (Hikkaduwa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks at Inside Reef (Hikkaduwa).

Honestly, mate, this is a tough one. For the first two weeks of this forecast, it's basically a write-off for a good paddle. The wind is relentless, blowing onshore or cross-onshore almost every day, and that’s just not gonna give us the clean lines we want. It’s pretty much just onshore wind and rough conditions day after day. The water’s sittin’ at about 84°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, but that's small comfort when the ocean's all churned up.

For that whole first half, the swell does show up, but with the wind howling from the west at 15 to 22 mph, it’s just messy. The energy is there – you’ll see moderate to strong readings over 1000, even hitting 1877 on August 6th – but it’s all blown out. The break is exposed to these swells, but the direction is mostly from the SSW or straight W, and with the wind ruining it, there’s no real quality. Don't even think about lookin’ at it for a beginner when the swell pushes over 8 ft on the 1st; that’s expert-only territory and still poor quality.

Around August 12th, we start to see a flicker of hope. The wind eases off a touch – still onshore in the mornings, but more of a light to moderate breeze. The swell gets some very long period juice from the south, 20 to 21 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, with figures around 1589 and 1994. Now, for a reef break like this, that long period could line up some nice, clean lines, but the wind is still not glassy. The morning of the 12th is the only time we get a marginal 2 out of 10 score, and that’s the best we’re gonna see.

So, if I had to pick one standout, it’s gotta be the morning of Wednesday, August 12th. The swell will be a consistent 3 ft from the south, with that super long 21-second period, and the wind is a light 9 mph WSW, blowing onshore but light enough that it might clean up. The energy is strong (1589), and for this break, that long period could make for some nice, powerful waves. It’s still not perfect, but it’s the closest to a surfable window we get.

Other than that, the morning of August 13th has a similar setup but with a bit more wind. The rest of the window is just a write-off for a decent surf. For kite surfers, that constant cross-onshore wind and solid wave energy from the 2nd to the 6th of August might look pretty interesting, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a bust for most of the month.

- Rusty

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