Main Reef (Hikkaduwa) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what we've got on the menu for Hikkaduwa.

Honestly, mate, it's a pretty tough outlook for the next couple of weeks. We're looking at Main Reef (Hikkaduwa) and the truth is, it's a long stretch of pretty average conditions. The water is sitting at 84°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than usual for this time of year – feels like a warm bath, but that's about the only highlight for a while.

The first real chance of anything surfable doesn't show up until Thursday the 9th of July, and even then it's just marginal. We've got a long period groundswell of 3ft from the SSW at 16 seconds pushing in, and the energy is moderate at (1039). The problem is that the wind is a cross-on, 12 mph from the west, making things choppy and messy. It's a reef setup, so that long period will offer some shape, but the wind is working against us. It's a tough call, but if you're desperate, that's your window, but don't expect much.

From the 10th through to the 12th, the swell jumps around a bit, getting up to 6ft from the W on the 10th afternoon (energy hitting a strong 2381), but again, that pesky cross-on wind is ruining the party. The period drops to around 11-12 seconds, so it loses that quality. On the 11th, we see the wind shift to onshore, but the breeze is still strong enough to keep it bumpy. It's not clean, folks.

There's then a big gap until the 18th of July. We get a bit of a pulse on the Saturday morning with a 4ft SSW swell, period 18 seconds – that's a nice long period – and a gentle 9 mph breeze from the WSW. That might be the best we see, but it's still just a marginal call. The energy is strong at (1326), so there's push, but with that period and a reef break, the sets could be a little walled and hard to read. It'll be for the better surfers in the water.

The standout window, if we can call it that, is the morning of the 18th and the morning of the 19th. On the 19th we've got a 5ft SSW swell, period 15 seconds, energy again strong at (1306), with onshore wind from the west at 12 mph. It's not perfect, but compared to the rest, it's the closest we get to something with punch. It's an intermediate break, so keep your wits about you.

Honestly, for a solid week from the 6th to the 13th, the surf is pretty poor. The wind is almost always cross-on or on, and the swell quality is low. After the 18th, the energy fades again and the wind picks up. This stretch looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, to be honest.

Keep the board waxed, and check back in. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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