Surf Forecasts:
Trincomalee surf forecast from 23 Aug 2026:
- Most powerful swell: Friday 28 Aug, 2PM (local time) - 3ft (0.9m), 8s period, SSE swell with 101 kJ wave energy.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Trincomalee this week:
The most powerful waves expected at Trincomalee in the next 16 days are 0.9m 8s and forecast to arrive on Friday (Aug 28) at 2PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 1.1m 4s period and expected on Wednesday (Aug 26) at 5AM.
| Wave Type | Time (+0530) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | - | - |
| Best Surf | - | - |
| Most Powerful | 2PM (Fri 28th Aug) | 3ft (0.9m) 8s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Trincomalee over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you—this stretch of coast is not doing us any favours for the next couple of weeks. We've got a long, quiet spell ahead, and honestly, there's nothing here that's worth paddling out for.
Right from the start, looking at Trincomalee, it's a point break that rarely breaks, so we're already fighting an uphill battle. The water temp is sitting at 84°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. But the swell? Tiny. We're talking 1 ft from the SE with a short period around 9 seconds early on Sunday the 23rd of August. The combined wave energy is only 32, which is very weak. And to make matters worse, we've got a cross-off wind blowing at 19 mph from the WSW. It's clean but it's not doing anything for the wave shape.
Sunday afternoon and into Monday the 24th of August, it's more of the same—tiny swell, poor conditions, cross-off winds. The energy stays in the 17 to 35 range, which is just... nothing. By Tuesday the 25th, we get a weird spike in period—18 seconds from the S, but the swell height is only 0.7 ft. That's a long-period groundswell with zero push. It's like hearing a big wave story but seeing nothing on the horizon. The energy bumps to 48, but that's still weak.
Wednesday through to the end of August, it's a rinse and repeat: 1.0 ft to 2 ft, short period (8 seconds), cross-off winds, and energy levels hanging between 20 and 54. Nothing changes. The forecast says "poor surf conditions" all the way through. There's a brief moment on Saturday the 29th of August afternoon where the wind swings NW at 6 mph, turning offshore. But with only 2 ft of SE swell and 8-second period, it's still not surfable. The energy is 54—weak.
The first week of September keeps the same theme. The 1st through the 5th, we've got 1 ft to 2 ft of swell, mostly SE, periods hanging around 8 to 10 seconds. Winds stay cross-off or occasional offshore, but the energy never breaks 74. There's a slightly more interesting afternoon on Saturday the 5th of September with W wind 9 mph offshore and 2 ft SSE swell at 10 seconds, giving 74 energy, but it's still a long way from rideable. It's clean, but there's nothing to ride.
Then on Sunday the 6th of September morning, we see a jump in period to 17 seconds from the S, with 1 ft swell and the energy hits 148—that's the highest we see in the whole period, and it's moderate energy. But that 17-second period is very long, and for a point break like Trincomalee, that can sometimes line up nicely. However, the swell height is still tiny. It's a tease. The wind is cross-off WSW at 12 mph. Still poor surf conditions.
The rest of the 6th and into Monday the 7th of September, it fades back to 2 ft to 2 ft, 8-second period, and energy dropping to 40–48. A bit of offshore wind on the 7th afternoon from the W at 12 mph, but again, it's clean with nothing to surf.
So here's the bottom line: there are zero standouts in this 16-day window. Not one day worth putting a board in the water. If you're dead set on being out there, you'd have to be on a longboard and praying for a ripple, but honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. But even that's a stretch.
The good news? Trincomalee is a point break that can fire when the swell and wind align, and it's sheltered from the NW. It's just not our time. If you're patient, conditions can turn around. Forecasts change. But for now, there's nothing doing.
Alright, stay patient, keep an eye on the horizon. I'll be back when there's something worth reporting.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Mon afternoon, min 26°C on Mon night). Mainly strong winds. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Warm (max 35°C on Thu afternoon, min 27°C on Wed night). Mainly strong winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sunday 23 | Monday 24 | Tuesday 25 | Wednesday 26 | Thursday 27 | Friday 28 | Saturday 29 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | 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) | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | S 18 | SE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | 31 | 68 | 26 | 12 | 45 | 25 | 18 | 65 | 24 | 16 | 43 | 25 | 31 | 95 | 41 | 29 | 62 | 28 | 29 | 32 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 5:15PM0.38m | 6:11AM0.56m | 6:16PM0.41m | 6:53AM0.59m | 7:02PM0.45m | 7:29AM0.61m | 7:41PM0.49m | 8:01AM0.63m | 8:17PM0.52m | 8:30AM0.64m | 8:50PM0.55m | 8:57AM0.64m | 9:23PM0.57m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:33PM0.28m | 11:01PM0.22m | 1:04PM0.26m | 11:52PM0.20m | 1:24PM0.23m | 00:34AM0.18m | 1:42PM0.20m | 1:10AM0.15m | 2:03PM0.16m | 1:46AM0.14m | 2:29PM0.13m | 2:21AM0.13m | 2:57PM0.10m | 2:57AM0.13m | |||||||
5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | 5:56 | — | — | |
— | 6:17 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:16 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | — | 6:15 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Temp °C | 33 | 34 | 28 | 33 | 35 | 29 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 33 | 34 | 28 | 34 | 35 | 29 | 34 | 34 | 29 | 34 | 34 | 29 |
Feels °C | 30 | 31 | 25 | 31 | 32 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 25 | 30 | 31 | 26 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 33 | 33 | 28 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 4 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 9 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SSE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 | SE 8 |
22 | 31 | 68 | 26 | 5 | 45 | 16 | 17 | 65 | 24 | 16 | 43 | 25 | 31 | 95 | 41 | 29 | 62 | 28 | 29 | 32 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 15 | S 14 | S 19 | NW 4 | SSE 8 | S 16 | S 19 | S 18 | — | S 14 | S 13 | S 13 | — | W 3 | — | NW 4 | — | WNW 4 | NW 4 | SE 8 | SSE 7 |
4 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 7 | 6 | — | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | 4 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 25 | 5 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | S 18 | — | — | S 18 | — | S 12 | S 18 | S 10 | — | — | S 13 | S 22 | S 21 | S 20 | — | — | — | S 14 | S 14 | WNW 4 | — |
6 | — | — | 6 | — | 3 | 25 | 18 | — | — | 4 | 10 | 9 | 8 | — | — | — | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | WSW 4 | SW 3 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | SW 2 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 3 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 3 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | SE 4 | WSW 4 | WSW 4 | NNW 2 | WSW 4 |
12 | 2 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 8 | 4 | 38 | 19 | 11 | 27 | 8 | 4 | 22 | 4 | 11 | 17 | 4 | 1 | 13 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 467 | 797 | 956 | 194 | 956 | 194 | 194 | 907 | 907 | 194 | 194 | 194 | 194 | 797 | 881 | 194 | 797 | 194 | 194 | 907 | 194 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Trincomalee Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Trincomalee provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Trincomalee can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Trincomalee 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 (Trincomalee) 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 Trincomalee 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.
Are you planning a holiday in East Sri Lanka? If you are looking for accommodation near Trincomalee, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in East Sri Lanka, consider staying in Trincomalee which is 3 km (2 miles) away. Other places in and around East Sri Lanka where you can find information about places to rent, and car hire include Vavuniya which is 86 km (53 miles) away, Eravur Town and Anuradhapura.











