Sri Lanka Windsurfing is a popular water sport among the foreign tourists who visit the palm fringed pristine beaches of Sri Lanka. The most popular surfing beaches of the island are Hikkaduwa of South Western coastal belt and Arugambay (International surfing competition venue) of Eastern coastal belt of Sri Lanka. Since the early 60’s Sri Lanka attracts surfers from all over the world. The windsurfing opportunities offered in Sri Lanka attracts the amateur windsurfers as well as the world class windsurfers participating in international windsurfing competitions.
Advantages in Windsurfing in Sri Lanka
(a) Sri Lanka being a tropical island, the windsurfer do not need to wear protective clothing against the cold winds in the beaches. However, a protective coating of lotion would save your skin from the bright tropical sun of the Indian Ocean.
(b) Sri Lanka affords the opportunity to locate a windsurfing beach in line with the skill level of the windsurfing enthusiasts: from beginners to Professional Windsurfer. The tranquil waters of the Bentota river or any of the coastal lagoons or Sri Lanka’s ancient vast irrigation reservoirs offer ample opportunities to every novice to cut his teeth in windsurfing so that he would dare taking the challenge of the ocean.
(c) Sri Lanka's windsurfing tour packages offered by the tour operators and wind surfing clubs are affordable in comparison to the major windsurfing destinations of the world.
Sri Lanka Windsurfer support
For beginners of windsurfing, Bentota of the south-western coastal belt offers windsurfing facilities, such as the hiring of boards and sails. The Club Intersport and Sunshine Watersports Centre are the main ones. Sunshine Watersports Centre is the only VDWS (Association of German windsurfing and watersport schools) -certified surf school in the island providing the necessary training and professional certification.
Sri Lanka Windsurfing season
Sri Lanka’s Climate is such, the tropical island is hardly out of season for the windsurfing. However, the main seasons are during November to April in the South western and Southern coastal belt and April to September in the Eastern coastal belt. The windsurfing clubs and hotels in the windsurfing beaches are always at hand to advise on strong currents and undertow whenever and wherever those exist.
"Never do it if you don’t have the experience, never do it alone and have a supervisor at all times and check with the local authorities to see if the Weather and sea current conditions are right to windsurf. The new trend is to go kite-surfing but do it at approved centres because it takes a great deal of skill and expertise to do it."
Thushal Gunawardena, (ranked among the top 10 at the World Windsurfing Championships of 1992), Sunshine Watersports Centre, Aluthgama, Sri Lanka.
Water Sports in Bentota -
Sun Shine Water Sport Centre is one of the most popular and well equipped Water Sports Centres in Bentota, as they provide everything from windsurfing, to water-skiing, body boarding, banana rides, jet-sking, deep sea and river fishing, snorkeling, diving and even river cruises. Having a host of experiences and certified instructors on their staff, both wind surfing and water skiing are instructed by Sri Lanka’s champion wind surfer and water skier. Mediums of instruction are carried out in English, German and French.
The Centre provides Beginner and advanced dive courses, conducted by PADI certified instructors. They also offer a Beginners course in wind surfing, as they’re members of the VDWS (Verband Deutcher Windsurfing Schule, Germany ), which therefore makes the certification recognized world over.
The months of November through April are best for snorkeling, wind surfing, water skiing and deep sea fishing from an outrigger canoe, as the sea is at its calmest during this time.
Bird Watching in Kumana National Park -
Kumana National Park in Sri Lanka is renowned for its avifauna, particularly its large flocks of migratory waterfowl and wading birds. The park is 391 kilometres southeast of Colombo on Sri Lanka's southeastern coast. There are approximately 20 lagoons and tanks to support the Park’s extensive bird-life. This park is a bird watchers & nature photographers paradise.
Mountain Biking & Cycling -
Cycling in Sri Lanka is an excellent way to enjoy the lovely sceneries of Sri Lanka. The network of main roads and innumerable country roads, gravel paths, foot paths, cart tracks, dirt tracks and estate tracks make the all corners of the small island accessible to the cycling enthusiasts holidaying in Sri Lanka. The terrain throughout the country offers challenges for beginners and experts; though cycling in the plains aren't tiresome, the Central Highlands could be demanding. However cycling in the Central Highlands is rewarding too in view of the landscape studded with tea plantations running seamlessly over the ranges of hills, terraced rice cultivation and farmlands.
Sri Lanka's varied landscapes also bring about the perceptions on cultural heritage and experiences in rural village life to the tourists cycling in Sri Lanka. Cycling through rice fields and rural villages; through tea covered hill country, taking the coastal roads of the south western and southern coastal belt, riding over the cultural triangle studded with monuments, renovated monuments and ruins of ancient Sri Lanka reward all the cycling enthusiasts in invaluable scale and scope.
Though cycling is enjoyed in exploring the island, cyclists ought to be extra careful in the main roads: the hurtling buses, zig-zagging three wheelers could push to the cyclists into tight corners.
Hot Air Ballooning , Kandalama -
Up, up and away in a beautiful hot air balloon, where you can soar between 500-2000 feet above pristine green forests, ancient irrigation systems, rock temples and statues and ancient ruins, to name a few of the magnificent sights you’ll see on your journey through the clouds. A typical trip would begin just after dawn and last for about one hour depending on the winds at the time. Ballooning is best during the month of November through April as the winds are just right and the skies are blue and sunny.
