I was in Sri Lanka from November 23rd to December 10th, 2025, and it was here that I tried surfing for the first time. Before that, I only had experience with snowboarding, but for a long time I wanted to understand how much the feeling of an ocean wave is comparable to skiing on a mountain slope.
Before the trip, I was choosing between Morocco, Bali and Sri Lanka. In Morocco, the cold water was embarrassing — I didn’t want to ride in a wetsuit. Bali seemed to be too congested a destination to study in: lots of people, hustle, crowds in the water. Maybe it’s subjective, but I didn’t expect a comfortable start there.
Sri Lanka looked like a simpler and more budget-friendly option: a warm ocean, coral-free training spots, Russian-speaking schools, and clear logistics. In the end, I chose her, and I didn’t regret it.
In this article, I will tell you where a beginner can learn surfing in Sri Lanka, why I chose Devata as a training spot when there are the least people on the beach, whether an instructor is needed, where it is better to live and eat, and how to get to Devata from Colombo — based on personal experience and practical observations.
