Travel to Sri Lanka

[zalle]

Hi guys, Im travelling for a month to Sri Lanka (South, around weligama). Was told by a friend I should bring my own board, instead of renting.
If I do, Does anyone know if it would be better to take a 9.0, 65L, or a 9.4, 75L?

I usually prefer a 9.4, but not sure what waves I will find. Any advice would be great.

Thanks

[jaffa1949]

Zalle see what i suggested in your travel post. Adding to that Sri Lanka probably not as hard hitting as your Maldives waves

[zalle]

Hi, thanks for your answers. So you advise a 9.4 /9.6 board?

[jaffa1949]

What you know will work on slightly softer waves!

[voyager]

I've done Welligama a fair few times and the wave is pretty much unpredictable beach break. It can be amazing and it can be average.
I've taken a 9' Walden Mega Magic, 9'3" Takayama In The Pink and a 7' Firewire Addvance - all 3 worked well on various days.

There is often a long lull between sets so as long as you're a fairly decent paddler you'll get out the back on almost anything, it's not a bad paddle out, usually.
At high tide the backwash can flatten the wave a bit, so it gets tough to catch in places. The peak moves around quite a bit so a long ish board is handy.

For rights the best place used to be in front of a blue hut to the left of the big hotel [looking at it from the sea/surfers view] and lefts , to the right of the big hotel.
If you hire a board out there, the chances are the following : the leash will snap [they're old and crappy], the board will be dinged to hell, and the fins will either be missing or the fin box cracked etc etc. That being said - there was a red 9' McTavish that everyone used to hire and loved and
I hired a Hobie 9' which was brilliant too.
Most of the hire boards are foamies if you wanna go that route.

Between the 9' and the 9'4" ? I guess it depends on your weight, height and paddling ability but honestly I don't think you'd go too far wrong with either.
There are some good reefs too, depending on your ability, Lazy Lefts [good for goofies], Marissa, Plantations all in that area as well as Welligama.

Personally I think Welligama works pretty well up to 4', above that and it closes out a lot. At 4' it's a fairly soft wave.

[zalle]

Hey there Voyager, thanks for your reply.

At first I was thinking about taking a board for the month I'm staying there, and then sell the board. Would that be an option?

About which board, I am actually leaning towards my 9.3 in the pink, it's my favourite board, pretty light, just a bit scared I might damage it on the way there. Always use it as a single fin. Usually surf it with a 9.5 turbo tunnel weird 'back to he future' fin, and today I tried a 10.5 pivot fin, but the surf was pretty choppy.

I'm planning on taking my own fin, straps, and knee leash as well.

I'm a goofy, intermediate competent surfer/longboarder (cross stepping, drop knee turns). I'm 5'9 (1.76m) and weigh just under 80kg. Fairly in shape.

I've done Welligama a fair few times and the wave is pretty much unpredictable beach break. It can be amazing and it can be average.
I've taken a 9' Walden Mega Magic, 9'3" Takayama In The Pink and a 7' Firewire Addvance - all 3 worked well on various days.

There is often a long lull between sets so as long as you're a fairly decent paddler you'll get out the back on almost anything, it's not a bad paddle out, usually.
At high tide the backwash can flatten the wave a bit, so it gets tough to catch in places. The peak moves around quite a bit so a long ish board is handy.

For rights the best place used to be in front of a blue hut to the left of the big hotel [looking at it from the sea/surfers view] and lefts , to the right of the big hotel.
If you hire a board out there, the chances are the following : the leash will snap [they're old and crappy], the board will be dinged to hell, and the fins will either be missing or the fin box cracked etc etc. That being said - there was a red 9' McTavish that everyone used to hire and loved and
I hired a Hobie 9' which was brilliant too.
Most of the hire boards are foamies if you wanna go that route.

Between the 9' and the 9'4" ? I guess it depends on your weight, height and paddling ability but honestly I don't think you'd go too far wrong with either.
There are some good reefs too, depending on your ability, Lazy Lefts [good for goofies], Marissa, Plantations all in that area as well as Welligama.

Personally I think Welligama works pretty well up to 4', above that and it closes out a lot. At 4' it's a fairly soft wave.