Arugam Bay The Surfers' Paradise |
| Situated in the district of Ampara, Approximately 314 km from Colombo, Arugam Bay is Known as one of the best three surfing spots in the world. this typical fishing village to the south of the small town of Pottuvil can be reached via A4 from Colombo. The unspoilt town of Srugam Bay offers an abundance of opportunities for those with a passion for water sports and underwater photography |
Arugam Bay Climate
Located in the dry Zone, the area is rich in bird life and wildlife in the widespread jungle areas, wetlands and lagoons nearby. lt has its own specific climate with very little rain compared to the rest of the island. the average temperature in November, December and January is around 28-30 degrees Celsius. It is also often windy during this period in February and March as well as in September and October the temperature is around 30-32 degrees Celsius. With the sun at its zenith in April, it can get rather hot and humid during that with temperatures going up to 36 degrees Celsius.
Welcome to Arugambay Beach Sri Lanka
Arugam Bay is situated on the Indian Ocean in the dry zone of Sri Lanka's South-East coast. The Bay is located 220 km due East of Colombo. It is a popular surfing and tourist destination. Many of the buildings were destroyed in the 2004 tsunami.Due to its popularity among tourists thearea has managed a slow recovery by private initiatives only.The main road through town has not been repaved yet.By April,2008 no help has been received from any official source or International organizations. An exception is uncoordinated support for fishing folk as well as many school rebuilding programs, sadly resulting in a continuation to provide only separatist schools for each Community
He Bay hosts a large fleet of fishing boats which operate off the beach. Many organizations donated boats after the tsunami andas sa result there are far more fishing boats than ever before.The main beach is bit dirty as it is used as a garbage dump and a toilet by some locals.Nearby beaches are more esthetically pleasing and also have excellent waves. Arugam Surf Point has a very long, consistent, sectiony right hand break.Many organizations claim to ha ve done extensive work in the area, but locally and on close inspection no progress can be observed so far, end first quarter, 2008.US 'Mercy Corps' has been the most active organization, funded by Oprah Whinfrey 'Angel Network', following a huge fund-raising TV series in the States.Sadly, none of their projects survived the first year of operation.A bridge survived the first year of operation. A bridges being constructed by USAID to replace the old, original landmark box girder construction linking Arugam Bay with PottuVille town. There is excellent elephant viewing nearby as well as two types of monkeys wandering around the area.
Arugam Bay is far away! 7 hours drive from Colombo, it has until fairly recently only attracted a tthts. There are now almost dayly flights to Ampara with Sri Lankan Airlines sea planes. They are presntly applying for a licence to land on Pottuvil Lagoon. The ISA (International Surfing Association) staged Arugam Bay's first international surfing competition in the summer of 2004, and despite the shocking destruction of the Tsunami, returned again in 2005 to give the battered local economy a boost. 2005 was a difficult year for Arugam Bay as it was one of the worst hit areas of the country. The post Tsunami recovery has by and large been very quick despite the remoteness of the area. many NGO's and private organisations like ourselves (LankaRealAid) have help rebuild the area and some of the guest houses are now much better than before the wave. Both north and south of Arugam Bay there are undoubtedly some of the most beautiful beaches in the whole of Sri Lanka.