From one side of the Indian Ocean to the other, a growing number of today’s surfer’s are exploring the many diverse coasts of this area of our planet and are discovering awesome breaks that hardly anyone even knew existed a few years ago. As more locals begin to embrace the surfing culture, this region is becoming a hotbed of the newest trends to emerge in the sport of surfing, and it is increasingly clear that there are a handful of surfing locations along the Indian Ocean that will soon be considered to be some of the most important surfing beaches on earth. The two most important coasts to keep an eye on are located in Sri Lanka and India.
Sri Lanka
The beaches of Sri Lanka offer an ideal destination for surfers who are looking to enjoy some great breaks in an exotic location but are not necessarily interested in taking on behemoth waves. The surfing is pretty consistent in the south of Sri Lanka, particularly at Pottuvil Point and Metigama, but be aware that nearly everyone reports the waters as being pretty crowded. The only particularly dangerous area to surf in Sri Lanka is Coral Garden due to the jagged rocks and coral reef located near the breaks.
India
While surfing is usually not the first thing that people think of when they hear the word “India,” the combined currents of the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea combine with air pressure coming off from Antarctica to create some killer surfing breaks if you know where to find them. While most of the best surfing locations along India’s cost probably have yet to be discovered, the current top spots are Kovalum, Pondicherry and Alibag. Your best bet is too hit the low tide in the morning to catch the highest waves of the day.