Surfing is a popular sport in Sri Lanka, and for beginers it is warm and there are many gentle waves, possibly better than almost anywhere in the world.
Come to Bentota and get some lessons from these great instructors. Then rent a soft surfboard before buying your own surfboard.
Choose between fiberglass boards and soft surfboards, sometimes called “soft tops” or “foamies.”
Soft surfboards are lightweight and much cheaper than epoxy or fiberglass boards. Soft boards are extremely buoyant and durable, making them a good choice for beginners.
Your size and weight will contribute to determining which type of board you should learn on.
The more weight you have, the bigger the board volume you will need. You may not have a good experience learning to surf.
Try out a longboard while you’re first learning, these are the oldest and longest type of surfboard commonly available, ranging from 2.5 to 3.7m in length. While they’re not quite as manoeuvrable or versatile as other types of boards, longboards are often recommended for beginners because of their ease of use.
The more volume a longboard has, the easier it is to balance and paddle into waves. This makes for more enjoyable experiences for most learners.
Later, you can try a funboard, these are hybrid boards which are a bit shorter than longboards, typically 2 –2.5 m. Funboards combine the smoothness and stability of a longboard with some of the agility of a shortboard.
Work your way up to a shortboard, these are less than 2m long, with a sharp nose and multiple fins. It takes more practice to master a shortboard than longer types of surfboards, but it is considered the definitive high-performance board for the pros.
Fish boards are even shorter than shortboards and much wider. The fish board’s flatness and small profile make it ideal for riding small surf that other boards sometimes struggle with. It’s a great board for intermediate and advanced surfers.
Get some surfboard wax, this is an important and inexpensive product that can be rubbed onto the top of a surfboard to increase foot grip, allowing better balance in the water.
Get a leash for your board that will keep you and your board from separating in the water. If you wipe out, you don’t want to be stuck out in the breaking waves without a board. You also don’t want your board floating freely into other surfers or smashing up against the rocks. A runaway board can be very dangerous for anyone in the water.