When to visit Dikwella, month by month

The driest and calmest months in Dikwella are December to March, with January and February the driest of all. It is warm all year, about 29 to 30 degrees by day, so the real differences are the rain, the sea and how many people are here.

How do the seasons work on the south coast?

Sri Lanka's weather office divides the year into four parts, and the south coast follows them closely.

• December to February, the north-east monsoon. Its rain falls mostly on the other side of the island. Here it is the dry season.
• March and April, the first inter-monsoon. Hot, with thunder showers in the afternoon.
• May to September, the south-west monsoon. This one does reach us.
• October and November, the second inter-monsoon. The wettest weeks of the year.

A note on the numbers below. They are long-term averages for Tangalle, the nearest town with a full record, a short way along the coast. Other sources give different totals for Matara. Read them as a shape, not a promise: no year is average.

December, January and February

This is the season most people mean when they say "the season".

• December is the month of change. About 185 mm of rain still falls, on about half the days.
• January brings around 90 mm on about ten days.
• February is the driest month, with around 70 mm.

The sea is at its calmest and the sky is mostly blue. It is also the busiest time. Christmas, New Year and the first days of January are the fullest weeks on the coast, and Hiriketiya's small bay is crowded with boards by mid-morning. Book early, or come in late January and February, when the weather is as good and the pressure is less.

March and April

March stays mostly dry, with about 105 mm, and the sea is still calm. It belongs to the good months.

April is hotter and stickier, and it can be the hottest month of the year. Showers grow to about 180 mm, often as a storm late in the day after a clear morning. On 13 or 14 April Sri Lanka keeps its New Year, a family holiday with two public holidays, when many shops and businesses close for some days.

May to September

The south-west monsoon arrives in May. It sounds worse than it is.

• May is the wettest of these months, with around 175 mm.
• June, July and August bring about 110 to 130 mm each. Rain falls on about 17 days of the month, but mostly as showers that pass. Full days of rain are rare.
• September climbs again, to about 150 mm.

What changes more than the sky is the sea. Open beaches have rough surf. The British government's travel advice says plainly that many beaches in Sri Lanka have dangerous surf or rip tides at certain times of the year, and that you should ask your hotel before you go in. Bays behind a reef or a headland stay gentler than open sand, and guides note that the coast towards Tangalle is often milder in these months than the Galle end.

There are good reasons to come all the same. Prices are lower, the coast is green, and there is room everywhere. The Hummanaya blowhole near Dikwella is at its strongest when the sea is rough. July and August fit the school holidays in Europe, and families do well here then, with a pool or a sheltered bay for the children.

October and November

These are the wettest months: about 230 mm in October and 285 mm in November, with rain on 18 or 19 days. It often comes as a heavy storm in the afternoon or at night, with a bright morning before it.

They are also the quietest months, and some small places close for part of them. Towards the end of November the weather settles, the sea calms, and the season begins again.

If your dates are fixed in these months, come anyway, and plan around the rain. We wrote a rainy day in Hiriketiya and Dikwella for that.

What about the sea, and when should you come?

The water is warm all year, around 28 to 30 degrees. You never need a wetsuit for the cold.

• For swimming and snorkelling: December to April, when the sea is calm.
• For learning to surf at Hiriketiya: the small, friendly waves of December to February.
• For stronger surfers: the swell from about August to December.
• For turtles: at Turtle Beach, wild sea turtles often feed on the reef, and the calm months make them easier to see. They are seen most early in the morning and at sunset. Nobody can promise one.

Our own bay is round and sheltered by a reef on the horizon. From May to September, swim there only on calm days, and ask us in the morning how the sea is.

So, when should you come?

• For the calmest sea and the surest sun: late January to March.
• For fewer people and good weather still: March, or the first days of December.
• For low prices and a green, quiet coast: June to September, if you accept showers and choose your swimming places with care.
• With school-age children: the Christmas weeks for the sea, July and August for the space and the prices.

We are open every day of the year, and the kitchen cooks in every weather. For the rest of the planning, see how to get to Dikwella and our Dikwella and Hiriketiya travel guide.

Good to know

• Ohana is at Turtle Beach, Dikwella, less than five minutes by road from Hiriketiya.
• We are open every day. Breakfast is served from 08:00 to 11:00, lunch and dinner from 11:00 to 21:00.
• The sun sets at about six all year, so dinner by the water starts early.
• Sunbeds are free for the whole day, one for each person, when each person spends 10,000 LKR on food and drinks; otherwise they cost 1,000 LKR an hour each. A towel comes with every sunbed.
• Snorkel masks are lent free. Sea urchins live in the rocks, so walk in where the sand is clear.