1surf day
Your dedicated first lesson
Learn the safety basics and pop-up on the sand, then catch supported waves with your instructor beside you.
US$25one 90-minute session
Local surf school · Weligama Bay
Your firstwave startshere.No fancy. Pure local. Real surfing.
Learn with Lahiru Pathum and his Weligama crew: patient coaching, good laughs and a real promise to help you stand up. Your first 90-minute package is US$25 with a dedicated instructor, board and surf top.
- First-timer friendly
- Board included
- Local instructor crew
Born by this sea
Meet Lahiru, your local guide to the ocean.
Lahiru Pathum grew up in Weligama with the sea as part of everyday life. He has more than a decade of teaching experience and built Adare Waves with a young local crew—not as a polished resort product, but as a welcoming place where anyone can learn.
“However you arrive, we’ll work to get you standing before the session ends.”
The coaching is professional, the mood is relaxed, and the culture is unmistakably Sri Lankan: honest encouragement, flexibility, shared laughter and a fresh king coconut after the salt water.
Read Lahiru’s storyThe Adare Waves vibe
Bean bags, boards & barefoot time.
A simple beach base for slow moments between waves: shaded seats in the sand, colourful boards, cold king coconuts and easy conversation with the local crew.
- Made for sandy feet
- Local, relaxed, welcoming
- Never a luxury-resort mood
Beginner surf packages
One wave or five days. Your pace.
Each day gives you 90 minutes with a dedicated instructor. Choose a first taste, build consistency over three days, or follow the full five-day progression.
3surf days
Learn, return, improve
Daily coaching helps the movement settle. Your instructor can correct yesterday’s habits and build the next skill.
US$65three 90-minute sessions
5surf days
From first pop-up to real confidence
A five-day beginner progression: position, timing, balance and better wave choices, one clear step at a time.
US$115five 90-minute sessions
Included with every package
Arrive ready. We handle the surf part.
Pool-club access is subject to partner availability and each venue’s entry conditions. Confirm the exact pool venues with Lahiru for your dates.
- Dedicated instructor90 minutes of close coaching each surf day
- Board + surf uniformBeginner board and surf top / rash vest
- Beach sunbedsUse the school’s sunbeds around your session
- Two pool-club visitsComplimentary partner access per package, when confirmed
Already surfing?
Intermediate and advanced lessons are built around you.
Talk directly with Lahiru about what you can do now and what you want to improve. He will recommend the most useful coach, conditions and session format—without forcing you into a beginner package.
Ask LahiruMore than the lesson
We help your whole Weligama day work.
Hotel ↔ surf-school tuk-tuk
Pickup and return transport can be arranged for an additional charge. The price depends on your hotel location; confirm it before the ride.
Find the right stay
Tell Lahiru your budget, dates and preferred atmosphere. He can suggest anything from social Weligama hostels to quieter beachfront or Koggala stays.
Local food, parties & people
Ask where the local crew really eats and what is happening that week—from low-key beach evenings and bonfires to Weligama party nights.
Book in a few taps
Your wave is one WhatsApp away.
Pick a preferred day and tell us who is surfing. We’ll prepare the message, then Lahiru will personally confirm the best time, lesson format and final price for the conditions.
No online payment. No complicated account. Just a direct conversation with the local team.
What happens in 90 minutes
Sand first. Water next. Standing soon.
Meet & match
We choose the right beginner board and explain the bay, the current conditions and simple safety rules.
Practise on land
Learn body position, paddling and the pop-up in clear steps before you touch the water.
Catch your waves
Your coach stays close, helps you choose the wave and gives immediate, useful feedback.
Eight years of friendship
Сёрфинг на русском. Local at heart.
Maria and Roma met Lahiru on Weligama beach around 2018. Their long partnership brings Russian-language communication together with the knowledge of Sri Lankan local instructors.
Russian-language coaching is available by arrangement and must be confirmed for your date.
Meet the international partners
Beyond the lesson
Come for the surf. Stay for the local life.
Adare Waves is a crew, not a conveyor belt. Around the lessons there are beach bonfires, low-key parties, shared food, local tips and an international circle of surf friends. It is the unpolished warmth of Weligama—the part you cannot buy from a resort brochure.
- King coconut after surf
- Beach bonfire nights
- Local Weligama tips
- International surf friends
This is Adare Waves
Salt, smiles & small wins.
Real words from the water
Real people. Real first waves.
Beginners talk about the things that matter: patient instructors, clear feedback, feeling safe and the moment they finally stand.
★★★★★Google“Ravi was super patient, encouraging, and really clear in his explanations.”Read review ↗
★★★★★Tripadvisor“By the end I felt so empowered and confident.”Read review ↗
★★★★★Google“I was able to learn quickly while also having fun!”Read review ↗
★★★★★Tripadvisor“We felt safe, well taken care of, and truly enjoyed every moment in the water.”Read review ↗
Guest photographs are moments supplied by Adare Waves and are not presented as the reviewer’s own upload. Tap any review to read it on the original platform.
Four years of trust
A beach walk became a working friendship.
Praveen Ariyaratne, founder of Sugar Coliving Group, met Lahiru on Weligama surf beach around 2022, when Praveen came to Weligama with his first hostel, Sugar Hostel Weligama. A simple conversation by the water grew into a friendship that continues today.
Sugar trusts Lahiru and the Adare Waves team to look after its guests in the water. Adare Waves trusts Sugar’s accommodation teams to help surfers feel at home on land. Together they support solo learners, surf-camp groups and retreats with honest local advice and places to stay—from shared dorm beds to boutique ocean and lake rooms.
“Local people trusting local people—and taking care of each other’s guests.”
Sleep near the waves
A stay for every surf mood.
These are Sugar stays and local accommodation friends around Weligama, Koggala and Ahangama. Ask Lahiru which one matches your budget and your kind of trip.
See the full accommodation guide
Weligama · Sugar stay
Ocean Bliss by Sugar
Beachfront rooms, ocean views and a social base close to Weligama surf life.
OBOcean BlissBy Sugar Co-Living
Visit Ocean Bliss ↗
Koggala · Sugar stay
Zen Koggala by Sugar
A quieter lakeside base for slow mornings, work, food and south-coast surf days.
ZENKOGGALA
Visit Zen Koggala ↗
Weligama · Social stayHOSTEL · WELIGAMAVisit Sugar Hostel ↗
Sugar Hostel Weligama
Coliving, coworking and an easy social base in the heart of Weligama.
HOSTEL · WELIGAMA
Pelena · Local stay partner
Kickin’ Surf Lodge
A relaxed heritage-house stay with private rooms, dorm beds and shared spaces near the beach.
KICKIN’SURF LODGE · WELIGAMA
Visit Kickin’ ↗More local connections
Beach stays, pool days and familiar faces.
These links are recommendations and local connections, not a promise of room, event or pool availability. Confirm any included pool visit with Lahiru before booking.
Before you paddle out
Good questions. Simple answers.
Can I surf if I have never tried before?
Yes. First-timers are the heart of the school. You begin with safety and pop-up practice on the sand, then move into the water with close coaching.
What do the beginner packages cost?
The 1-day First Wave package is US$25, the 3-day package is US$65 and the 5-day Zero to Hero package is US$115. Each surf day includes a 90-minute session. Confirm dates and package details with Lahiru.
What is included?
A dedicated instructor, beginner surfboard, surf top or rash vest, use of the school’s sunbeds and two partner pool-club visits per package are included. Pool access is subject to venue availability and conditions, so confirm the venues for your dates.
Can you arrange transport and accommodation?
Yes. Hotel-to-surf-school tuk-tuk transport can be arranged for an additional location-based charge. Lahiru can also recommend nearby accommodation, local food and current Weligama events.
Can children join?
Children’s surf lessons are offered from age six, subject to the day’s conditions. Tell us the child’s age and water confidence so the team can recommend the safest format.
Where is the school?
Adare Waves is on Weligama beach at XCFQ+37X, Weligama, Sri Lanka. Open the Google Maps link in the footer or ask Lahiru for the simplest landmark.
Can I book without paying online?
Yes. This website opens a direct WhatsApp conversation. Lahiru confirms the time, format and price personally; the website itself does not take payment.