Arugam Bay Information

Sri Lanka local Surfer. photo by Testemale

Sri Lankan surfers choose their own path with a new identity

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 March, 2010 : – - The Birth of a Surfing Nation project has always had the objective of positioning Sri Lankan surfing in a different manner to that of other existing national surfing organizations due to the unusual environment and context in which the organization was created in 2010.

In accordance with the formation recently of the Surfing Federation of Sri Lanka, the surfers have decided on a new logo for their identitiy, promotion and team look. A logo was chosen which they felt represented their new attacking attitude upon the world of surfing;

The Team colours and designs are yet to be finalised for the new national outfit. They will undoubtedly reflect this group’s intention of branding themselves apart from the others. The new national look will be decided at the upcoming Annual General Meeting in Arugam bay between 18 – 24 June during the first major international Surfing event to be staged in Sri Lanka – the Sri Lankan Airlines 6 Star Pro WQS to be run in conjunction with the local Sri Lankan Tourist Board.

The new identity will be a natural extension of the unusual manner and circumstances in which the Federation has formed this year and reflect the very broad cultural span in the Sri Lankan surfing community. The Surfing Federation’s marketing advisor Peter Rob-o added that the new federation is keen to talk to any of the Surf clothing companies and action sportswear manufacturers who may be interested in taking a chance through supporting the new team and preparing the Sri Lankan Surf Team national outfits.

“We invite the involvement of any surfing or sportwear company starting out (like us) who is interested in connecting to the worldwide industry with a surfing group such as ours who are definitely outside the surfing norm. We could be a very exciting opportunity for the next budding surf industry giant to get associated with at an early stage.

Our objectives are clear and we intend to be highly marketable and noticed. Our surfing talent is already starting to command some attention with the visiting surfers and random overseas surfing groups such as the British, European, Japanese, Israelis and Australians who come here to surf and compete on our shores each surfing season.” proclaimed Rob-o proudly.

“Our prospective surfing talent has already been remarked on during the UK Pro Surf Tour which visits Aragum every year in July for the Champion of Champion Series. I believe it won’t be long before our local surfers start to gain wildcard entries into their event instead of being obliged to watch from the beach or offer beach and water patrol safety duties around the competition.

Many of us believe that they should already be surfing in the event as their ability and local knowledge of the waves here would make them formidable competitors at their home break on the Point. We feel that we are up to the challenge and our surfers would definitely welcome the opportunity to start taking on some of the world’s best and competing in events such as these.”

Any company wishing to be involved in this new and daring project – the Birth of a Surfing Nation – can make their enquiries regarding assistance and sponsorship to Peter Rob-o at the Surfing Federation of Sri Lanka. The Federation can be contacted at surfingsrilanka@gmail.com whilst the final preparations are being completed on the new website scheduled to be up and surfing soon.

source:
http://www.globalsurfnews.com/news.asp?Id_news=45853

www.surfingsrilanka.com

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We’ve found it! Here it is!

Found it! The M.P. "Holy Grail"

A Green and Happy place on Earth.
A true, unspoiled ecological sanctuary.
Just North of famous PANAMA!

A place where Green issues still count
A place with zero Carbon emissions
A place of unique Biological diversity
A place for tolerance of social divisions
A place with strong social networks of friends, families and neighbours

“A place where people say they have a simpler, less materialistic life, more in tune with nature.”

Could this paradise be Arugam Bay?
Too good to be true….
Because this place also is:

1. A place where Money  is poured into books and education. Not Bullets
2. A place with Fair and peaceful Presidential Elections
3. A place with no Army at all. Ever since 1949
4. And, perhaps best of all:  A forgiving place where….
5. ….A popular piece of philosophy… says:
6. “No argument or quarrel should last more than three days”

Here the 6th Parallel seems to end ;-(
What is the BBC talking about, if not Sri Lanka and the peaceful East?

Here is the answer, and perhaps also a model for all of us: Continue reading ‘6° 50′ 60 n of Panama: And on a Parallel with Arugam’

A new project is under construction near PottuVille Point.

PottuVille Point is being developed

It seems that a new hotel/restaurant is being build on this beautiful coconut estate.
Overlooking the Indian Ocean, facing the Bay of Arugam.
According to local contractors and workers, #01 Stardust owners are branching out to this new location. Other say, an English family are behind this development.
Great spot! Where else on this island could such a fine, unspoiled location be found?

Saturday, January 16, 2010

ARUGAM BAY- SRI LANKA

Arugam Bay is located 220 km due East of Colombo. It is a popular surfing and tourist destination in Sri Lanka. I’ve been to Arugam Bay before in its tourist season and it’s an absolute beauty. The waves the wind and everything was so perfect. However in the raining season it’s not the case; you cannot even go out because of the rain. In the raining season it’s very hard to find a day without any rain. Thanks to a weather forecasting website I was able to find a day without any rain. It was June 2009 nearly four and a half years after Sri Lanka was hit by the Tsunami in 2004, and surprisingly Arugam Bay is one of the very first coasts to get hit by the Tsunami in Sri Lanka.This time I visited the place to see how it progress after Tsunami.

Many of the buildings were destroyed in the 2004 tsunami. The post Tsunami recovery has by and large been very quick despite the remoteness of the area. Many NGO’s and private organisations 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.Due to its popularity among tourists they are managed a slow recovery by private initiatives only.

The main beach is Clean now, it was bit dirty as it is used as a garbage dump by some Continue reading ‘The Young hoteliers. Arugam.info’

Dharma Sri Abeyratne

A suitable choice of date for a Tsunami drill?

A tsunami preparedness rehearsal will be held on December 26, Saturday at 3.00 p.m. in 10 districts, Disaster Management Centre Director General Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi said.

Original 1999 Hotel sign. File photo

Tsunami preparedness rehearsals are held from time to time in various areas along the coastal belt so as to make the public aware regarding natural disasters which bring much havoc to human beings and resources.

Under this Tsunami preparedness exercise a single town has been selected from 10 districts amounting to 10 towns. The towns are Gampaha, Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Puttalam, Galle, Kalutara, Matara, Ampara, Hambantota and Colombo. Under this drill people will be evacuated from the selected 10 towns to places of safety identified earlier.

Promo file photo

(Colombo Lankapuvath December 03) –Arugambay Travels and Tours (Pvt) Ltd have opened a new office at a prime location in the heart of Colombo’s commercial area yesterday (02). Since the operations started in 2004 the company was involved in promoting Tourism to the East which is the prime intention.

Although the plans were delayed due to the situation of the country during the past few years now they are pleased to have been able pursue with the targets.

They are fully geared to serve from the new location at Deal Place Colombo 03. May it be local or foreign tourists; Arugambay will serve all of them with more emphasis on introducing new and exotic locations to visitors.  Continue reading ‘Arugambay Travels and Tours in Colombo’

Daily Mirror Business News

The new office of Arugambay Travels and Tour was declared open on Wednesday by Minister of Tourism Promotion Faiszer Musthapha  at No. 20,Deal Place, Colombo 3.Deputy Minister of Higher Education Minister M.M. Musthoha Advisor to the President A.H.M.Aswer, Secretary Ministry of Tourism Promotion George Michael, President Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sri Lanka Kosala Wickramanayake, Partner Arugambay Travels and Tours and Arugambay Travels Hotels Mark John Scannell, Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority Bernard Goonetilleke and members of the business community were present at the inauguration. Continue reading ‘ARUGAMBAY’s NEW OFFICE’

An excellent video clip!
and great, fitting sounds.

Produced by talented young Sri Lankans

It looks like Jerry’s clip (http://thejester100.wordpress.com/). The guys in the clip are me (www.indi.ca) and Halik (http://abdulhalik.wordpress.com/). I posted my impressions here:
http://indi.ca/2009/11/south-along-the-east-coast/

We love A-Bay very much, thanks for what you’re doing

Remark from all of us at  arugam.info:
Thank YOU – for your contribution and kind words!

…….The project’s initial tranche of work focussed on forests, finding that the ongoing loss of forest comes with an annual pricetag of US $2-5 trillion, dwarfing the banking crisis.

The new analysis takes the economists to the undersea realms of fisheries and coral reefs…………

Societies gain financially from leaving forests intact rather than clearing them

Money invested in protecting nature can bring huge financial returns, according to a major investigation into the costs and benefits of the natural world.

It says money ploughed into protecting wetlands, coral reefs and forests can bring a hundredfold return on capital.

The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity study (Teeb) is Continue reading ‘Big profit from nature protection’

Sri Lanka is blessed with the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, which lap the entire 1,585 kilometres of the coastline. This, together with the two seasonal monsoons that hit each side of the island at different times of the year, means that water sports such as Windsurfing can be indulged in at any time.

Windsurfing began in America sometime in the early 70s after the discovery that a mast located on a swivelling pivot could be used to steer a small sailing craft by using body weight instead of a rudder. The first boards made their way to Sri Lanka in the late 70s, when a group of Swedish holidaymakers decided to try to bring them along on vacation. After this more and more tourists started bringing boards, some of which were intentionally left behind. It was these boards that west coast locals used to learn the sport for themselves. Continue reading ‘Windsurfing Arugam Bay’

Kite Surfing

Keshini Hapugoda might be Sri Lanka’s first female kite surfer. The 28-year-old IT consultant loves to surf and dive, and kite surfing is her latest passion. A few weekends with an instructor in Negombo have helped her learn the basics of kite surfing and while she’s sticking to the shallows now, she’s hoping to head into deeper water soon.

Dilsiri Welikala is already comfortable out at sea. “It’s an amazing feeling, harnessing the power of the wind to propel yourself along,” he says. He talks of skimming along the water for hours at a time and of chance encounters with pods of dolphins. Though he needs a little help getting his 10 square metre kite up, once that’s done and the lines and harness are secured, he’s good to go.

“Your kite becomes like an airplane wing,” says Dilsiri, explaining that he controls the direction of his kite by changing the angle of his board. Kite surfers are slaves to the winds and will drive many hours to catch the right kind. As a result, this group has been all over the island, from Puttalam to Arugam Bay. Continue reading ‘Games to play at Arugam Bay’

Ken Lambert

A different take on the reef is given by Gold Coast surfers who put the idea of a reef down to Ken Lambert a Gold Coast electrician who dreamed that it might be possible to create a break like Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka.

Ken had some diagrams drawn up and submitted them to Gold Coast Council in 1998. Continue reading ‘Gold Coast copies AbaY reef break?’