Tag Archive for 'Arugambay'

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Julian Wilson wins at Arugam Bay

Published on 24/06/2010 in Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, Money Matters, Surf Federation News, Surf competition, front page, parties, people, press coverage, surf and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Asp Winner Julian WILSON. Congratulated here by his youngest fan. Arugam Bay born Miss Leila

Australian Julian WILSON won the ASP Surf Contest at Arugam Bay today.
Perfect waves, beautiful settings and actions all round.

Residents of our remote, underdeveloped little Bay hereby congratulate Julian and thank him for coming to show his skills in this poor part of Sri Lanka.

More photos from ‘behind the world media scenes are appended below.

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Indonesia’s Dede Suryana lighting up in Arugambay

Published on 23/06/2010 in Blogs, Surf Federation News, Surf competition, front page, people, press coverage, surf and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Dede Suryana : image courtesy Sri Lankan Airlines Pro

“the wave is really good here, like Cimaja but longer and even more rippable for turns.”

Kuta-Bali — 2008 Coca-Cola ISC Pro Surfing Champion Dede Suryana from West Java is making big news with an impressive display of radical surfing at the 6 Star ASP World Tour SriLanakan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay in Sri Lanka.

Suryana hails from the small coastal town of Cimaja in West Java, about 5 hours drive away from Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta, but considers Bali as his second home as he spends a lot of time here surfing and competing.

After his first round heat win (Round of 96), Suryana was elated with his result.  He favorably compared the Arugam Bay wave to his hometown break of Cimaja where he first learned to surf saying
“the wave is really good here, like Cimaja but longer and even more rippable for turns.”

After winning the first heat, he went on to place second in the second round and then further impressed the media team that is reporting the event by winning his third round heat, scoring a total of 15.03 points for his top two waves, a score bested only by Australian wunderkind Julian Wilson who racked up a 15.60  (out of a possible 20 points).

In an interview later Suryana said, “it is such a great wave and I’m getting more and more to know how the wave breaks and I really feel confident out there.” Continue reading ‘Indonesia’s Dede Suryana lighting up in Arugambay’

No rules for bus cowboys of East

Published on 22/06/2010 in Money Matters, front page, services and taxis. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

By M.I.M.S. Anwar, Digamadulla Corr.)
Commuters complain that the private bus owners of the coastal areas of the Batticaloa and the Ampara districts are not bound by the rules binding the bus operators in other parts of Sri Lanka due to lack of competition from the CTB.
The bus owners here charge as much as they can from commuters and the passengers meekly pay up as they have no other alternative.
There is no authority here to enforce the law on these errant private bus owners of these two coastal districts. Even the Police here who are aware of the problem are turning a blind eye.
A one way trip from Kalmunai to Colombo via Batticaloa in a CTB bus costs Rs 325/- with the booking charge of rupees 20/-, via Randanigala, Kandy rupees 285/-, and via Moneragala, Ratnapura Rs. 310/-, but the private bus owners charge Rs 450/- via Batticaloa and Rs 600/- via Mahiyangana, Kandy. Continue reading ‘No rules for bus cowboys of East’

Arugam Bay – A Paradise for Surfers

Published on 18/06/2010 in Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, Kitesurf, front page, parties, press coverage, surf, the bay and wild life. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

….A also a paradise for party- and wild animals as well:
ARUGAM BAY !
Anyone crossing the bridge will realise immediately that Arugam Bay, if only because of its unique weather conditions, is an ideal holiday location. This particular corner of the island is protected from the west monsoon by the natural barrier of the mountain ridge around Monaragala and the great Pottuvil Lagoon acts just as effectively as a shield against the east monsoon. These factors working together explain why this particular region enjoys an average of 330 days of sunshine each year – something which will not be found anywhere else in Asia.

One of the 330 sunsets in a single year

The region is favoured with two major rivers and is therefore never in danger of becoming too arid.

These unusual geographic conditions together with the winds and currents around the coast were first discovered and recognised by surfers in the 1960s and the region quickly became one of the top ten most popular surfing venues in the world. From the end of March until the beginning of October and even for a few days in November, water temperatures range from between 24 and 28 degrees (no need for neoprene suits) and with waves reaching 5 metres the conditions are ideal for surfing. No sharks have ever been sighted in these waters, but occasionally wild elephants from the neighbouring national park have been observed in close proximity to the beaches.

After the discovery of the ideal “right hand” surf break at Surf Points, a number of other equally attractive surfing locations became popular.

Arugam Bay seems to work like a magnet and there are many visitors who come back year after year.

The last 30 years of bitter civil war have not stopped dedicated surfers from returning every year and it is this community that has kept the small coastal town alive.

Surfers and security forces were always good friends

The hippies of the past have now all gone a little grey and mutated to a respectable regular clientele, but they add in their own special way to the fascinating atmosphere of this place. These days, they still join in with about a thousand or so happy visitors who come to take part in the 48 hour Arugam Bay “Full Moon Parties” that provide a more spontaneous alternative to the now stage managed so-called “Happenings” in Koh Phangan or Goa.

Arugam's FMP revival

And who would be surprised to learn that, in spite of the worst Tsunami disaster on record, an International Surf Championship took place here in July 2005 with competitors from Australia, England, South Africa and Israel. Many locations now have shops specialising in providing equipment for water sports and a complete outfit can be hired for as little as 500 Rs per day.

It is not only the ocean that provides opportunities for surfing, you can also surf the internet and here you will find more discussion groups and visitor communities dealing with Arugam Bay than any other place in Sri Lanka. Some examples are: Continue reading ‘Arugam Bay – A Paradise for Surfers’

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Final Wildcards Announced as Surfers Head for the SriLankan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay

Published on 16/06/2010 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, Surf Federation News, Surf competition, front page, press coverage, surf and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

A large assembly of dedicated Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) athletes are now making their way to the exotic south east coastline of Sri Lanka for the inaugural ASP six star rated SriLankan Airlines Pro which is set to begin on Friday at Arugam Bay.

It’s the first ever ASP event in Sri Lanka as ASP Australasia breaks new ground venturing into a territory that holds fascination with stories dating back to the 1970′s of pioneering surfers finding super consistent and perfect waves on this lush island.

The June monsoonal winds and a very active winter Indian Ocean combine to make Arugam Bay the surf location that it is and the field descending on the break this week will put the wave to the test like never before as they chase essential six star rating points and a prize pool of $US145 000!

Elite world tour surfers Drew Courtney, Dan Ross and Blake Thornton head the field with an array of international talent like recent six star winner Aritz Aranburu (Spain), former ASP world champion Sunny Garcia (Hawaii), South Africa’s David Weare, Masotoshi Ohno from Japan, Richard Christie (NZ) and Alan Stokes (UK) to name just a few of the surfers heading for this wave.

Even the contest organizers are uncertain what to expect from Arugam Bay however contest director Dane Jordan from ASP Australasia is optimistic the venue will deliver.

“I’ve spent five days there in three years preparing for this event and I have seen it break with excellent shape and consistency.

” I’ve surfed the break and it’s a super high performance wave – I’m not so familiar to know the exact prime swell directions, tides, winds and all else but indications are there’s a 17 second period 8 feet south swell forecast for Saturday and I’m imagining that could be an ideal starting point” exclaimed Jordan.

“I’ll liaise closely with a good bunch of local surfers and we have a very healthy waiting period to get the best out of this and the rest we’ll leave to the surfers who I know will shred the daylight out of these waves.”

Jordan also announced the final make -up of the wild card surfers into this event headed by exciting Japanese surfer Osawa Nobuyuki and backed up by equally exciting Australian’s Mitch Colborne, Davey Cathels and Chris Friend.

Extra wild-cards will be awarded to Sri Lankan surfers who will compete under an ASP assisted trials for these positions.

Asanka, widely regarded as the number 1 surfer in Sr iLanka and also owner of the restaurant and land right on the point is a favourite to take one of these positions and in his best English commented on the opportunity and the event saying -

“I think good the tournament for our boys!

“All the local boys are happy.

“It gives us chance to make our surfing better .

“Also for rest of Sri Lanka to see how good our boys surf and how much surfing good for country.”

Like all new locations that ASP surfers explore, there will be rich and positive sharing’s of all things surfing in a quality event that should benefit all.

The SriLankan Airlines Pro will be live webcast and will include a quality produced and globally distributed television show along with television newsfeeds distributed internationally throughout the event as well as highest quality digital images focusing on the event, the environment, wildlife and of course the abundance of surf from the region.

The SriLankan Airlines Pro is made possible thanks to SriLankan Airlines; Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Lanka Sportreizen, Dialog, Billabong and ASP Australasia

http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/contest-news/final-wildcards-announced-as-surfers-head-for-the-srilankan-airlines-pro-at-arugam-bay_44466/

Final wildcards announced as surfers head for the SriLankan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay

Published on 15/06/2010 in Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, Surf Federation News, front page and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

A large assembly of dedicated Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) athletes are now making their way to the exotic south east coastline of Sri Lanka for the inaugural ASP six star rated SriLankan Airlines Pro which is set to begin on Friday at Arugam Bay.

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Arugam Bay is ready to surf

Published on 14/06/2010 in Kitesurf, Money Matters, Surf Federation News, accomodation, front page, guesthouse, hotels, parties, people, press coverage, presse-deutsch, services, surf and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Sri Lanka is getting ready to surf its way up with two international surf festivals organised to be held next month.

Tourists surfing at Arugam Bay

Managing Director of Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau Dileep Mudadeniya told Daily FT yesterday that two surf competitions will be held next month at Arugam Bay attracting 300 surf lovers.

“There will be a British Pro Surf competition in the first week of July and the next week will be dedicated to an international level surfing competition,” Mudadeniya said.

The British Pro Surfing Competition is set to attract 75 to 100 British nationals and the Five Star Surfing Championship will attract 200 persons from 15 to 20 countries. The Five Star Championship will be held from 18 to 25 July.

“This is a world quality event and Sri Lanka tourism can attend a large mileage from organizing such events. And the regional empowerment is also vital. The local economic development is set to score high with so many people coming down in one month,” Mudadeniya asserted.

Some 200 rooms, all there is available in the area, have been already booked for the event.

Arugam Bay is on the list of the top 10 surf points in the world. Situated on the South East side of Sri Lanka Arugam Bay receives the same Antarctic winter swell’s that hit Indonesia in the in the middle of the year.

The best time of the year is between May and November when the predominant wind is offshore for at least the first half of the day.

source:
http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/business/127-local/12964.html

Frogs in a bag @ Arugam Bay

Published on 13/06/2010 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, Traveler's Reports, front page and people. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

It’s not long since our last post, but I realised after speaking to my sister last night and listening to her laugh that you might appreciate some photographic evidence of our local frog problem. As Stu described in his last post, we have been arguing with a large local family of frogs about whether or not squatters rights apply in Sri Lanka. We are fairly insistent that they move on, but they clearly felt that they’ve been here for a while (the house has been empty for at least 3 months) and have been strongly resisting any attempts to move them on.

After having turfed the whole family out once already by shooing them out through the front door only for them to re-emerge through one of the open windows hours later, we decided that something a little more drastic was needed. Continue reading ‘Frogs in a bag @ Arugam Bay’

Arugam Bay. A little less India

Published on 12/06/2010 in Blogs, Environmental, Money Matters, Traveler's Reports, front page and services. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Xin Chao, Greetings from Hanoi, Vietnam!

….. After 5 lazy days in Arugam Bay, we headed to the south coast to a town called Unawatuna.  Unawatuna is much more developed than Arugam Bay and we learned that it received much more money after the tsunami because it is closer to Colombo and therefore a more desirable tourist destination.
Unfortunately, many hotel owners ignored the regulations requiring hotels be built further away from the beach than previously.  This means that they are in danger of being damaged by erosion and another tsunami.
Unawatunawas pretty, but the water wasn’t very swimmable and the beach much smaller. We preferred the east……

Arugam Bay

When I last wrote, we were enjoying an unexpected, spontaneous week in Europe which culminated with an amazing home cooked meal by a friend of a friend in Rome!   Continue reading ‘Arugam Bay. A little less India’

Amphibian genocide in Pottuvil

Published on 11/06/2010 in Blogs, Traveler's Reports, front page, people and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Our new home

It was a pretty close run thing. And of course there were going to be some disappointed runners up, but there could be only one winner.

The lagoon: filled with water buffalo, elephants and crocs

And what a brilliant choice the wild card has turned out to be! Our lovely landlord got it all spruced up just in time for us to leave the Tsunami a day early, which was unexpected, but this worked very much in our favour. We’re now the proud tenants of this amazing, sprawling plot of land overlooking an immense lagoon, home to amazing bird life, elephants and apparently some small crocodiles. We’ve not seen any yet, but we have seen a good deal of the gardener who has been busy clearing the acre of land around our house and putting up washing lines with fishing line. He’s also brought around some of his family and the neighbours. Today being a Friday, everyone’s just hanging out at the mosque (next door) or peeping through the arrow-slits in our 6 foot concrete wall. I have to admit some did get through the padlocked gates before I managed to heat up the boiling oil to a sufficient temperature.

The white, tuktuk driving skinheads fitted right in

So we continue to blend-in as much as possible in Sri Lanka. Among the neighbours we’ve had the pleasure of meeting are a herd of goats that seem largely undisturbed by us and are right now helping us keep the garden down to the sounds of Fleetwood Mac. Other friends we’ve made, but are trying to shake off are a family of frogs that live in the house. When we moved in yesterday we noticed several in the bathroom and kitchen, so we thought we’d shoo them off out. Well that ended up Continue reading ‘Amphibian genocide in Pottuvil’

Pro Surf in Arugam Bay!

Published on 10/06/2010 in Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, Surf competition, front page, services, surf and the bay. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

The ‘SriLankan Airlines Pro Surf 2010′ tournament will be held in Arugam Bay from 18 – 24 June and will draw 128 competitors, some of them among the best known stars in the sport of surfing, from United States, Australia, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Germany.

The event is being conducted by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the global governing body for the sport. Twenty-two international surfing referees will judge the event.
SriLankan Airlines is the Principal Sponsor supported by Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB) and Lanka Sportreizen (LSR) is the ground handler. Competitors will be shown a glimpse of Sri Lanka’s many attractions in Negombo and Belihul Oya on their way to Arugam Bay.

http://serendib.btoptions.lk/article.php?artid=100

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Julian Wilson accepts wildcard into SriLankan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay

Published on 09/06/2010 in Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, Surf Federation News, Surf competition, front page, press coverage, surf and the bay. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Ready for take-off – Julian Wilson will head to the Srilankan Airlines Pro set to launch into moves like this! Photo: ASP/Robertson

A fully fit and recovered Julian Wilson (Australia) is ready to launch himself onto the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Star Rated World Tour at next week’s SriLankan Airlines Pro which will run at the famous Arugam Bay point break on Sri Lanka’s superb south east coast.

Wilson is one of the world’s most exciting, progressive fast emerging new-age surfers capable of outstanding performances in all conditions.

A serious ankle injury and subsequent operation severely disrupted his 2010 year-to-date but Continue reading ‘Julian Wilson accepts wildcard into SriLankan Airlines Pro at Arugam Bay’

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CO-V visits Lahugala Kitulana and Kumana National Parks

Published on 07/06/2010 in Blogs, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, Traveler's Reports, front page, people, press coverage and wild life. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

by Madubashini Jayawardena

It was a long journey; we (eleven of us )set off from Eco-v office at 4.30 a.m on Friday on 30th April and reached our destination around 2.30 p.m. Our destination was Lahugala Kitulana National Park (situated approx. 15 min. West of Arugam Bay).

Eco-v-Team: "Going to be a Force"

This monsoon forest lies in the basin of Heda Oya, 16 km inland from the coastal town Pottuvil in Eastern Province. The Pottuvil-Monaragala trunk road runs through the south eastern sector of the Park.

Officers of the Lahugala office of the Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka warmly welcomed us. They served us a steaming cup of tea and we served them biscuits. So we had a tea party-discussion under the shade of a huge Mango tree. Park warden Mr. Gajaweera briefed us the history and the current situation of the park. Continue reading ‘CO-V visits Lahugala Kitulana and Kumana National Parks’

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Arugam Bay after the Tsunami?

Published on 07/06/2010 in Blogs, Environmental, Facebook Fan Club: Arugam Surf, From our own Correspondent, Kitesurf, Security & Safety, Surf Federation News, Surf competition, front page, people, press coverage, surf and the bay. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , , .

http://www.globalsurfers.com/Surfing/sri-lanka/arugam-bay-after-the-tsunami/msg21701/?PHPSESSID=cj640r

Hi Everybody!

I´d like to travell to Arugam Bay in August .
I know that the surf is as good as ever but I am worrying about the atmosphere in the town after the Tsunami. I am sure a lot of houses are getting rebuilt right now – so maybe it´s not a good place right now to have a relaxed hangout…!?! Has anybody of you guys been there lately?

Cheers, Marco

notified to arugam.info only today, 7th June, 2010 by:

http://www.globalsurfers.com/Surfing/sri-lanka/arugam-bay-after-the-tsunami/msg21701/?PHPSESSID=cj640r

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Sarah & Stu’s Arugam Bay adventures Chapter 2

Published on 06/06/2010 in Blogs, Traveler's Reports, front page and people. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Salaam and Monkey

We’ve been called mad before. The last time that springs immediately to mind was just before buying a tuktuk to drive on Sri Lanka’s roads. Thumbing my nose to the doubters, I’m now convinced that wasn’t such a stupid decision. We have the flexibility to come and go as we please and far from creating jealousy locally, we’ve been warmly welcomed into the tuktuk fraternity. It’s a brotherhood that has saved us at least three times after breaking down on deserted roads at all hours of the day and night.  Faster response than the AA and totally free of charge.

This time it refers to our decision to move on from helping out at the Tsunami Hotel. It’s been a lot of fun and we’ve made some firm friends who have been very kind to us over the past six weeks. We hope Continue reading ‘Sarah & Stu’s Arugam Bay adventures Chapter 2′

ARUGAM BAY SURFING INTO THE FUTURE

Published on 05/06/2010 in Blogs, Environmental, Money Matters, front page, taxis and the bay. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

Could you tell us about the Arugam Bay Tourist Association? What is its role in promoting tourism in Arugam Bay?

Mr.M A H Rahim

Regarded as one of the best surfing destinations in the world, Arugam Bay is increasingly attracting both local and foreign visitors to its shores. Plans are now underway to develop a quaint village, located in Pottuvil in the Ampara District to offer enhanced services and facilities to the tourists. However, M H A Raheem, Chairman of the Arugam Bay Tourist Association, believes that such plans could have drastic consequences if they fail to take into account and protect the local community and the natural assets of Arugam Bay.

By Madhushala Senaratne | Photography by Mahesh Bandara

Lengthy Interview with Mr. M H A Rahim. Read the full text:

The tourism industry was destroyed as a result of the tsunami and the community did not know what to do. Thus, we got together and formed a small team to work with the NGOs who were coming into support Arugam Bay. For example, when the USAID Mission Director came to Arugam Bay following the tsunami, they were committed to implement any major project in the area and inquired into our needs. Although many asked for funds, the Association had the foresight to request that they build roads, bridges and water schemes. Consequently, they constructed a bridge and a water tank for the area.
When we started this Association, we had only 15 members. Gradually, it has evolved into a larger umbrella organisation for tourism in Arugam Bay. Currently, we have nearly 16 societies working together, including the Farmer’s Organisation, the women development societies, Pre-School societies and the Cattle Farm Association. In turn, we are working with all the government and local authorities, Tourism Ministry and NGOs. Continue reading ‘ARUGAM BAY SURFING INTO THE FUTURE’