The morning sun warms the back of my neck as I float on a foam-topped surfboard in the cerulean shallows of Sri Lanka’s Arugam Bay. My instructor, whose swim attire includes a baseball cap and a pair of thick sunglasses, drifts on his own board nearby, dispensing advice on how I should go about catching the next wave.

As an oncoming swell starts to break, frothing like the jaws of a rabid dog, I begin frantically paddling towards shore. For one glorious moment the wave carries me along, until the nose of my longboard plunges beneath the water and I’m sent somersaulting head-first through the surf.

When I resurface, frustrated and embarrassed, I find my instructor drifting idly by my side. ‘No problem,’ he says, lowering his giant dark glasses onto his nose, ‘Just relax, machan’ – the Sinhalese term for ‘dude’.

Discovering Arugam

Despite Sri Lanka’s meteoric rise to become one of Asia’s hottest tourist destinations, blissful Arugam Bay, on the country’s east coast, has effortlessly retained its cool. While crowds of tourists sweat to snap the perfect shot of the country’s ancient temples, at Arugam barefooted boarders laze in the sun sipping strawless organic smoothies.

A successful visit to Arugam means embracing this beach town’s mellow mantra – something that can take a little training for the uninitiated. To set you on the right track, here’s our comprehensive guide to chilling out in Arugam Bay.