At dawn, the necklace of coves that comprise Ahangama fishing village appear untouched by the centuries. Neat waves ease themselves onto empty, golden beaches; clusters of coconut palms stretch into a pearlescent sky; and, in the bay below, traditional stilt fisherman perch patiently on wooden poles planted in the warm shallows. Guests slowly pad out of our white-washed surf lodge and join me, all of us barefoot, bleary from jet lag and quieted by the oceanscape. Our eyes catch a surfer boldly paddling out towards the reef break, a respectful distance from the locals; this is the only anachronism in this timeless tableau, a sign of the surf scene that’s taken root in southern Sri Lanka over the past two decades — and a reminder why we’re all here.