Whale Watching in Mirissa
Mirissa, a small town situated on Sri Lanka’s southern coastline is considered to be one of the best places on earth to see our planets largest living animal; the blue whale. Having the opportunity to catch even the slightest glimpse of one of these magnificent creatures is a truly rewarding and humbling experience. For the two of us, this was one of the things were most excited for in Sri Lanka.
If you’re interested in checking out Sri Lanka’s safari’s check out our article on visiting the Udawalawe National Park.
Cost
In the grand scheme of things, whale watching in Sri Lanka is surprisingly affordable. We paid 1000 rupees more for this than a 4 hour safari at Udawalawe, 6000 rupees per person. However that being said, it is an expensive activity in comparison to Sri Lankan prices.
Ethical Concerns
This concern is valid. Sadly there are a lot of smaller boats that will try and get as close to the boats as possible to boost their reviews, help tourists get that special instagram shot etc. This is why it is very important to book with a reliable agency. We booked direct with whalewatchingclub. after we were recommended them by a couple we met in Marykoliya. We did plenty of research online about them and before deciding to book.
We did not want to give money to a company that would in any way harass the whales.
On our trip the whales were given plenty of space and we not chased or harassed. We were luck enough to have a couple of whales come up for air close to our boat. The captain immediately cut the engine.
Sadly there are boats that will engage in such practices. This only way to stop these practices is book with tour companies that follow ethical whale watching guidelines.
An excellent guide to ethical whale watching practices can be found here
TripAdvisor
Sometimes tripadvisor can be a wonderful thing. However searching for reviews on whale watching from Mirissa can give the impression that doing this is the worst thing in world. This really is not the case. There are tour operators that work to international standards and give the whales plenty of space. However as with many areas of wildlife observation there will be people that will act in an unethical or cruel manner, especially in a developing country like Sri Lanka. This is why it pays to do research beyond trip advisor before making your decision about which company you want to book with.
Hopefully in the future the government will intervene to make sure companies are operating to the international standards expected for watching these incredible creatures.
Sea Sickness
Again, this is another valid concern. The sea around Mirissa can be extremely rough. On our boat we had at least 6 people filling bags with vomit.
This problem is very easily solved. TAKE SEA SICKNESS tablets. Even if you don’t usually get sea sick, take them anyway. It is not worth taking the chances of missing out on a truly incredible experience.
Who
We went with Whale Watching Club.
Where
They are based in Mirissa close to the harbour. They can arrange complimentary tuk tuk to pick you up from your guesthouse in Mirissa.
When
They will pick you up around 5:45am. It’s an early start, but its worth it.
Our Trip
We were on the boat heading out to sea just after 6am. Before all of the other boats I may add. Within 45 minutes we had spotted two blue whales swimming together around 100 metres away. Our driver immediately slowed so we could keep an appropriate distance and give the whales the space they needed. A few minutes after these whales died it was quite clear that other boats were on our tail. Quickly the area was full of other boats, probably doing all the unethical things many people worry about. From here we headed further out to see where we were rewarded with spotting at least another 18 beautiful blue whales.
Throughout the journey the crew were helpful and attentive and were ready to answer any questions we had. This probably worked better than a general briefing over a microphone.
The crew were adept at spotting the whales and were keen to make sure everyone got the opportunity to see them. Our boat had approximately 40-45 people on it (roughly 20 on each floor). Naturally when there was an opportunity to spot a whale from the front of the boat it got a little crowded. However it certainly wasn’t uncomfortable and everyone had the opportunity to watch these incredible animals.
On two occasions we were luck enough to have a whale swim past the front of our boat, only 20-30 metres away. Simply incredible. As before our captain had already switched off the engine so that we would not block the whales path. The first time the whale hung around at the surface for nearly 2 minutes, not even moving, just chilling in the water before diving down into the murky depths.
Would We Do It Again?
Absolutely. However as we have mentioned we would only go with an operator like whale watching club as the operate in accordance with international standards.
