Whale Watching Tour: A Cruise with the Giants - Mirissa

Sri Lanka's biodiversity makes it a haven for wildlife in Asia. Located off the south-east coast of India, Sri Lanka has only recently begun to emerge as a burgeoning eco-tourism hotspot. But the wildlife of Sri Lanka is remarkable for an island measuring just 25,332 square miles, boasting an impressively high rate of endemic species. 

Sri Lanka's ocean's boast a wide range of spectacular creature's including whales & dolphins, dugongs, stingrays, eels, whale sharks and five species of endangered marine turtles, as well as various colourful tropical fish and intricate, mesmerising corals. It has one of the world's largest population's of Blue whales 🐋 and Sperm whales, Sri Lanka is truly an animal lovers dream come true. 

If you are touring Sri Lanka then it's highly recommended to indulge yourself in a Whale Watching Tour. You’re likely to catch sightings of blue, sperm and possibly even a Humpback whale, dolphins and other marine creatures. In fact Sri Lanka ranks in the top two countries in the world for whale watching.

There are notably 2 places where you can start your whale watching tour. 

Trincomalee (May to October) 

Mirissa (November to March)

 

My Whale watching cruise tour: 

It was my second day in Sri Lanka. I was staying in Serenity Resort in the beach town of Mirissa. Before coming down to Sri Lanka I went through a lot of reviews regarding the various companies offering whale tours in Mirissa. Some boats cater for eight or so people, others over fifty. It’s very important to choose a reliable operator for the most eco- and safety-conscious trip.

I opted for Whale Watching Club because I thought they are the best for this interesting tour. I booked with them and will be setting off for the cruise early morning on day 3. They will be sending Tuk-Tuk (auto-rickshaw) to the resort. 

(Tour company details, Rates & charges, important information for the trip are all given at the end of the write up)

Serenity Resort

I started for the trip at 5:30am and the sun was yet to rise. The Tuk Tuk was waiting outside the resort to take me to there office in Harbor road which was quite nearby (2km). Got the ticket after paying them the tour charges (details at the end of blog) along with my passport number and then went towards Mirissa harbour which was just a short walk from the office where the boat for the tour was waiting. 

Whale watching Club office

Our tour boat (right)

It was a fine catamaran passenger cruiser built for whale watching, named Queen Whale. This vessel consists of a lower deck, main cabin and an upper flybridge cabin with ample forward, aft and side decks. The boat is fitted with twin 330 HP marine diesel engines achieving a speed of 16 knots and has a range of 100 nautical miles with fuel tanks capacity of 2 x 1225 litres. There is a toilet in the lower deck. The boat can facilitate 150 passengers but considering comfort and tour quality they arrange the tour only for 70 people divided in two decks. 

The catamaran for the tour. Named 'Queen Whale'

At the point of entry, I was given two tabs of Avomine as a precautionary measure & to avoid seasickness. Gulped down one. I took the seat on the upper deck and soon we started for the journey at around 6:30am. The boat was slowly moving out from the harbour in Weligama Bay towards the Ocean and the sun was starting to wake up too. The fishermen were also getting ready to venture out. 

Leaving Mirissa Harbor

Fishing boats getting ready for the day

The boat was breaking the waves and slowly moving out into the open sea. Every one of us were enjoying the sights and the cool breeze hitting our face. In no time we were served hot tea and coffee. After sometime breakfast was served and they prepare it hot and fresh in the boat. The Breakfast consists of an Egg Sandwich, Fried Sausages, Cake, Banana, Pineapple and bottle of water.

Breakfast

On our way

It is always very important to keep your stomach full in the journey, keep yourself hydrated and not to smoke...if not you will feel nauseated and seasick. The boat sways a lot and it's very hard to remain standing at one place or moving around the deck without support or holding onto the rails. Most of the passengers were vomiting and the ever-supportive crew was always ready to hand you a barf bag. Luckily I never felt sick, maybe the Avomine tab helped in curbing it. 

The boat captain has more than 15 years of experience in sailing in the southern sea area in Sri Lanka and has a highly trained crew. They are always ready to help you out with anything with a smile. The captain reduced the speed as we spotted a superpod of Bottlenose dolphins gracefully swimming by. 

⭕ Trivia: 🐬

The Bottlenose dolphin belongs to the group commonly known as Cetacea which also includes whales, they are very social creatures and will often approach humans out of curiosity. Their high level of intelligence, ability to learn and perform complex tasks combined with an outgoing nature have made them very popular among people. Their typical diet includes consuming prey such as fish, eel, shrimp and other crustaceans and squid. The average length of these dolphins varies between 6 1/2 ft. and 13 1/2 ft. with males typically being larger than their female counterparts.

Dolphins on the move

The lower deck

Spinner Dolphins

We continued our journey and the crew at the lookout were trying to spot whales. It was mid of February and during this time the whales tend to move away into the deeper sea from the coast. There were some small boats which were giving signals to the tour boats in radio as to where whales can be spotted. These small boats were acting as spotters also. The weather was now getting a bit hot and as we kept sailing into the deeper sea the crew came over and served us King Coconut. They gladly serve you another one if you want it. 

King coconut getting ready to be served

We were now about 10km away from the coast and everywhere you gaze upon you will find the colour blue. A radio message came over that a whale has been spotted nearby and all the boats were hurrying to that area. Though at distance we were able to spot a Blue whale. The boat was swaying so much that it was very hard to click a picture and shooting a video was the only option.

A closeup of the whales

Our Captain said that he will continue with the tour as another Blue whale can be spotted soon. I spotted a small aircraft flying above, and at first, I thought it to be a reconnaissance aeroplane. The captain said that some people do the whale watching tour in an aircraft also. 

(Details for flight tour at the end of the blog)

We kept sailing on and saw gigantic container ships on the move. Soon there was another radio relay and all the tour boats were hurrying again like before to spot the Blue whale. This time we spotted two blue whales and the boats slowly moved along with them. The whales were spouting out air from the blowholes. They were at times coming out in the open and again taking a dive inside the sea. We could see the big tail fins as they were diving in. 

The air inside the whale is typically quite warm from the whale's body heat. When it's exhaled, it meets the much cooler temperature of the air outside and immediately condenses, making it look like a spout of water.

⭕ Trivia: 🐋

Blue whales are the largest animals ever known to have lived on Earth. These magnificent marine mammals rule the oceans growing to lengths of up to 100 ft. long and weighing as much as 150 tons or more. Blue whale feed at a depth of fewer than 330 feet and consume 4 Tons of krill a day, but it can dive up to 1640 feet and it will last for 10- 20 minutes. In addition to the blue whale’s massive size, it is also one of the loudest animals in existence. In fact, a blue whale’s calls can be heard several miles away and far below the ocean’s surface.

Even though they are massive animals their body is relatively slim and streamlined for speed and long-distance travel allowing them to swim up to 25 miles per hour or more when they feel threatened. Blue whale’s average life span is 80-90 years. Their tongues alone can weigh as much as an elephant.

spotted the whales on the move

We are miles away from the coast now

We indeed had a wonderful time throughout the journey and was a lifetime experience to watch such magnificent marine life in the open sea living wild and free. It was time to head back to Mirissa harbour. On the way back we spotted some sea turtles and a big Manta Ray. The crew served us Fruits, Coconut Roti with Sambal and Coca Cola. The service of Whale Watching Club and the total journey itself is worth every bit of the money you spend on this tour. 

Food served on the way back

A resort at the edge

While entering the harbour I saw many traditional outrigger canoes known as 'Oruwas' anchored which are used for fishing in high waters. 

Mirissa Harbor

Oruwas - The traditional fishing boats

Our boat Queen Whale reached the harbour in late afternoon completing yet another memorable journey. This tropical island truly packs a punch that makes for a fascinating and unforgettable visit.

Whale watching cruise tour details: 🛳️

Company Name: Whale Watching Club - Mirissa (link opens a new window)

Below you will find the details for their whale watching tour and please read this carefully until the end.👇

➖ Departure is at 6.30am from Mirissa harbour. But, you should be at the office between at 5.45am to 6.00am. 

➖ If you living in Mirissa area, they arrange free pick-up or drop for you but, only one time.

The tour is including:

Coffee/Tea in the morning and Breakfast on the boat. On our way back to the harbour, they will serve you another platter.

➖ The sea can be a bit rough. If you get seasick easily they recommend you to take a seasickness tablet one hour before to departure. They also have seasickness tablets in case you didn't bring them with you. (50% recommend their sea sickness tablets as good one but 30% feel sleepy and tired). It's called AVOMINE (promethazine theocrats BP).

➖ Normally tour will take around 4 - 6 hour but some days tour time takes 8 or 9 hours also.

➖ Tour time depend on the Whale location. If you can't stay on a long journey, please don't travel with them. During the tour, they don't care about time. There sole aim is to give you a good sighting without any complaints.👍🐳🐬

➖ Their crew consists of 6 well-trained professionals with years of experience.

➖ They have Life Jackets, Life Ring, First Aid Kit, Fire Extinguisher, GPS and a Compass on board for your safety.

➖ They respect, protect and conserve the Whales, Dolphins and Marine Environment. They give you maximum experience and observation with minimum impact on the animal being observed and the Marine Environment.

The rates: (As on 7th May 2020)

Mandatory Government Ticket 

3200 LKR which is equivalent to $ 17 / 1305 INR

🔰 Adult with government ticket

7000 LKR which is equivalent to $ 37.5 / 2850 INR

🔰 Child 5 - 10 years with government ticket

4000 LKR which is equivalent to $ 21.5 / 1630 INR

Marine life sighting graph:

➖ You have 80% chance to see the Blue Whales every day... 🐳🐳

➖ Someday you can spot other type of whales also. (Bryde's Whale or Sperm Whale or Fin Whale or Killer Whale which is also known as Orca). They are migrating Whales and are moving with Sea Currents. You can't see them every day.

➖ You have a 50% chance to see the Dolphins.🐬🐬..because, they are moving with sea currents. Someday you can see (500 or more big dolphin group). Normally you can see Spinner Dolphin. Somedays you can see Bottlenose Dolphin, Risso's Dolphin or Pilot Whales (but dolphin)👈

⭕ If you didn't see any whales you can go the next day as free tour. (They won't be refunding the money). NOTE: You have to pay for the government ticket again. (3200 LKR)

They try to go until you see the whales. 🤗

⭕ Important things you should bring with you for the whale tour: 👇

➖ Your camera (fully charged)

➖ Sunscreen

➖ Sunglasses

➖ Sweater / light jacket (it might get a bit chilly somedays)

❌ Drones are strictly not allowed. 

Whale watching flight tour details: 🛩️

Company name : F.Air (Koggala) (link opens a new window)

Whale watching in Sri Lanka is an amazing activity to partake in and is even more breathtaking when done through an aircraft as it does not disturb the whale’s natural habitat. Observing the majestic nature of the largest mammal in the world, the Blue Whale, from an aerial point of view leaves passengers with incomparable experience and understanding of the true magnitude of the beauty and grace of the species.

Rates: $150 / 11,415 INR / 27,975 LKR for 45 minutes starting from Koggala airport. 

Touring around Sri Lanka: 🧭

Backpacking around is a great way to see the country. Sri Lanka is very tourist friendly, good connectivity and hordes of accommodation options. 

If you are interested in touring Sri Lanka in a package format you can get in touch with Sri Nature Lanka Tours (link opens a new window)

Where to stay in Mirissa: 🏨

Mirissa being an important tourist hub and beach town there are various categories of accommodation that will suit every pocket. The best way to commute around the town is in a Tuk Tuk. 

I stayed in Serenity Resort (Mirissa)

Other Important information:

➖ The whale tour companies accept payments only in cash. They don't accept international debit or credit cards neither do they have a procedure for payments online.

➖ They accept Sri Lankan Rupee and American Dollars only (Indian Rupee not accepted).

➖ They provide either pick up or drop to your resort or hotel. It's recommended to ask for pick up as it's very hard to look for Tuk Tuk in the wee hours of the morning.

➖ While returning from the harbour you will get Tuk Tuk's. They charge 100 LKR per head which is about Rs.40 in Indian currency and 0.5 cents in American currency.

Hope you have liked the blog. If you have any questions/feedback feel free to leave a comment.