Whale watching in mirissa

Whale watching is particularly big with the 3 countries who are unfortunately pro whale hunting: Japan, Norway and Iceland.

We encountered this when we entered a whale bar in Tokyo by accident.

We’ve since been more curious about whales, spotting orca killer whales in Puerto Madryn, Argentina, so we jumped at the chance to see these magnificent endangered species in the flesh at Mirissa in Sri Lanka.

WHERE TO STAY IN MIRISSA?

Mirissa offers a wide variety of options, from budget to luxury. Whether you are looking for a hotel close to Mirissa beach or hidden away in the hills with splendid views, you will find it. Below are the places we loved because they fit every budget and have a unique charm. All of them will be able to help you with booking your whale watching tour.

MAMA’S PLACE Check prices now

A lovely boutique hotel located near by long deserted beach in Mirissa.

Rooms are spacious, nicely decorated, with a delicious breakfast freshly prepared in the morning.

POPPIES GUESTHOUSE Check prices now

Great budget option, located on the main street, a 3 minutes walk from the beach.

Rooms are clean and spacious, and breakfast is plentiful.

Prices start from $36 / £24 for a double room with breakfast.

CAPE WELIGAMA Check prices now

A bit outside of Mirissa, but this is the ultimate luxury experience in Mirissa.

perfect for honeymooners or couple looking for a unique romantic experience.

Rooms overlooking the ocean with an infinity pool offering incredible views.

Prices start from $434 / £300 a night.

Stunning view of cape weligama

WHALE WATCHING SEASON IN SRI LANKA

Whale watching in Mirissa has become one of the most popular leisure activity since 2008 in Sri Lanka. Today whale watching in Mirissa is being enjoyed and loved by adults and kids alike. The Whale watching experience itself is claimed to be informative, recreational and adventurous as well to an extent. In fact, to watch how these giant mysterious marine mammals behave in a natural environment of their own is thrilling and one of the rarest sighting in the world and so it would be an unforgettable experience for everyone. Therefore It has now become a must do activity on ever travelers itinerary.

The whale watching season in Sri Lanka runs from November to April / May, as during the rest of the year, the waters will be too rough because of the Monsoon.most of boats are avoid their whale watching tours at that time periods

The best place to spot whales is in Mirissa, a small tourist town on Sri Lanka’s south coast, popular for surfing and famous for whale watching & very rich with scenic destinations The waters around Mirissa are particularly rich in plankton (a group of microorganisms whales feed on), which lead scientists to believe there is a resident population always present which will result in sightings whenever conditions are good, particularly between November to April.

Waiting for sunset

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GO WHALE WATCHING?

Which company to choose?

There is a huge choice of whale watching tour companies in Mirissa, and all of them charge more or less the same price. Choose the company carefully because not all of them care about the animals and most of them are not eco-friendly. For example, some try to get really close up to the whales, which frightens them and stresses them unnecessarily. A good ethical tour company will keep a careful distance from the whales to prevent this from happening. and they have good safe working practices.

The price of a whale watching tour

As with most tourist attractions in Sri Lanka, prices have been increasing a lot over the years. A whale-watching safari was around 8,000 Sri Lanka rupees (around $45/ £33) per person when we went. We decided this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, which if done in somewhere like Canada, New Zealand or Europe would be a lot more expensive. Note that, there are a lot of SCAMMERS on the beach they may offer lower price, DO NOT get caught with scammers

Responsible whale watching tourism

Companies who care about the well-being of the whales are committed to responsible whale watching and abide by the criteria set by the WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society).

We decided to take a morning tour with Ceylon Whales, who filled the WDC requirements. This company has several types of boats and they are Eco-friendly

The tour itself involved a 1-hour early morning boat ride from 6:30am out into the Indian Ocean where the whales are known to be feeding. If you go during the whale watching season, your chances of seeing a whale are quite high (90-95%) and if not, most companies promise to re-book your tour (for free).

SPOTTING BLUE WHALES AND DOLPHINS IN MIRISSA

We were lucky to spot several Blue Whales and dolphins on our tour, along with the money shot of them diving back down:

Blue whales are the largest creatures on earth, measuring up to 30 metres in length, and luckily enough for you, they live only a few miles off the South Coast of Sri Lanka.The art to spotting the whales comes down to mastering their breathing behaviour.

we can be part of a mission by helping each others to spotting whales,it was amazing

Whales are mammals so they have lungs instead of fish gills for breathing. Therefore, they cannot breath underwater and need to come up for air.

Blue whales can hold their breath underwater for an average 30 minutes before they have to surface for air. They don’t have a nose and can’t breath through their mouth so rely on their blow-holes. When they surface, they spout the air (and lots of water with it) out of their blow-hole.

This is the first sign to look out for:

A whale breathing out with a squirt of water through its blow hole is the first sign to look for

They then stay onshore dipping in and out of the water, around 3-4 times, breathing in and out:

Whale on the water surface taking a few breaths before getting ready for the big dive down

Finally, they take one last long breath before making that beautiful dramatic money shot dive back down to look for food:

The dramatic whale dive back down to look for food before it will resurface after around 30 minutes

As with all safaris, whale watching is a waiting game and a test of patience. A good company will know the signs to look out for and the optimum spots for whale sightings. And you can able to spot while the tour Blue whale as well as fin whales, sei whales, sperm whales, orcas (killer whales), dolphins, flying fish, turtles, manta rays and whale sharks.

Along the way we also saw many Bottle-nose and Spinner Dolphins swimming along with us:

Along the way we spotted these cute Bottlenose and Spinner dolphins

IS IT WORTH DOING A WHALE WATCHING SAFARI ?

In my opinion, yes!