Blue Whale Watching
Blue whales are the biggest animals that have ever lived on our planet. And if ever you needed an extra reason to go to Sri Lanka, then this is one. Not as famous as, say, Antarctica or the Azores for the big beautiful blues, Sri Lanka is rightfully claiming its own cetacean crown. Between 10,000 and 25,000 blue whales are believed to still swim the world’s oceans.
South of Dondra in Sri Lanka, may turn out to be the best locations in the world for seeing blue whales. Furthermore it may also be the best for seeing both blue whales and sperm whales together. This view is based on recent observations and a theory of a migration of whales by marine biologist Charles Anderson. During the season, a Blue Whale is easier to see to the south of Dondra, than a leopard in Yala.
In April, South of Dondra, had a one hundred per cent encounter rate for the highly desired but usually difficult, Blue Whale. Both the largest baleeen whale and largest toothed whale are within sight of shore. Sri Lanka could be the world’s top spot for watching Blue and Sperm Whales together. The ascendancy of the Galle-Mirissa coastal strip to being an international hot spot for Blue and Sperm Whales, has just begun.
You needn’t spend much time in Mirissa to see that the ocean there is superabundant. Immediately to the east, where a chalk-white lighthouse marks Sri Lanka’s southernmost cape, nutrient-rich waters draw krill, the tiny crustaceans that are the main food source for blue whales. The krill also attract schools of smaller fish, which in turn lure bigger predators: Sperm whales, pilot whales and dolphins make regular appearances.
