Mirissa Blue-Whale Watching

Head offshore from the south coast to find the largest animal that has ever lived.

What the Mirissa Blue-Whale Watching is really like.

The deep water off Mirissa comes close to shore, bringing blue whales — the largest animal ever to have lived — within a morning's boat ride. From November to April sightings run very high, alongside sperm whales, Bryde's whales and big pods of spinner dolphins. Boats leave at dawn for the calmest seas, and a good operator keeps a respectful, regulated distance. We choose smaller, responsible vessels over the crowded scrum.

At a glance

Best season: November – April (best December – March)
Typical duration: Half day (dawn departure)
Regions: 2

Moment by moment

How the day unfolds.

Step 01
Dawn at the harbour
Board at first light from Mirissa harbour, when the sea is at its calmest and the whales feed close in.
Step 02
Out to the deep blue
The boat runs offshore to where the continental shelf falls away and the deep, plankton-rich water begins.
Step 03
The blow on the horizon
The crew scans for a tall, columnar blow — the first sign of a blue or sperm whale surfacing to breathe.
Step 04
A whale surfaces
A blue whale rolls at the surface and arches into a dive, sometimes lifting its flukes clear of the water.
Step 05
Dolphins in the bow wave
Spinner dolphins, sometimes hundreds strong, race and leap alongside the boat on the way back in.