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Sri Lanka - The growing whale watching hotspot

07/07/2009 00:43:02 whales/october_2009/blue_whale_jetwing

Blue whales commonly sighted off south-east Sri Lanka

July 2009. Sri Lanka has recently completed its first fully fledged whale watching season.

Between 08 October 2008 and 13 April 2009, Mirissa Water Sports had 108 whale watching expeditions, during which Blue whales were encountered 71 per cent of the time. The strike rate was even higher during the December to April period, peaking from January to April. During March and April Blue whales were recorded almost every day.

The early arrival of the monsoons made the seas too rough after the 13 April. The data confirms that the South of Sri Lanka is the most reliable place in the world in which to see Blue Whales, during the main season.

To see a full account o the seasons whale sightings, click here.

Other species recorded during the season by boats from Mirissa Water Sports and the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation/Walkers Tours included the following.

whales

Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus)
Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Bryde's Whale (Balaenoptera edeni)
Killer Whale (Orcinus orca)
False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens)
Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhyncus)
Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

dolphins

Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris)
Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
Risso's Dolphin (Grampus griseus)
Fraser's Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei)
Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata)
Rough-toothed Dolphin (Steno bredanensis)
Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba).

Additionally, with the recent military defeat of the Tamil Tigers (LTTE), whale watching opportunities will hopefully arise on the East coast, especially in the area around Trincomalee, which was once famous for Blue Whales.

Cortesy of Jetwing Eco Tours