Whale watching at Mirissa

We spent our last 4 days in Sri Lanka on the south coast town and beach resort of Mirissa. This small port lies about 20km East of Galle at one end of a long sandy strip of coastline that stretches most of the way to Columbo.  Many of the beaches here are a surfers paradise, but equally there are vast long stretches of inviting golden sand and gently lapping blue seas with hardly a soul upon them.

Everybody comes to Mirissa to go whale watching and of course we were no exception. It is an early start, before sunrise, but the port comes alive with fishing boats returning with the night's catch, tuktuks delivering passengers to the quayside, and the operators of 20 or more whale watching boats vying for your custom. It is a great opportunity for photographs provided you are fully

awake! We were welcomed aboard with tea, coffee, yoghurt and fruit, and then shortly after the sun had risen we set out in search of whales and dolphins.  Once we cleared the headland There was a steady swell on the sea.  The journey is not for those who easily succumb to sea sickness, although fortunately we were not amongst them.  We travelled for more than 2 hours, I would estimate more than 14 miles, and sign of land having long since disappeared, all the boats having spread out from one horizon to the other to give the greatest chance of spotting a whale.

Briefly we were surrounded by a school of dolphins following our course and riding the bow wave.  Then tantalisingly a blue whale broke the surface and swam alongside us for a few seconds before diving and disappearing from view.  All the boats began to converge,

and then began the patient waiting game.  How our captain knew when to give up and look elsewhere I do not know, but we were rewarded as once again a blue whale broke the surface and this time swam alongside us for several minutes.  It was amazing to see the colossal size of this animal, its tongue is bigger than an elephant, and to marvel at the slow but graceful way that it moved through the water.