Sri Lanka: The Place to See Blue Whales
Mirissa: Sri Lanka is one of the best places in the world to see blue whales, as it has a resident population. Our journey took me to Mirissa, where we went in search of a responsible whale-watching experience. At the time, we were researching different companies to find one that aligned with our values, and based on what we had read, one company stood out. So, WiseWhale decided to go—and ended up returning for two years in a row to do whale-watching there.
However, when we first arrived, we were shocked. The way whale-watching was conducted was painful to witness. There were no real regulations, and it showed. We could see in one day a single blue whale surrounded by nearly 40 boats—it was absolute chaos.
That’s when we met Raja. The company WiseWhale had chosen was Raja and the Whales, and it turned out to be the only company we could wholeheartedly recommend in Mirissa. In fact, WiseWhale actively encourage anyone going there to choose Raja and the Whales for their tour.
Raja deeply cares about the welfare of the whales. His motivation for starting the business was to help fishermen transition away from the fishing industry, giving them an alternative livelihood that didn’t involve killing marine life. He also took the initiative to educate other operators at the marina, trying to teach them how to responsibly approach whales. For him and his team, the animals always come first—even before customer satisfaction, but despite that they will do everything to make you happy, seeing animals and they will not be back until the mission is accomplished. We can assure that so far this is the only company that truly doesn’t do this only for money and in a world where everything is about money, this is heart warming! even their tips were often given to the local veterinary to pay vaccines for street dogs!
Unfortunately, most other operators don’t share this mindset. With no regulations in place, many companies do whatever they want, without concern for the whales’ well-being.
Another major issue in Sri Lanka is the growing swimming-with-blue-whales industry. It’s important to highlight how harmful this practice is. Scientific studies have now confirmed what was already clear to anyone observing it firsthand: swimming with blue whales causes serious stress and disturbance to the animals.
Every morning, boats go out early, dropping swimmers directly into the water in an attempt to get them a once-in-a-lifetime selfie with a blue whale. This relentless disturbance pushes the whales farther and farther out to sea, driving them away from their feeding areas. This disruption to their natural behavior could ultimately threaten the local population if nothing changes. The situation in Mirissa is deeply concerning, and unless proper regulations are put in place, Sri Lanka risks losing one of its greatest natural treasures—the resident population of blue whales.
Raja and the whales received the “wisewhale” certification as a responsible whale watching company.
