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Legal distance for boats watching blue whales in Mirissa

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Oliver B.•5605 rep•2

Our whale watching boat got incredibly close to a blue whale, it felt unethical. What is the legal distance boats must keep from whales in Sri Lanka.

3
beacheswildlife

7 Answers from travellers

✓Accepted Answer

Under Sri Lankan Coast Guard and DWC regulations, boats MUST maintain a minimum distance of 100 meters from a whale. They must also reduce speed to a no-wake crawl and approach from parallel, NEVER from the front or rear. Unfortunately, many rogue operators ignore this. Please report the boats registration number to the tourist police.

23
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Suresh K.•5390 rep•1

Make sure to write a terrible TripAdvisor review. It is the only way to hurt these unethical operators.

43
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Amali D.•9660 rep•1

The Navy occasionally patrols the waters, but they cannot catch everyone.

38
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Sophia M.•6830 rep•2

Never buy the cheapest ticket on the street. Those are the boats that break the rules.

34
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Amali D.•9660 rep•1

Is there a list of approved ethical operators anywhere.

6
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Oliver B.•5605 rep•2

I was on a boat that chased one. The whale just dove deep and disappeared. It ruins it for everyone.

3
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Sophia M.•6830 rep•2

Look for operators that are WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) certified, like Raja and the Whales.

1
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Suresh K.•5390 rep•1

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