Legal drone distance for blue whale photography in Trincomalee
8 Answers from travellers
You cannot fly a drone over marine mammals in Sri Lanka at all without an explicit, specialized permit from the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). The high-pitched frequency of drones causes extreme distress to whales when they surface to breathe. The Navy monitors the waters in Trinco closely. Ethical boats will strictly forbid you from launching it from the deck.
Just use a good telephoto lens. 300mm to 600mm. The boats get close enough that you do not need an aerial view.
Also landing a drone on a moving boat is a great way to lose your drone in the ocean.
Understood. I will respect the rules and keep the drone packed away.
Thank you for being a responsible tourist. The blue whales need all the peace they can get.
I saw a guy try to launch one and the boat captain threatened to turn the boat around and end the tour for everyone.
If you want underwater shots, strapping a GoPro to a pole over the side is totally legal.
Great idea, I will just bring my GoPro and a pole mount instead.
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