Safety and rules for ethical whale watching on the East Coast
5 Answers from travellers
Under the Department of Wildlife Conservation guidelines, boats must maintain a minimum distance of 100 meters from the whales. They must reduce speed to a no-wake crawl and approach parallel to the animal. It is highly illegal to approach head-on or cut off their path. Ensure you book with a large, reputable operator in Trincomalee or use the official Navy boat tours, as they strictly enforce these safety rules.
Also, drones are completely banned over marine wildlife. The noise distresses them.
It is utilitarian but very large and safe. It handles the East Coast ocean swells much better than smaller tourist boats.
Do not book the small fiberglass speedboats. They are the ones that constantly harass the animals and break the rules.
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