Snorkeling in the water with blue whales in Sri Lanka vs watching from a boat
8 Answers from travellers
Getting in the water with marine mammals is strictly illegal in Sri Lanka without a special research permit from the Department of Wildlife Conservation. Commercial operators cannot offer this. Those Instagram videos are usually professional wildlife photographers who spent months securing expensive government permits. Do not pay any local boat offering to "let you jump in"—you will be fined and the operator arrested.
Understood. Will stick to the official boat tours.
The Navy patrols the waters off Mirissa. They watch the tourist boats with binoculars.
What about swimming with Sperm Whales in Trincomalee.
A blue whale is the size of a submarine. Being in the water with one sounds terrifying anyway.
Just enjoy them from the deck. A breaching blue whale is majestic enough from a boat.
Same law applies across all Sri Lankan waters. No swimming with whales anywhere without a permit.
You can snorkel with turtles in Polhena though, totally legal and right off the beach.
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