Mirissa is one of the only places in the world you have a good chance of seeing Blue Whales, the largest animal to have ever lived, as well as Fin Whales (second largest) and Sperm Whales (the largest toothed predator).
You’re practically guaranteed to see hundreds of Spinner Dolphins, Bottle-nosed Dolphins coming to swim with the boat and Pilot Whales (to the extent that many operators will refund you if you don’t) … but, ultimately it’s worth a roll of the dice for the chance to see a Blue Whale.
Chances of seeing a Blue Whale – the waters off Mirissa often host the largest number of Blue Whales, so you’re in the best place for them. But … I think a lot gets lost in translation for your chances of seeing them. The tour operators talk of refunds if you don’t see the whales, but that includes Pilot Whales which, although really cool and 2/3 times the size of a Bottlenosed Dolphin, are less than 1% the size of a Blue Whale. We, for example, didn’t see any of the Blue / Fin / Sperm whales.
Which operator – I visited Dec 2022 when it was very quiet so only 2 boats operating, but I could see 60+ moored. With that many, you will for sure get bad practices of how operators approach, scare off and change the behaviour of the whales. So it makes sense to go with a responsible operator. I went with Raja and the Whales – Raja sticks to the international standard, really cares about the whales and is great for a chat about just about anything whale related (breakfast and other foods included, they’ll pick you up at 6am). Others highly recommended were Kumara and the Whales and Jetwing Eco.
Time of year – December and April are the best time for chances of seeing the whales.
Where to stay – heaps of options in town. I stayed at JJ‘s Hostel, which was like an upmarket backpackers with nice private rooms.