Finally, We Watched the Whale?

Whale Watching is about the youngest Natural History Hobby that came into being around the early 50s in the USA. Bird Watching though is the earliest habit or pastime being the way of enjoying Natural History occurrences. 

Today these hobbies are linked with tourism and therefore countries are dependent on a new industry to support their economies.  

Sri Lanka today is also into Whale Watching in a big way since the mid-90s when migratory Blue whale pods were seen on the Southwest coast off Mirissa.  However, there had been seasonal whale sightings off Trincomalee in the North East and off Kalpitiya in the North West in the island. But it was the regular Blue Whale sightings from November to March off Mirissa in the South East that commercialized  Whale watching in an organized manner.

It’s an expensive pastime with more of disappointment than actual guaranteed sightings unlike in the other Natural History occurrences where luring of the animal is not conceivable.

Also, the strict need to adhere to good practices and a list of don’ts have now been developed for the safety of the large numbers going out to the sea and for the welfare of the whales. The boat operators have separate don’ts while the watchers have a separate list.

Environmental campaigners, concerned by what is considered the "quick-buck" mentality of some boat owners, strongly urge all whale watcher operators to contribute to local regulations governing whale watching. No international standards are set off as the species are numerous with high populations since the international bans on whaling.   The common rules include:

• Minimize speed/"No wake" speed
• Avoid sudden turns
• Minimize noise
• Do not pursue, encircle or come in between whales
• Approach animals from angles where they will not be taken by surprise
• Consider cumulative impact – minimize the number of boats at any one time/per day
• Do not coerce dolphins into bow-riding. (riding with legs dangling over the side)
• Do not allow swimming with the dolphins

Some Common rules for Whale watchers.

• Do show up on time and be ready to have fun.
• Do communicate your needs to the crew. If your view is being blocked by standing guests or unhappy with your seat, tell the crew so they can help.
• Do take photos. Just be aware that others want to too and share the view.
• Do return to your original seat. It’s okay to get up and move around to watch the whales, but please return to where you were first seated.
• Do not drop food or litter, particularly plastic bags. Those are deadly to many forms of marine life.
• Do wear smaller-brimmed hats. Sometimes the big brims may block the visibility of others.
• Don’t forget to look for whales. The crew only has 2 sets of eyes, keep a lookout for whales, you may discover something cool.

I have been trying my luck in setting my eyes on a whale in Mirissa since March 2015 with no luck but disappointment; but dolphins in plentiful. However year (2023) was to be different when my friend Anil Gammampila called me on November 26th to say he had booked a boat from Mirissa for the 27th Monday for Whale watching for his sisters and cousins and we were welcome if free and interested.

My hopes of seeing that whale this time were suspicious to be sure I felt, as the invitation came out of the blue and the offer was accepted without any hesitation. The next morning, we were at the Mirissa pier by 6:00 a.m. and everybody were on board for the boat to leave around 7:00 a.m. The boat was southbound off the coast of Dondra with several other boats also with the same prospects of seeing the cetaceans. After about an hour of riding the calm waves against a rising sun, we encountered the dolphins they bobbed on all sides and passed under the boat as well but this was not that much excitement today as we had encountered them on many a trip looking for the illusive Blue one in the last eight years.

Nobody in the team was seasick as the sea was very favourable and calm and the crew was content that they had shown us the dolphins for the least to keep up the joyful momentum a packed breakfast with a bottle of water was served and the boat proceeded deep south now nearing the international shipping lane off the south of Sri Lanka.

The crew in all the boats were all traversing at the same speed towards a location best known to them as all previous sightings are now recorded in GIS mapping that all boats are facilitated with. The show line is a speck now and we have reached almost beyond Tangalle in the shore we see another boat in the close far off. Nearing this boat the crew is informed that a Blue Whale had surfaced and they were waiting for the oncoming breather blow that was around 15 to 20 minutes when they were not deep diving.

My suspicion of a sure sighting was going to come true after eight years was bubbling in the back of my mind but a potential day of doom was also lingering; what if it had decided to go deeper and away? Just then the crew spots the blow at a distance and much of the don’ts listed above was taking place naturally. The crew were in to sudden wake speed, the watchers all on their feet rushing to one side of the boat straddling dangerously to balance on a speeding rocking boat. No wonder there are always more don’ts than do’s too general self-centered human behaviour.

The whale though was cool and showed off its antics for almost 2-3 minutes cruising the surface and tail fluking before it took a deep dive. A tail fluke happens when the whale bends its hind quarter to reach the deep and as a result, the dorsal fin and the tail protrude above the water and the large spade-like tail spills the water it held over the rim in spouts and droplets. This is the most spectacular showpiece or display of whale watching and the   Whoa…. and the clapping of all in the boats around was to say thank you Mr Whale you are so adorable.

My friend Anil was busy with his state-of-the-art equipment clicking away watching every action through an eyepiece; and exclaimed ‘Oh Dear’…. he was positioned perfectly for the tail fluke but came to a heartbreak when his memory card in the camera was full and the click would not go all through. That was the end of the show thought everyone with the deep dive displayed. Many boats left after having given the client the best potential display of the blue whale. But our boat did hang on with a few others who had rented the boat for the day. We were glad and honoured the association of this whale blowing off many a time coming out on either side of the boat but not any more of the tail fluking.

We were now drifting beyond Tangalle and closing in to Hambantota said the skipper and everyone thought it was enough and we headed back all happy and content with a fruitful day of watching whales off Mirissa.

Back home the elation did not end I was on the WEB browsing whale watching around the world and it is news that Mirissa is one of the latest locations for Blue Whale sighting in the world. Their occurrence close to the show is economical advantage when compared to most other locations that need excessive travel with overnight stays. Mirissa therefore is ideal with the locality being a tourist habitat already and the logistics in place.

However, further browsing on the species it is noted that the Blue Wale that was thought to be that frequented Mirissa is now thought to be a Sub-species of the Blue Whale … the Pygmy Blue Whale.

The Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safaris Website highlights facts on the Pygmy Blue whale based on research conducted by the Oregon State University USA.      

1. How many different types of blue whales are there? Currently, there are thought to be up to five:

• the North Atlantic/Pacific blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus musculus) 
• the Northern Indian blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus indica)
• the Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) 
• the pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda)
• the Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus unnamed)

 2. When was the pygmy blue whale discovered? In 1966, records and observations of differences with other blue whales led to the confirmation of the pygmy blue whale as a separate subspecies. 

3. Where does the pygmy blue whale live? Pygmy blue whales are seen in the Southern Hemisphere, mainly in the Indian Ocean such as off the coast of Sri Lanka. Research has expanded the knowledge of that range in recent years to other areas including Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and of course, right here in New Zealand!

4. Pygmy blue whale vs true blue whale  – what’s the difference?

       Physical comparison

• The Antarctic or ‘true’ blue whale can grow up to 33m in length and weigh up to 200 tons (which is about 30-40 African elephants). True to their name, pygmy blue whales are slightly smaller, growing to around 24m and weighing up to 90 tons (so about half that of the Antarctic blue whale).

       Observation

• In the field, it is slightly harder to tell the two apart as a juvenile true blue whale could be mistaken for a fully grown pygmy blue whale. So, we rely on the knowledge and research of the two species here in New Zealand to determine which one we are looking at – more on this later on.

5.  What is the life cycle of the pygmy blue whale?

Sexual maturity is thought to be between 5-15 years and whilst the lifespan is unknown, it is estimated that it would be likely similar to Antarctic blue whales which is 70-90 years.

6. What is the pygmy blue whale’s diet?

They feed almost exclusively on krill but can also eat plankton which is what they have been feeding on here in the Hauraki Gulf. Researchers have confirmed a valuable feeding ground for the pygmy blue whales in the South Taranaki Bight.

7. What are the threats to the pygmy blue whales?

Just like Bryde’s whales, these guys are not exempt from human impacts including being struck by ships.

8. How many pygmy blue whales are in New Zealand and do they migrate?

The latest research suggests there are approximately 718 individuals living around New Zealand. We are proud to have played a small part in this research by contributing our data and photos to the researchers. They are also showing signs of presence in our waters year-round.

Researchers at Oregon State University have determined this by three methods:

Hydrophones – pygmy blue whale calls were recorded on the underwater hydrophones throughout the year. If the population is migratory then researchers would expect to only hear them at certain times of the year.

Photo-ID – dorsal fin photos used to identify individuals showed that certain individuals were being seen throughout the year in different areas of the country. To further support the idea of a non-migratory population, the researchers compared their dorsal fin photos of individuals to dorsal fin photos of whales in Australia and Antarctica but did not find any matches.

DNA sampling/genetic testing – skin samples compared to those in Australia and Antarctica showed there wasn’t much genetic similarity to New Zealand whales suggesting that the whales found here may not mix with other populations.

9. When do we see blue whales in the Hauraki Gulf?

Pygmy blue whales are visitors to the Hauraki Gulf. Before 2017, we had only had a handful of sightings of these whales. Since 2018, we have sighted them every winter. Sightings can occur anywhere between May and November.

So this then could be concluded by speculating … if the Mirissa Whales are Pygmy Blues Whales occurring from November to March it could be these that migrate to Auckland seas to be seen from May to November giving the month of April for transit.

Finally, that episode of Whale Watching has now concluded thanks to Anil my dear Friend!