Dolphin Watching Kalpitiya: Come to Kappalady

When November arrives, the sea becomes calmer. Choppier winds are no more. November is the beginning of the high season at Elements, with mid-December to mid-January being the busiest time. The month of December is also when dolphins arrive in near ocean waters. These magnificent mammals like calmer seas, particularly when the sea is at its calmest during the months of November and December. However, the dolphin watching season runs till April.

Where to see dolphins in Sri Lanka?

Did you know that the Indian Ocean surrounding the Kalpitiya Peninsula is the best place to watch dolphins in Sri Lanka? Three miles from Elements, you will get to see hundreds of dolphins during the season.

Dolphins are smart. Their brains evolved just like of us humans. There are 32 types of dolphins who frequent the sea waters while five types of dolphins live in the rivers. Many varieties of sea dolphins are found in shallow, tropical waters.

You’ll see hundreds, or maybe even thousands (if you are lucky) of spinner dolphins at Kappalady. Did you ever think why dolphins are found in large pods? Because these amazing creatures are a playful, lively bunch. They are very social and in one pod, you can even find 1000 members who play together.

At Elements, we organize dolphin watching tours from the beginning of November. A tour boat consists of a maximum of 6 guests, a driver and a guide. For tour rates and equipment, visit our Dolphin Watching Kalpitiya page.

A few miles from Elements, you will even see blue whales, sperm whales, and grey whales -- some of the largest mammals to ever exist in the world. Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales in the world. These amazing creatures also have the largest brain of any animal. Large sperm whales can grow up to 67 ft. long and weigh somewhere around 65 tons.

Their fellows. the magnificent blue whales are massive, being known as the largest animals to ever exist. A normal blue whale grows 80-100 ft in length and weighs around 200 tons. They consume krill, a tiny marine crustacean, at least 9000 pounds of them a day.

Ethical dolphin watching and whale watching tours in Sri Lanka

Being some of the friendliest, brainiest animals, it’s no doubt that dolphins have very few natural enemies. Some bigger species of sharks and killer whales consume smaller dolphins. However, dolphins are carnivores themselves, who mainly eat fish and squids. We, humans, are sadly the biggest enemies of dolphins today. And even of whales. Sadly, for both both whales and dolphins, ship strikes and global warming are some of the biggest threats today.

Plastic is one of the biggest threats. Plastic bags and micro-plastics are a danger to dolphins. Unfortunately, boat traffic and noise can be very dangerous to these creatures as well. Boats can cause injuries while noise pollution can cause dolphins to move away from their breeding grounds. The large noise and tourist boats chasing one after another can be a disturbance to ocean mammal life. It may cause the large pods of dolphins to scatter, which will be extremely dangerous for mothers and their young calves.

This is why we have to be ethical in our activities. At Elements, our boats don’t chase after dolphins. We observe them from far. We are based at Kappalady, one of the quieter areas of Kalpitiya which makes it one of the best and ethical places to see dolphins in Sri Lanka.

Dolphins are also hunters, so please avoid giving them food. If they get used to this, they will expect to be dependent on hand-outs which are a threat to natural wildlife.

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