Snorkeling With Whales In Mirissa

Great experience snorkeling with the whales. The team was very professional and fun ! They knew how to spot the whales when going up to the surface and the right time to see them. I really enjoyed my morning out with them and would do it again

Great, only 3 of us onboard, the guys really went out of their way to make sure we got to swim with as many whales and dolphins as possible.

We were lucky to see the Pilot whales! Oshan and Sandeep did everything in their power to make sure we saw them. The booking process is very easy, they are friendly and professional. It was important for me that it was a totally animal-friendly experience which I can totally say it was. They even told us to not wear fins which I thought was excellent. We also saw dolphins from the boat.

What a great skipper staff- they were so adventerous, passionate, motivated and did everything they could do in order for us to see any sea animals! And eventually we even saw whalesharks, which were apparently a lucky strike! Thanks for this unforgettable memory and this positive attititute we experienced on your boat! 100% recommended :)

It was enjoyable, and we did swim with a Whale shark which obviously was very exciting, but I do think this trip is overpriced for what it is. Had the cost been less, I would have put 5 stars

We were out there searching for hours but swimming with a 25 metre fin whale is something I’ll never forget and I’ll tell everyone I can about it. The company and the guys running it were professional, helpful and communicated efficiently. Would definitely recommend.

Did not see any whales when I went out which was unfortunate considering the high price. Know it’s luck of the draw and the staff did a great job trying to make this a good experience. They also had a high degree of professionalism. My advice to ZRI: make the base fee lower (I.e. less than $100) and then increase the bonus fee based on the amount and types of animals you see. Paying $200 for a few Dolphins and a very bumpy ride simply wasn’t worth it to me.

Amazing experience! We were lucky to see turtles, whales and dolphins - highly recommend. My friends and I had a wonderful time.

What an awesome adventure, first swimming and feeding turtles and then the boat ride to find dolphins, and dolphins we found

Very friendly hosts. Can be a very bumpy ride at times but you’re out in the beautiful Indian Ocean. They guide as well as one can trying to find whales out in the deep water. Can be hit or miss, we chased one whale for awhile and that was the only one we saw in the 4 hours, but the excitement when you see one is fantastic. Snacks and drinks supplied. Ended the day with a nice easy snorkel with some sea turtles.

We saw two blue whales and many dolphins ..guides are very knowledgeable ...and super friendly ... highly recommend this place ..

The individuals were friendly and the excursion well organised. However, they indicate a 90% success rate with the whales, which I think is a misrepresentation. I went during peak season, and they hadn't seen a blue whale for a couple of weeks. In the week before I went, the only whale that they had seen was a fin whale on only one of the days and it's unclear whether the customers were able to successfully snorkel or whether it was just a sighting from the boat. I went with the company twice to try to snorkel with the whales in peak season and no whales were encountered on either day. The price is exorbitant, and only justifiable for that once in a lifetime experience of snorkeling with the blue whale with an appropriately licensed company. Their refund policy when no whales are seen is insufficient given what appears to be a very low chance of a successful snorkel with blue whales (or any whales). Don't waste your money on this experience. Instead go on a whale watching experience on one of the bigger boats where it appears that there's a higher success rate of finding the whales for much much less money, and snorkel with the turtles from turtle bay for only about $2. If interested in snorkeling with dolphins, it's possible to do this for much less money. I do not recommend this experience--it is an absolute waste of money.

Unfortunately, we had a very disappointing experience. On our first outing, our guide spotted a whale from a great distance, but by the time we approached, it had already disappeared. The tour operator kindly rescheduled us for another day, giving us a second chance to see the whales. However, on the rescheduled trip, we saw absolutely nothing. While the communication and operation with the staff were excellent. They were friendly, professional, and genuinely tried to give us a good experience, we still left feeling very let down. Despite being told it was high season, we ended up paying a significant amount of money without seeing any whales. It was truly disheartening, especially as we had been so excited about this experience. Just be aware that even during high season, there’s a chance you might spend a lot of money and leave without seeing anything.

Fantastic! I saw pilot whales, dolphins and turtles. Then, unbelievably, a massive fin whale swam underneath us. Incredible. The skippers are skilled in finding the whales and are friendly and helpful.

Well it was one of our most looking forward moments on our Sri Lanka Tour. The booking and booking personal was smooth. 1 Star for this. The pickup was file as well. Just arrived we got a quick welcome and our mask and flippers. Flippers are really not needed like they told us. Then a guy spoke to us and another guy who went with us and mentioned dolphins and turtles which was a bit suspicious … but finally came with … but you’re here for the wales as he found out that were not really exited for that. And mentioned there was a Finnwale around. So off we go with some hope. Well after some time we saw a lot of boats. And we were a bit exited. Coming closer we saw a lot of dolphins. The crew asked us if we wanna try to jump in there. All 4 of us said yes and we tryed. We did this 2 or 3 times you could see them …. Maybe for a second cause they were really scared of the 10 or more boats chasing and surrounding them. So after some tries the feeling got worse cause the dolphins obviously were scared and not very amused about the witchhunt. The Crew felt that and asked us if we wanna try some more or wanna try for the „whale“. All Pax wanted to see the whale so we drove a bit further. But sadly it looked like they don’t communicate anymore and it looked like we needed a lot of luck to see a whale. At this Point i, and i guess the other pax, lost our hope. So we made a big comeback Route with some 10-15 min stops. „The whale needs to breath after this time“ From now on i think the Crew knew there was no whale this day if they didn’t knew this much earlier. At least it felt like that. So i tryed to enjoyed at least the boat trip. The first time on the trip i felt a bit scammed. Some stops later we were back like i imagined. And the crew asked us if we want to see the turtles. We said yes and they drove us there. After a quick search they found two. And one of the crew jumped into the water and lured them with some food. So we jumped into this water and they were quite used to humans. So we could touch them a little and make some nice pictures. A fun thing was that a guy came and we could feed them a little. That was a good Experience at least. So another star for the crew trying to give their best to make the best out of a bad situation and for the qt turtles. After a while we got back to the starting thing. As everybody sorted their minds we were asked if we want a refund or we want to go the next day. So all pax said we want the refund cause we unfortunately have no time to go another hole day. The guy needed to phone and come back with the offer of a 35 percent refund. Because we saw the turtles and dolphins. Now i really felt scammed because there was the official deal: 50 percent refund if you don’t see a whale. So we were a bit pissed and 1 guy immediately left. We showed the guy the deal again because a dolphin is not a whale. Then he came up with: „Of course you can have the 50 percent.“ At this point I felt bad about this trip and had a feeling really got scammed. So the guy organized us a Tuk Tuk which brought us back to the hotel. Looking back at this we are not happy about that trip and it felt like there never was a whale on that day. For sure that’s just how it felt to me. But the straight to the dolphins and the slow turn back made me feel this way. They should be honest about if there is a whale or not cause you at your vacation have no time to waste for a mediocre boat trip. I hope they read this and think about that. If I ever do this again, or try, i would plan some days to have a higher chance to get this experience.

That was amazing!! 🤩 we really really recommend that experience It was incredible the moment when we swam with the whale and the baby also! And we did it 3 times!! The guys on the boat were so professional they really knew when to jump on the water. We’ll never forget that for sure!!!

I didn't manage to actually snorkel, but I thought I'd leave a review to appreciate how honest this company was. They were upfront that water visibility was very poor and we'd most likely not be able to spot whales, and gave us a full refund without any hassle. Also, it would be good to note that while the picture shows diving, it is actually snorkelling

As amazing as it was to be so close with a magnificent blue whale, this experience felt non consensual with the whale and like we were chasing this whale around the Indian Ocean all day. The guides will spot a whale and drive the boat with its loud engine very fast as close as they can to the whale and scream “Jump out!!”. Whales have very sensitive ears so it felt like we were disturbing the whale. I was under the impression we would drive our boat ahead of the whales and wait for them to come close but that is not what happened and the reviews were all positive ones for this company. I should have done more research and asked more questions. Unfortunately, the experience is tainted for me and I think we need to spread awareness about these companies operating this way.

Such a special experience! The guides were fun to spend time with and we were lucky enough to swim with a blue whale 🫶🏽 I did wonder if our presence was pestering the whale though as we were kind of playing tag with it and there were 3 whale tour boats out there at the same time and just one whale. And I watched a documentary a while ago about how whales are super sensitive to boat noise. So the ethics of the whole thing is questionable but I did pay for it and have a great time and then feel guilty later so I don’t know. Worth mentioning though if you are a whale lover. I identify as one so I am thinking a lot about if there are other ways to go about swimming with whales that might feel more consensual with the whales Other thoughts / helpful things - bring sunscreen. Reapply often - bring snacks - and nausea medication just in case! There were many waves to boat through to get to the whale spot so the risk of sea sickness is there. About 40 min there / 40 min back. And also - put out those good vibes.

Super experience, even in low season. We have seen whales despite rough sea. But they were not as many as in the high season, which is why we have voluntarily waived snorkeling. Thanks for the super effort!

we had an unforgettable experience! we managed to spot more then 30 pilot whales and swam with them. the team were great and extremely accommodating to our needs. i would definitely recommend them !

Amazing once in a lifetime experience!!! The guides were knowledgeable about where to spot the whale and guided us through the experience. Highly recommend!

One of the best experiences of my life in Mirissa. I had been waiting years to come to Sri Lanka and snorkel with tin and blue whales. I got recommended Zri adventures as they are local, certified, respete of the maritime and wildlife laws. They really made an effort to search everywhere and I snorkel not only with dolphins and turtles but we saw a fin whale twice. The first one it was so close that majestic animal went down below my feet. The water was also crystal clear so I could see it so vivid in front of me. They also get in contact with the local fishermen so they know every morning the areas to explore. 10/10 experience

We got to see the whales we wanted, and the guys even stayed out with us an hour later, until we got the perfekt shot on camera. Thanks again for the amazing experience!

Very happy with their service. They were very professional and they delivered what they said. Their team was very helpful and willing to do everything to keep us happy. We have seen the whales 3 times during our trip.

I went snorkeling with these guys it was really awesome tour I saw bunch of dolphins and two huge Whales while swimming underwater. really wanna thanks the guide and the captain of the boat they were really nice and helpful. I highly recommend this place if you in mirissa and want to snorkeling go with these guys 🤿🐋

Booked a tour with ZRI Adventures to swim with the Whales in Mirissa and we did!! Transport was also arranged for, and they even provided snacks and water on board! Guide and boatman were very experienced hence we were very lucky to have come so close to the gentle giant of the ocean.

We really like it and we liked the crew! We saw a giant blue whale and jumped from from the boat to looks at him underwater!! Great experience!

Wow…what an experience!! We had the most amazing day with our tour guide! He went out of his way to get us the best views of the blue whales and multiple opportunities to snorkel alongside them - it was a truly unforgettable day!…once in a lifetime experience and really took our breath away. The guide gave us lots of interesting information about the whales. And there was the opportunity to snorkel with sea turtles after! Snacks and drinks also provided :) We were picked up from our nearby hotel and also dropped off again after…thank you so much for making it such an incredible experience!! Highly recommended! Zoe, Giles, Glenn and Maggie. Ps these photos don’t really do it justice…so much better in real life!

To start this review in a positive note, the crew did everything they could BUT This experience should NOT be suggested or sold to anyone! We were in the sea for almost 5 hours after paying 500 usd for 2 people. The way that this works is that the team sends a scouter from 6am to track the movement of whales, and then we get moving towards the scouter to see what’s the location of the whales. So for 5 hours we were trying to find them, rushing here and there towards an indicated location. Within these 5 hours I managed to see and swim with a whale for 1 second.. 1 SPLIT SECOND. The crew called me really lucky, so I can’t imagine what the rest had seen in the past. My partner wasn’t fast enough to jump from a moving boat in order to see them. So if you expect a concentrated volume of whales somewhere where you can snorkel with them, then this is not it. This is chasing for whales and you get a minor chance to see them underwater. When we complained, the company paid half the money to my partner, but not to me as 1 second of seeing a whale underwater is supposed to be something amazing. Most certainly not recommended and the team should not offer this activity to anyone. It’s a big money scam.

A fantastic experience. It was a once in a lifetime experience and we were amazed. The guides did their very best to make sure we had the best experience possible. Well worth the money as we were very lucky and saw two whales very clearly and got to swim a little With them to!

Amazing and super fun experience. Was amazing to see the whales so close in such a small group. The chase to find them was almost as much fun as leaping in the water to see them dive under. Our guide and driver were fantastic and worked over and above to find us the whales and give us an amazing experience. Well organised, great communication before and after the trip.

I went snorkelling with whales in Sri Lanka with ZRI adventures as a solo traveller! Zakib(from ZRI adventures) was in touch with me a few weeks before my trip sharing all the necessary information & patiently answering my queries. He also checked on the perfect sea & weather conditions for my trip which was pushed by a day due to rough seas. On the day of my snorkelling experience - the sea was calm & within a couple of hours we spotted a massive Blue Whale! Absolutely spectacular! Not only did we get to snorkel with 1 Blue whale as it came up & dived down multiples times! But we also saw up-close a big pod of dolphins swimming together and a turtle too! The team on the boat were respectful of the whales, not scaring them or getting too close. They also directed us on where to jump. I didn't have an underwater camera - so for an additional fee, they filmed me in the water with whales! I was petrified & awestruck at the same time to see these majestic and gentle giants in the water! Definitely a life changing experience. Will definitely recommend.

It was scary but exciting at the same time. This has been my dream for a long time and it finally came true.

Did this tour yesterday and it was awesome! I booked In advance for a time slot during my stay in South Sri Lanka, and thanks to Zakib I was able to pick the best day according to the daily sightings and sea conditions. I work on a similar business and I know how communication is key for a successful trip - and that was very good from the beginning. Zakib provided daily updates that led to yesterdays successful trip. For the first hours we only saw a whale once that disappeared so we couldn’t go in. However, after a bit more of searching we found 2 blue whales feeding very close to shore. It was absolutely incredible to be in the water with these animals. The team didn’t give up on the search and did everything possible to get us with the whales and it totally payed off! They provide water, snacks and fruit for the journey which is a nice addition. Once again thank you !

An overall incredible experience. We swim with the whales three times during the 4-5 hour tour. A truly beautiful sight and unforgettable experience

We went on a whale snorkelling tour with Mirissa diving center towards the end of January. It was absolutely incredible! We were lucky enough to see at least 4 blue whales and some smaller whales (I think fin whales?). The crew, Erranda and Lakamal were great in directing us when to jump in the water, had an obvious respect for the animals and clearly wanted us to have the best experience. I ended up choosing ZRI Adventures/Marissa Diving Center because it was properly licensed, organised our permits and Zakib from ZRI was a pleasure to deal with over whatsaap. He assured me that if we did not see whales the first day, we could come again the next. On that note, the crew would ask us how we were feeling and whether we want to keep going - definitely make sure you make clear if want to keep going if you do! All round would recommend this company and the experience itself!! Once in a lifetime!

My sister and I had been dreaming of what it would be like to swim with blue whales and this tour made that dream a reality! After some research and various conversations with people we decided to go with ZRI Adventures, (despite it being more expensive than other tours offered on the beach) to ensure it was an ethical and legal practice. We went out at around 10:30am (had planned to go earlier but windy conditions prevented us from doing so) with our two crewmen, Erranda and Lakmal, who shortly after going out to sea had spotted a whale. We were able to jump in the water five or six times at their instruction and get some great views of the whales. On our last jump we were able to swim alongside a massive blue whale for some time. We were only out at see for approximately 45minutes but that was all that we needed. This was a truly memorable experience. Both crewmen along with Zakib from ZRI Adventures were all very pleasant to deal with, so we would definitely recommend this tour.

The best captian And crewmen was very nice A lot of experience . Enjoying very much. The first time that you meet this beautiful animal you can’t wish anything else!!! Recommend!!!!!

Hello mates, I am ABDO from LIBYA, though many places I was interested to go and discover in Sri Lanka, but 5 amazing days were so short. I basically was going to visit some countries in Asia which were Malaysia, indonisia & Sri Lanka. I was initially so confused about the Visa arrangement, however ZRI Adventures helped me through the process, they had suggested me to a very amazing trip plan with a mix of various sight seeing tours and adventure across many beautiful cities in Sri Lanka. Snorkeling with Whales was an unforgettable experience. We were scared and excited at the same time. The instructors were so helpful and guided us with the safety precautions. I will never forget this day! ZRI Adventures made it easy for me to go and discover, they are so helpful, they have advised me with each and everything in my trip, starting with the money exchangers, transportation, and hotels, I was with my wife, sister & mom, they were so happy also, we stayed 3 days at Triple O Six Hotel, and we stayed the last night at Shangri-La Hotel, it was very nice and the best thing is despite the office we came through was very polite people, and also the hotel people are very helpful, they were advising us with the Halal food and everything. Honestly Sri Lanka is number 1 among the countries I have visited this year. Thank you ZRI Adventures for making this a memorable trip!

ZRI hands the tour over to the local provider. On site it costs 200€ instead of 300€ ! And then didn't even see a whale.

Super nice experience. Is really san to guess. Nice to be able to swim with whales. Nice people very helpful. Just do it.

We did a 6 hour whale watching tour. First we saw 3 sea turtles, then a flock of 100 dolphins and after a long search a large, supposedly rare fin whale. The tour was great and we liked it very much. There was water and snacks. Wonderful for us!

Due to the bad weather we didn't manage to swim with the whales. ZRI Adventures spent three days trying to schedule this and always kept us informed about the developments. Unfortunately, we had to move on. Nature remains nature. Nice again.

Wir können nur davon abraten! Der Ausflug, der meinen Traum, einen Wal unter Wasser zu sehen, erfüllen sollte, wurde zur allergrößten Enttäuschung. Man bekommt eingangs zugesichert, dass man zu „90 % bereits am ersten Tag einen Wal sieht“ - das ist nicht mehr als eine Lüge! Selbst die Einheimischen auf dem Boot meinten, dass es vor ca. 5 Jahren noch viele Wale bei Mirissa gab und seit einigen Jahren leider nicht mehr, dass man mittlerweile echt Glück braucht um mal einen Wal zu sehen (das wurde uns auch von weiteren Einheimischen berichtet) - was eventuell auch mit dem verunglückten Chemie-Frachter 2021 zusammenhängen könnte oder mit den Dutzenden Booten, die den Walen hinterher jagen. Für den Tag, an dem wir den Ausflug gebucht hatten, mussten wir mehrfach nachfragen wann wir denn abgeholt werden, bis wir gegen 13 Uhr erfahren haben, dass zwar ein einziger Wal gesichtet wurde aber das Meer zu unruhig zum Schnorcheln ist und uns angeboten wurde am nächsten Tag gleich in der Früh rauszufahren. Wir haben uns gefragt wieso der Ausflug nicht gleich in der Früh angeboten wird, so haben wir einen halben Urlaubstag mit Warten verloren. Beim Ausflug haben wir dann lediglich Delfine gesehen, denen wir hinterher gejagt haben und mitten in die Delfin-Schule hinein gesteuert sind, sodass ein Teil der Delfin-Gruppe links und der andere rechts vom Boot waren und wir Angst hatten, welche dazwischen zu verletzen. Kein Wunder also, dass die Delfine dann sofort abgetaucht sind, wenn das Boot näher kam. Nach der erfolglosen Fahrt hielten wir kurz an einem Strand bei Meeresschildkröten an (dort waren wir bereits am vorherigen Tag Schnorcheln - für einen deutlich geringeren Preis). Nachdem wir keine Wale gesehen haben wurde uns angeboten an einem anderen Tag nochmal rauszufahren, man würde uns über Wal-Aktivitäten auf dem Laufenden halten. Tatsächlich kam keine einzige proaktive Nachricht und wir haben erst auf Nachfrage erfahren, dass auch in den darauffolgenden Tagen keine Wale zu sehen waren. Unterm Strich wurden in 6 Tagen laut den Infos des Anbieters lediglich 2 Wale gesehen - einer wie geschrieben als das Meer so unruhig war und einer nur ganz kurz. Das entspricht wohl kaum einer „90 prozentigen Chance am ersten Tag“. Wir haben uns für die Erstattung der Hälfte des Preises entschieden (was immer noch deutlich zu teuer ist), statt für einen erneuten deprimierenden Ausflug, der zudem ein schlechtes Gefühl hinterlässt. Am Strand werden derartige Ausflüge von Tauchschulen übrigens für weniger als die Hälfte des Preises angeboten - der Anbieter behauptet, der Unterschied dabei wäre, dass sie die Sicherheit der Gäste an erste Stelle stellen würden… wir konnten im Austausch mit anderen Touristen und Einheimischen keinen Unterschied zu anderen Booten feststellen und fühlen uns absolut vera….t und über den Tisch gezogen. Zudem tun uns die Tiere leid und wir werden derartige Ausflüge künftig nicht mehr unterstützen.