Kalpitiya, a narrow peninsula in Sri Lanka’s North Western Province, is flanked by the open waters of the Gulf of Mannar to the west and the sheltered Puttalam Lagoon to the east. The waters north-west of the peninsula support what is considered the largest single aggregation of spinner dolphins in the Indian Ocean, with pods of several hundred to several thousand individuals travelling through the area between October and April. Sightings from boats are common, with large groups frequently visible from the surface.
Dolphin-watching tours depart in the morning from Kalpitiya landing sites, reaching dolphin grounds typically within 30 to 45 minutes. On calm days it is not uncommon for boats to find themselves surrounded by hundreds of dolphins simultaneously. Whale sightings â particularly blue whales and sperm whales â are also reported in these waters during season. The Bar Reef Marine Sanctuary, one of the largest coral reef systems in Sri Lanka at approximately 307 square kilometres, lies offshore from Kalpitiya and supports snorkelling and diving excursions in relatively intact reef habitat.
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