Whale-watching off Lanka coast

Tourist boats, carrying whale watchers, surround a pod of resting sperm whales while a container ship sails in the background in the Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Sri Lanka, near the town of Mirissa, yesterday. The southern tip of Sri Lanka, where the deep waters of the continental shelf is close to the shore, is one of the few locations in the world to see dolphins, whales and other creatures of the deep. Since the end of the 25 years civil war in 2009, tourists are returning to the island to enjoy its natural beauty and catch a rare glimpse of the elusive whales.