Online edition of Sunday Observer

"Sri Lanka, could be one of the top ten places in the world to watch whales and dolphins," says Duncan Murrel, a professional wildlife photographer turned educator, who has been studying and photographing humpback whales in South East Alaska for nearly two decades. The Sunday Observer team joined him on a passage to the deep sea off Negombo coast, in a quest to watch dolphins and whales.

The waves are high. And the sky, gloomy, with different hues of grey. The boat is tossed over to the right and the left. A wave swells under the boat and for a few seconds it is impending in the air, only to be taken up to a higher plane by the next wave that follows immediately. We are heading to the deep sea, trailing the fishing boats, towards the whale and dolphin path. "Pretty calm for a stormy day" says Duncan Murrel.

His keen eyes, surveying the vast amount of water, "not likely to sight dolphins" he explains. "No flickers". Flickers are silver lines appearing on the sea surface, made by movements. A sign of the presence of dolphins he explains. For someone who had spent nearly two decades, in the most 'environmental friendly' fashion - in a kayak - surveying the seas for dolphins and whales it is easy to sense their presence.

Duncan Murrel, is a sea mammal enthusiast and a wildlife photographer from UK. "Sri Lanka could be one of the top ten places in the world, for whale and dolphin watching" says Duncan "they could be seen all around the country". He is fascinated by the spectacle of blue and sperm whales, spinner, rhissos and common dolphins seen off Mannar, Great Basses and Little Basses in his two week voyage on research ship Odyssey. "There can't be many places on earth where you can expect to see an elephant walking along a beach with plumes of whale breath sprouting in the horizon," he says about his experience at Little Basses and the Bundala National Park.

However, he is worried about the pollution of waters, seen around the country. It is "very sad," says Duncan, "Sri Lanka is a beautiful country enriched in natural resources, which should be protected for posterity".Sri Lanka could only remain as a biodiversity hot-spot or retain its position as one of the top ten places in whale and dolphin watching "only if they are conserved", he emphasises. Pollution of the waters should be minimised, "especially if Sri Lanka plans to attract tourists for whale and dolphin watching, for these are dynamic mammals. If they find conditions in one place not agreeable, it is possible that they would detour to other areas with congenial environments. Therefore, conservation is essential".

"I visit Sri Lanka, once in every 10 years", he smiles. The first time he visited Sri Lanka was in 1983. "As a tourist I fell in love with the country and its wildlife", he reminiscences. His second visit in 1993, coincided with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society's (WDCS) study on harpooning of dolphins in Sri Lanka.

Duncan's recent visit included a two week voyage on the research ship Odyssey, in Mannar photographing and collecting information on whales.

Calling himself "the gypsy of the family" Duncan says that interest in wildlife, nature, conservation and travelling had always been there. The stories about rainforests, especially the Amazon fascinated him in school. Sea mammals were household words in his youth, whales being the flagship species in the conservation movement of UK in the 1960s and 70s. Duncan was an enthusiastic participant in 'Save the Whales' rallies.

However, Duncan's interest in sea mammals grew "after my stay in Alaska" he says. A professional wildlife photographer, his need to be one with nature had been fulfilled in Southeast Alaska, living in a small tent and travelling in his kayak. "Alaska draws me there at every opportunity" he says. His adventures in Alaska includes swimming and paddling his kayak with a pod of giant humpback whales.

"It is dangerous of course" says Duncan relating his experience with a young and inquisitive humpback, who wanted to find out more about the strange species on a kayak, in his territory. "However, if you had studied their behaviour they become quite predictable. Furthermore, they do not harm you when they know you are harmless."

There had been "much opposition on my adventures on a kayak" he explains. However, his photographs of sperm whales had brought him fame, winning the Endangered Species category in the BBC wildlife photographer competition in 1991.

And now, Duncan had volunteered his services to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, UK as an Education Officer. Children, are only second to his first love - sea mammals, says Duncan. If he is not "enjoying life in Alaska" his time in his home town Paignton, Devon is spent taking the message of conservation to the future generations.

Duncan's mission after Sri Lanka, would be in Madagascar, assisting the authorities of the Toluar Marine Institute, document and study marine mammals. Lectures at the institution and exploring and photographing a little known island in Madagascar is also included in the schedule.

This mission came a reality because he had won the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship, says Duncan. He was selected one of the hundred award winners, out of about 250,000 applicants over the world for the fellowship.

His plans about conservation of Whales and Dolphins in Sri Lanka involves another visit "probably in March 2004 where I plan to focus on awareness programmes in schools, photographing and perhaps a book project".

Fact File

Did you know?

* The blue whale is the largest mammal on earth.

* An average adult blue whale is about 24m to 27m in length and weighs about 90 to 120 tonnes - . The largest ever caught was a cow measuring 33.27 m (108 ft) . The heaviest recorded was 190 tonnes.

* A newborn blue whale calf weighs about 2.5 tonnes and is 6-7m in length. It drinks 230 litres of milk and gains four kg per hour!

* The sperm whales are master divers. They dive beyond 2000m (over 6000 ft) depth to find giant squid, their choice food. They can stay underwater for over 2 hours.

* The largest brain on earth also belongs to the sperm whale and weighs 9.2 kg. However, this accounts only for 0.02 per cent of his body mass.

* The male humpback whale's song is the longest and the most complex, which could go on for over half an hour at a time. Believed to be sung to attract females and to keep off rival males, this could be detected underwater nearly a 1000 miles off.

* The first whale species to be hunted commercially is the North Atlantic Right whale, between the 11 and 16 centuries at the Bay of Biscay.

* The blue whale has the largest appetite on earth. It takes in four tonnes of krill every day.

* The Indian Ocean was declared a sanctuary for large whales by the International Whaling Commission in 1979.

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Guineapigs?

An opportunity to watch dolphins and perhaps whales! I jump at the chance. "Not a good day for dolphins" says our host, as the Features Editor and I step into the small trawler. It had been raining the whole day... and the sky looks gloomy. The boat races forward through brownish green and emerald seas, against the raging waves, we are airborne. I like the feeling of being airborne. Falling down, with a thud, only to be lifted up by an even larger wave, is what I don't like!

It is the first time that our host is making the trip as well, we learn. "Do you have any life vests in the boat?" he asks a colleague who replies in the negative. Hey, I can't swim. "Radio, does this boat have radio equipment?" Ooops, he is serious!

We look at each other. Guineapigs? What if....?? The appropriate headline? "Two journalists drown ...." Or turntable? "The day newsmongers became newsmakers ...." Well, we didn't make headlines.

Disappointed? Not at all. But, you are NOT going to get the name of our host.... For obvious reasons.