Si didn’t know much about whales. I told him that they are mammals, not fish. “The blue whales off Trincomalee are among the largest animals that ever lived. They can grow to the size of a Boeing. And they feed on some of the smallest: krill, a planktonic shrimp.”

I explained further. Small countries are often compared to the size of Wales. Whales are compared to the size of elephants.

“They expel water through fringes in their mouth, keeping back the krill. They do this by pressing up their tongue which is about the size of an elephant. With each gulp, an adult blue can take in 50 tons of water. A fully grown Asian elephant weighs 5 tons.”

“That’s not all. They can reach speeds of 15 knots and communicate by infrasound carried by deep sea currents across thousands of miles!”

Si shook his head “No wonder you seduced the captain to take you.”

“What?!”

He grinned: “Just lie back and think of the whales!”

I shot him a withering look. I hadn’t even started on the sperm whales yet.