porpoises

Today wasn’t very successful. Murk and low cloud gave way to rain and much thicker fog than was forecast, which was a pity because for the first time in ages the sea was calm. Before we aborted our four hour trip was were visited by a couple of common dolphins who swam past us repeatedly…

After some very strong wind this week we were back out with two Ocean Discovery trips today. There was still a hefty swell running which looked spectacular against the coast. This morning we found small pods of common dolphins in several places as well as harbour porpoises and lots of seals. There were lots of…

We had a four hour trip followed by a two hour trip today is steadily worsening weather conditions! It started off bright and sunny though, and we had some lovely encounters with grey seals, common dolphins, harbour porpoises and bluefin tuna. One of the passengers described the dolphins as “millions” – there weren’t quite that…

We had a couple of extraordinary Ocean Discovery trips today in warm, sunny conditions. This morning we found so many common dolphins which were feeding, socialising and bowriding. They were even catching fish as they swam alongside the boat. In amongst them were some very large bluefin tuna, who were sending the gulls into a…

It definitely feels autumnal out there now despite the still-balmy temperatures. We had a four hour followed by a two hour trip today in breezy grey conditions. This morning we found a large group of common dolphins not too far away, which were swimming and socialising amongst themselves. A few of them did come over…

The wind built very quickly over lunch today so we did one trip then stopped. There were plenty of dolphins out there, though surfacing very unpredictably, as well as lots of porpoises and grey seals. One of the seals on the island was a female we first noticed in May with a nasty looking fungal…

We had two Ocean Discovery trips today on a quiet, grey day. On the morning trip we found common dolphins, had great views of harbour porpoises and saw some hunting bluefin tuna. There were also lots of grey seals hauled out on the island. This afternoon everything was rather sleepy – we saw a couple…

There was a really thick mist first thing morning which thankfully lifted enough for us to start trips at 9am as planned. There was no wind but a long rolling swell which, with the lingering mist, made things feel like Monterey Bay! This impression was made even stronger by the large pod of common dolphins…

Two busy trips today on another warm September day, though it got a little hazy this afternoon. On the morning Discovery Voyage we had great sightings of large pods of harbour porpoises and several groups of common dolphins. We also had lovely views of seals, diving gannets, some bluefin tuna and an ocean sunfish! It…

The water is full of crystal jellyfish suddenly, as well other species of jellyfish like compass. Until a few years ago these were rarely seen in our waters – another sign of warming seas. We had a four hour followed by a three hour trip and sightings were similar on both, though it was much…