Wednesday 22nd October

We had a Discovery Voyage trip this morning which is quite late in the year for us to be running this four hour trip. It was a cracker of a morning, starting clear and calm with a hint of low sunshine. Quite soon after leaving the harbour we started picking up fins in the distance, which turned out to be  large number of common dolphins. It was a mix of ages, with a core nursery pod of mothers and very young calves, then later on, groups of what looked like larger males. They stayed with us for ages, with the calves being particularly playful and interactive. We then headed south west into the gathering gloom, with a mackerel sky that quickly became a very chilly cold front. It was worth it though, because further out we then found a large group of harbour porpoises, numbering some thirty individuals. Always less overtly playful than the dolphins, they exhibited their own special charm as they repeatedly surfaced near the boat, making their tell tale “Pffffff” sound. The wind started building then and gradually brought what became persistent rain so it was time to head in. Back in the bay we found a veritable heap of seals on the island, all sheltering in one small gully, and then a couple of big tuna leaps ended the trip. Despite often gloomy conditions, the end of October almost never fails to deliver.