Jenny is now a marine mammal medic

This past weekend our wildlife guide Jenny has taken part in a course to qualify as a marine mammal medic with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue. This means that if any seals, dolphins or whales are stranded in the area, she can be called upon to assist. We are now approaching a busy time of year for the BDMLR as the grey seal pupping season is beginning. Grey seal pups are dependent on their mothers for their first 3 weeks of life while they suckle their mother's milk, fattening up until their adult waterproof fur develops and they head out to sea to fend for themselves. It's a delicate time for the pups and if they are separated from their mothers before they are weaned, the pups may require help so Jenny is expecting to have a busy winter attending to seal pups in need. If you see a seal pup with white fur on its own, do not worry, chances are mum will be feeding in the water nearby so give it plenty of space as mothers may not return to pups that have human or dog scent on them. Only call for help if the pup looks injured or very skinny but still keep a good distance as they have very sharp teeth!

Great start to the summer so far!

So summer is in full swing now here in Padstow, getting busier by the day. The weather might be a bit hit and miss but the wildlife has certainly been a hit. Within the last month we have had sightings of not one, not two, but THREE different species of dolphin! The common dolphins are our most regular visitors, and when we find them, they are usually very playful, coming nice and close to the boat, even bow riding. The bottlenose dolphins can often be seen quite close inshore during the summer months when the water warms up and we even had them come all the way up the estuary recently. A couple of weeks ago we also had the pleasure of encountering some Risso's dolphins close to Polzeath beach. This species of dolphin can often be seen off the South Cornish coast, but is quite a rarity around North Cornwall so we felt truly privileged to have had such a great encounter with these wonderful creatures. With the warming waters we are starting to see lots of sunfish around - the largest growing bony fish in the ocean and a truly bizarre animal. Although we are coming to the end of the puffins' nesting season, we have seen loads of them around this season and have still been spotting a few of the delightful birds around, so get in quick if you would like to be in with a chance of spotting one of the clowns of the sea!

Busy, busy, busy!

Finally the weather has taken a turn for the better with some lovely warm, flat calm days making for ideal sealife spotting conditions. We've had multiple visits from the common dolphins and as it warms up, no doubt we will have some sightings of bottlenose dolphins as they move inshore to enjoy the warmer waters. Basking sharks have been spotted all over the Cornish coast recently so it seems as though there are many more around this year than last year which is great news for us! With the summer holidays right around the corner, we are getting ever busier with many of our trips filling up days in advance. Don't miss out, get your trip booked now for a wonderful wildlife adventure around our stunning Cornish coastline!

Summer is coming!

So after quietening down over the colder months, Padstow Sealife Safaris have been getting busier since Easter, a sure sign that summer is on its way! Although the weather is still a bit unpredictable at the moment, it has certainly not been putting off the dolphins, with lots of dolphin watching opportunities over the last few weeks, much to the delight of our passengers. Porpoises have also been spotted recently and even a surprise sighting of a minke whale off Trevose Head! As we are getting busier, our wonderful wildlife guide Jenny from last season has made a return after spending the winter months in Kaikoura, New Zealand. She had a great opportunity to work with Dolphin Encounter, a company who take people out on boat trips to view and swim with the charismatic Dusky dolphins. As well as the Dusky dolphins, she also had the opportunity to spot other spectacular marine life including Hector's dolphins (the ocean's smallest and rarest dolphin), New Zealand fur seals, Orca (killer whales), humpback whales, sperm whales, and rare beaked whales. Despite all this excited on the other side of the world, Jenny has been very excited to get back to Cornwall and see her favourites; the grey seals and common dolphins. If you are too, get yourself booked onto a Padstow Sealife Safari and hopefully the wildlife will be just as pleased to see you! Book online at padstowsealifesafaris.co.uk

Research on our local sealife

Our wildlife guide Jenny has been making the most of her trips out on the boats this summer by not only informing and educating our passengers about the local marine life we have here in Cornwall; but she has also been photographing and recording data on the seals and dolphins that she sees on our trips. Passing this information on to organisations such as the Cornwall Seal Group and the Cornwall Wildlife Trust who put these photos into recognition software that can determine if we are seeing the same animals repeatedly. This can determine the movements of these species and help us learn more about the behaviours and migration patterns of our resident marine mammals.