Recent sightings

Over the last couple of weeks we have had a wonderful array of wildlife sightings! Last week we were accompanied on many of our trips by a pod of common dolphins. These dolphins love to approach the boat and show off with lots of jumping, splashing and swimming under and around the boat. The sunshine and clear water meant everyone got great photos even of the dolphins under the water. They usually stay with boat for a while so it's always such a wonderful experience when we find them. On Tuesday we came across a pair of harbour porpoises which are a much less common sighting than their cousins the dolphins. Harbour porpoises can be difficult to spot because only a small part of their back and their small triangular dorsal fin appear when they surface, barely making a ripple in the water. Although they are much more timid than the common dolphins the pair stayed near the boat for around 10 minutes, swimming around us and surfacing regularly so we got some lovely quality time with them. As usual we have had many seal sightings both in the water and hauled out on the islands. A nice mix of males and females with a particularly large and curious male coming up quite close to the boat this week. Amazing to see the great size they can grow to when they are up close. Puffin season is nearing an end as they usually leave their nesting site on Moles (or 'Puffin') Island around mid-July. Although it seems as though many of the chicks have fledged and their parents returned out to sea, there are still a few puffins around, with some wonderful sightings yesterday. Some were spotted in the water as well as some in-flight action, seeing them franticly beating their little wings and whizzing over our heads. So if puffins are a must-see for you, get your trip booked in quick before they go!