2010 Sightings Update

I've just read back through the last blog I wrote at the end of the 2009 season and I kept my promise... never did see those elusive orca or risso's so I had to come back! Two months in to my second season and it just keeps getting better and better...

Our Whale Watch Explorers are now 7 hours long and are really living up to their name… we've had some brilliant sightings and where ever possible have been doing island landings which have proved to be great fun. Mostly we’ve been visiting the Cairns of Coll for the turquoise water, white beaches and great abundance of wildlife and the Isle of Muck for the tearooms and their delicious carrot cake! We’ve seen minke whales on most trips over the last few weeks and have had several fantastic associations when the sneaky whales have surprised everybody onboard by surfacing right next to Sula Beag. Last week was particularly special when we had a mother and calf minke circle us for about an hour letting everyone get full views of them under the water (and smell their stinky breath!) again and again... amazing!! We’ve also had a group of bow riding common dolphins and have been seeing the huge basking sharks in good numbers since the beginning of June.

But it hasn't just been the Whalewatch Explorer trips getting all the good stuff... our shorter trips have also been providing us with some excellent sightings too. It was a new first for me last week when we saw a basking shark on a half hour Seal Cruise! We've also seen minkes and basking sharks on our 4 hour F­­­amily Whale Watches and had a breaching shark on a 2 hour Ecocruz last week which is always an amazing sight! Interestingly we’ve seen a lot more breaching sharks this year; just yesterday we saw three different sharks launch themselves clean out of the water. Often they breach several times in a row which gives everyone onboard a good chance to see them.

I can’t miss out our ever friendly porpoise; they’ve been showing off this season and have stolen the lime light on many trips. We’ve had them swimming right around us letting everyone onboard get a good view of them swim past and have even seen them bow riding a small sailing boat, another first for me! The white tailed eagle pair we sail past daily have also been putting on great spectacles for us on all our trips and twice recently we have seen them attacking a gannet which only very narrowly got away!

Our trips are getting busier and I’m very much looking forward to the next few weeks ahead... and to seeing these elusive large dolphins ;-)

Ruth

Guide

Sharks & whales

Loads of basking sharks but two in particular. Abnormally large for our inshore waters, came to us as we drifted not far off. Huge gaping mouths as they swam languidly beside is. This really astounded our passengers – the sheer size of these magnificent fish.

Later we met an adult minke and a juvenile that came and said hello to us.

Another great day!

Popz
Skipper

GOLD Green Tourism Award

We are very proud to annouce the award of GOLD by the Green Tourism business scheme.

The scheme is ran by Visit Scotland and awards businesses that are seen to be actively trying to reduce their impact on the environment, whilst teaching the public how they can also help. There are three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold.

"The Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) accredits a variety of tourism related businesses, beyond places to stay and visit. All these businesses are making an effort to reduce their environmental impact and are assessed every two years against rigorous criteria, covering areas like energy efficiency, waste minimisation and recycling, use of local produce, and support of public transport."

James
Skipper

Breaching Beast

Can anyone identify this massive beast capured in mid flight on our Whalewatch yesterday?....





Cetorhinus Maximus - Basking Shark, the second largest fish in the world breaches, what an incredible sight!

There where so many sharks yesterday that Ruth put it as shark soup out there!

We also had a minke whale, what an awesome day!