Filming on board Sula Beag

June 20th

Do you remember Terry Nutkin, the really great presenter for the TV show Animal magic and then more recently the Really Wild Show? Well we had the good fortune of having Terry on board last Thursday plus 2 camera folk and a producer. This was a filming event sponsored by the WSPA World Society for the Protection of Animals. http://www.wspa.org.uk/

To recap a bit and explain, June 22nd sees the start of the IWC’s (International Whaling Commission) annual meeting to agree on killing quotas for the forthcoming year. The whaling nations are looking to increase their quotas this year. The WSPA wish to take a more positive, and proactive approach. They will do this by celebrating the whale watching industry, as an economic alternative to actually whaling.

Although a global operation, WSPA wished to focus on Scotland because Norway and maybe Iceland, hunt the minke whale that may well live and breed in Scottish waters. WSPA contacted Wild Scotland (Association of Scottish Wildlife Operators http://www.wildscotland.co.uk/ ) in order to find, and I quote, ‘a whale watching operation that operate to the highest standards as promoted by WSPA’s ethical tourism guidelines’.

So they chose Sea Life Surveys – good choice I think! There was much interviewing, filming, and very interesting chat with Terry. What an amazing guy. Such a profound knowledge on marine wildlife matters. Both James and Danny (Waggy) also expounded on many matters. The public on board also contributed and the whole day was a resounding success. We did not find a whale!! But I hope our various chats, and the global publicity, will help in promoting the benefits of whale watching as to the totally unnecessary slaughter of our magnificent and friendly ‘stinkies’.
POPZ

PS we will update you when the footage taken goes online.

Whales, Dolphins & Mars Bars...

Yesterday saw us spending a beautifully sunny morning hunting hard for some large cetaceans.  After a well earned break in our favourite isolated spot we where running out of time when the shout of whale came from a passenger!  We tried hard to find this elusive whale and had almost packed up and headed for home when a shout from our great friend who is now helping aboard the research vessel Silurian from the HWDT of whale and we had two whales come right under the boat, we didn't know which one to look at!  They circled us a few times before moving off, what an incredible sight!    The important thank you to all the crew of the Silurian came with two mars bars passed over to keep them all going, thanks guys.

The second trip of the day the sea had picked up, but shouts from the mast of huge splashes in the distance did not disappoint!  After working our way gently towards a large number of diving gannets amongst a plume of spray we had literally a few hundred common dolphins screaming towards us!  Bow-riding and breaching around the boat for nearly 30 minutes we had a spectacular show from some very playful dolphins!   Once they had moved off we then realised on the horizon there must have been many hundred more, with perhaps 100 gannets diving over a mile away into massive breaching eruptions, just how large was this group of dolphins?  They had decided to head north at speed now and we could not begin to keep up with them, when they decide to leave they are on the horizon very quickly!  

Time for home, but what an awesome end to a long day.  We did spot one dolphin with a damaged dorsal, but unfortunately i need to keep honing my camera skills, didn't manage to get this animal in any shots!

James

Skipper

Dolphins Again!

We had a huge number of Common Dolphins join us today.  It was hard to count the numbers, with many small groups of 5-10 animals around the boat, as far as the eye could see!

We also saw a large number of seals and had a brief view of a Sea Eagle.

Its also been confirmed that the basking shark we have seen three times over the last week is infact the same animal, that has covered many miles, some interesting data there!

Seems the sunshine has also brought the seas alive with massive swarms of jellyfish, lions mane's and moon jellyfish taking the limelight, but we have seen some other rarer species, such as compass jellyfish.

SLS Team

A week for firsts

Just a few days after our first Dolphin sighting of the year, the passengers on todays Whale Watch Explorer were treated to our first views of a Basking shark. 

Despite it being quite wet and particularly foggy they have also had a Minke Whale sighting!

We hope this is now the start of regular sightings of sharks, enabling us to take photographs to help with vital photo identification that is being carried out.

Dolphins return

Today, May 25th, we set out with 3 guides and a good number of passengers. Our guides for the day were head guide – Ruth, Duncan who has returned for his 3rd season and Andy. I usually poke fun at Andy about his amazing long range vision in seeing things that we never see – I was to eat my words later!

We steamed past Sea Eagle point where they were unusually absent today probably due to the weather conditions -a heavy drizzle with visibility down to about 1.5 miles – lovely! Yet again a day of radar, plotter and compass work in my wheelhouse.

Soon a feeding group of porpoise were sighted so engines were cut and we drifted amongst them. We could see them swimming around and under us with grace and ease, making their ‘puffing pig’ noises as they blow (breathe).

A couple of hours later, steaming through this grey wall of nothingness but wetness and long rolling swells, a shout of ‘Dolphin!’ came from the whale deck. There was an air of excitement as we could see what looked like a series of torpedoes gunning straight for us. As we kept our speed they hurtled into our bow wave and proceeded to surf it, streak under the boat and generally cavort around us. They leaped and played with beauty and agility. There were about 40 of them in all, including 2 juveniles. There were woops of joy and many a tear-filled eye as our passengers tried to come to terms with this extraordinary spectacle. See footage filmed on board by andy by following the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXv8zUExpbQ

We left the dolphins and steamed further afield to other whale grounds – still wet, grey and cold. After concentrated searches across an area that was full of promise with right conditions, plenty of food, birds feeding and the inevitable bonxie harassing all, it was time to return home. Then a trumpet like shout from Andy –‘ Whale!’ He gave me a direction and distance off that seemed impossible. We slowly steamed to that spot seemingly so far away, cut engines, drifted and then a whole chorus from passengers of – ‘Whale!’
He was right yet again; there she was an adult Minke (stinkie as we now call them!).

Suddenly, as if to smile upon us, the sun came out and we returned home – with laughter and lifted hearts.