Captain's Log

Frosty Beginnings...

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:39:00 +0000

This week snowdrops and crocuses are yelling out loudly, that spring is arriving. Not only that, but seeing Natalie’s smiling face behind the counter in the Centre - yes she has just returned for another season as our No.1 customer care lady.

Furthermore, we had our first trip of the season yesterday. A flat calm and frosty day with brilliant sunshine lighting up the snow covered hills. Down to Ardmore point where we lingered awhile wondering at the lovely sight of Coll and Tiree in the distance. Whilst enjoying a coffee and chat, a group of porpoise arrived and starting feeding not far off. Four adults, and a juvenile, obviously very intent on hunting some prey. Maybe giving the juvenile some hunting lessons?

Most remarkably though, was a moon jellyfish gently floating past us. Surely this is far too early for jelly fish in this area? And furthermore, on doing the plankton trawl, there were two very tiny baby jellyfish in the catch.

Heading home we were visited by a golden eagle, majestically floating overhead as though suspended by some invisible thread. On arriving at the fish farm to see what was going on, an otter appeared nonchantly cruising round the nets wondering why he/she could not get at the fish!

Finally, a great crowd of harbour seals were sunning themselves at the haulout site. A lovely day, with lovely people and great wildlife, amongst stunning wintery scenery – magic.

Oh, yes. We have managed to get Logger updated as it has now been collecting data for over twenty years and was due for a refit. Logger is our onboard livetime database that records our track, sightings, environmental data and lots more. So this was our first test of the new program and it passed with flying colours.

A great start to what will surely be an exciting new season – come and join us.

POPZ

Festive Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:06:00 +0000

Well here we are approaching Christmas and still enjoying cruises for small numbers. We will continue them over the winter period. Yes it is cold, but once climbed into one of the onboard thermal suits, had a coffee (I think it by far the best coffee on Mull) had a wee dram and some shortbread then – ‘bring it on!’

We are blessed by being able to operate in sheltered waters whatever the wind is throwing at us. The whole environment out there is just so magical, even at this time of year.

Last cruise we saw two family groups of porpoise with their very young calves. We drifted by them and they actually came so close to the boat we could actually see them underwater scooting around like demented beings – teaching their calves to hunt?

Time to take in the magnificent scenery. Whether it be the Ardnamurchan peninsula with the series of volcanoes that blew up into one huge super volcano or Ardmore point with it’s lighthouse and swooping above can be seen the sea and golden eagles. Glengorm castle standing proudly on the skyline. There is still the odd guillemot and razorbill fishing away. Then of course all the usual gulls, including the lovely kittiwakes. Bloody bay yields the interesting fish farm and this is the area where the bottlenose dolphins sometimes appear. Finally, the seals sunbathing/rainbathing! on Calve island.

It is magic out there, and there is always the unexpected as well as the good company just relaxing and enjoying.

Look forward to seeing you and showing you...

Popz

Skipper & Dad :-)

Wildlife watching in October

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:41:00 +0000

It has been said by many that, whale dolphin and marine wildlife watching, is a waste of time in October.

HUH - nonsense. Sure enough, the basking sharks have gone and there is not the quantity of wildlife about, but the quality can be superb. For instance, the last two trips this week:-

DAY 1 - Lovely calm day with the sun, now lower in the sky, highlighting the magnificent colours of the islands and heather clad hills with a brittle clarity. We steamed for the Cairns and on the way spent time with family groups of porpoise and their calves. Groups seem to be larger at this time of year. At the Cairns the usual diving gannets, a few feeding auks in their winter plumage then a pomerine and a great skua. A little later, an enormous skein of geese heading south high overhead. No sign of whale or dolphin, so headed into the Cairns to look at the seal colonies including a grey with pup. Also a very large swarm of jelly fish Pelagica noctiluca. A pretty little thing with red dots on it's head but invades fish farms and kills off the salmon..

Landed Waggy/Danny on the largest island in order to go to summit with telescope and portable VHF to scan for anything in the distance. He has wicked eyesight/gise and ability, so, he with telescope is quite lethal!! In the meantime we, on Sula Beag, drifted in shallow water for a quiet lunch.

Radioed Waggy expecting to hear he had spotted loads of stuff, only to be told there was nothing anywhere. At that very moment a minke surfaced not 20 metres away right in front of the boat. That whale had most certainly come to see us in very shallow water - as they do. Having collected Waggy, we gently followed that whale until interrupted by the sight of 2 red phalaropes feeding on surface plankton. A very rare sighting and quite unafraid of us as we drifted beside them - magic. Returning home we watched at close quarters, 2 golden eagles harassing a sea eagle.

DAY 2 - A calm grey day today but storm force winds forecast for later in the afternoon. We made it out to the Cairns in calm conditions. But as we were lunching, watching the seals and otters, or were the seals swimming to us to observe us? The wind suddenly started to gust with strength - oops!

Time to get home. Half way across, running with the rising seas, the coastguards issued a pan pan call for Ardnamurchan point not so far from where we were. So answered it. Changed course as directed and headed to the scene. Half way across there was a screaming shout from the top deck and Waggy hurtled into the wheelhouse shouting 'Orca'. And there, right enough, not 200 metres away was a very large male orca sail heading across our bow.
Oh why now? A life in danger and we have orca, a bull and cow. One quick pass to enable an ID shot between waves then off to join lifeboat and helicopter searching for a missing diver. Such torn emotions for all.

No, nothing much happens on our wildlife trips in October. POPZ

End of season round up

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:26:00 +0000

I now have just a couple of days left of the 2009 season. Where the last 5 months have gone I don’t know but one thing is for sure, I have had the best summer and seen some amazing things.
Watching the minke whales has been incredible. The excitement onboard when a whale is spotted for the first time cannot be beaten. Whether it has been a distant glimpse of these stinky whales or an hour-long association with the boat it has always been special. On a still day listening to these animals surface has to be one of the best sounds! I was also lucky enough to be onboard to see a minke whale breach 300m from the boat, awesome! And the end of the season looks set to be full of surprises and treats too... on our 4 hour Wildlife Adventure on Friday morning we spotted a minke within 25 minutes of leaving Tobermory. We spent about 2 hours watching the whale; it was clearly foraging hard, circling around us in the tide lines in-between small groups of porpoise. There was lots of food in the area as the whales stuck around for several days in the same area. Just on Sunday I had one of my best sightings of the season, we sat watching a small hurry of seabirds forming when right between them 2 lunge-feeding whales - wow!!

Another highlight of the season for me has to include the basking sharks. Every time I see these enormous fish I am in awe, seeing their wide-open mouths coming towards the boat underwater is such a privilege. This season the sharks have been very good to us; we’ve seen them along the North West coast of Mull almost daily in August leaving everyone onboard extremely happy even when the weather has prevented us leaving the shelter of Mull. We’ve managed to do a lot of photo-id work on the sharks which is exciting. Some have had very distinctive marks and nicks on their fins so hopefully we’ll be able to get a better understanding of these mysterious fish if they are seen again, either in our waters or maybe even on the other side of the Atlantic!

Unfortunately the Orca and Risso’s dolphins have proved elusive to us (so far) this season (I’ll just have to come back again for another season!) but the common dolphins and bottlenose dolphins have certainly not disappointed. Nobody can fail to leave the boat without a huge smile on their face after spending time in the presence of playful dolphins. This was especially true when 4 adult bottlenose dolphins came right into Tobermory bay one morning last month!

Our resident harbour porpoise should also definitely not be overlooked. Watching the tiny calves over the summer nearly everyday and even once hearing them on the hydrophone has been brilliant. Other things to mention quickly which cannot be forgotten are the bizarre looking sunfish which returned in August, the Bloody Bay eagles, otters, seals with their pups, huge rafts of shearwaters, fulmars in flight, diving gannets... and of course... the plankton!!

Ruth

Guide

August Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:27:00 +0000

This month has been very unpredictable with quite unsettled weather.

We have had a few days it has been so bad we have had to cancel, thankfully this is quite rare! But amongst the wind and rain that has battered our shores for a few weeks now we have had some excellent sightings.

With basking sharks being almost a daily sight, we have been able to get some great photo id shots of both juveniles and also a few larger 8-metre fish. Just on our trip on Sunday we had a shark breach close to the boat, we had been watching a number of them feeding in a tideline, but the breach took us completely by surprise!

Another visitor that we have now seen a number of times this month has been the sub-tropical sunfish. Usually rare, and hard to spot unless the conditions are quite calm, this obscure looking fish has been seen a number of times, there have been a few yachtsmen also reported sightings of a 'circular creature with a small fin on the surface', again in quite random locations.

Whale sightings have been less than July, but we have been seeing a younger animal that is very social with the boat! It seems to have taken up residence for a few weeks having found a good food source, and between meals has circled and swam under the boat a few times.

The weather although changeable has its usual way of throwing us plenty of surprises if we are willing to head out, always a sea loch, or headland to hide behind for us to hunt for beasties! A sooty shearwater was spotted last week, tiny harbour porpoise calves seem to be learning how to come to the surface to breath (more practice required for a few!) resident Tobermory otter has delighted many of us feeding on its breakfast as we prepare to head out of the bay, and in large numbers we have been seeing seals & their pups, come rain or shine they always put a smile on our face!

James

Skipper

Breaching Shark Photo

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:07:00 +0000

On our ecocruz today we had a basking shark breaching off the north of Mull, 3-times!

The shark first of all breached in front of the boat, Sula Beag, and on the following two times beside us, in full view of all the passengers!

This is a very rare sight and actually one that we have never been able to successfully photograph, plenty of splashes before, but we have never caught the shark in mid flight!

There is very little know as to why sharks breach, one theory is that is it part of sexual behaviour. What is usually seen is the splash from where a shark was, but to have all the passengers onboard looking where the shark first breached, to then watch it less than 100 yards away launch itself out of the water was incredible!!

Thankfully Stu (brother, guide & cameraman) was on board for his first trip for a few years and after help from Duncan grabbing the film camera managed to get this shot, well done Stu! Unfortunatly we didnt get any footage of this encounter, but are all very pleased with the photo!

Another great day, despite their being a bit of wind and rain....doesnt seem to bother the big beasties! We also had a golden eagle, seals and some very full creels.

James

Skipper

The 4hr Wildlife Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:44:00 +0000

Although quite rare we had a WHALE and a few massive fish on our Wildlife Adventure on Tuesday!!

Usually the whales are a bit further out, but today we had a juvenile Minke whale that actually came to us and swam round the boat before heading north. We are almost certain this is a whale we have seen before, watch this space as the team analyse the photos and confirm...

Shortly after we spotted a shark and after spending some time watching it feed amongst the plankton rich tideline a further 3 sharks where seen. We managed to get some great identification shots of two of them, and after a sample was taken from the sea it was obvious why these guys where here in good numbers, plankton soup!

To cap this all off we then had a shout on the radio of Bottlenose dolphins in the area, we where running out of time by this point! We knew they where just the other side of the sound from us, but where traveling just too quick!! So, the Bottlenose dolphins remain elusive this time, but there was a report of them heading north again yesterday...here's hoping

During yesterdays Wildlife Adventure we had an incredible association with a Harbour porpoise! These usually shy animals rarely approach boats....well we had an adult follow the wake of Sula Beag for 10-minutes, 'porpoising' out of the water, doing a great job of impersonating a dolphin! Waggy did manage to get some great shots of this rare behaviour, i will post some shortly, quite incredible! The trip was finished off with a 4-metre Basking shark feeding on the surface, as we stopped our engines to watch it feed beside us it turned towards the boat...with a number of kids onboard they all got quite excided with the large fin making its way towards the boat! The fish then was within a few metres of the boat, by this time it was obvious it could see us, but was not bothered by our prescence, as it continued to feed, mouth wide open just beside us, as we drifted, it followed us for a few minutes, giving us all a very clear view of its entire body, and gaping mouth, and most importantly an opportunity to get some identification shots of both sides of its dorsal fin, awesome!!

James

Skipper

Curious whale with us for an hour

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:38:00 +0000

Today we really did have the most incredible association with a young Minke whale.

Having already seen one larger whale we where approached by a juvenile that surfaced within a few hundred yards of Sula Beag. Once the engines where stopped the next sighting was of the whale slowly moving under the boat!! It then surfaced right beside us, and looking from the top deck we had a clear view of the whole animal.

The curious beast continued this behaviour for a further hour before moving away with another juvenile. We found it hard to take photos as our lenses where filled with whale, and all aboard had the pleasure of smelling Minke breath, it really is like rotten cabbage, or spinach as one customer suggested!

We did manage to get some great photo identification shots of this whale, both sides of its dorsal fin and back, watch this space for an update on whether we have a previous identified whale, we need the help of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust to confirm.

Andy Tait also managed to get some great video footage which has been uploaded to YouTube to show you just how spectacular this association was, please CLICK HERE to watch (this will take you to the video in YouTube)

We did also have a number of sightings of Harbour Porpoise, with one miniature calf that looked like it was still learning how to surface and breath! First thing on our trip we also saw a Sea Eagle in full flight before landing on a cliff and watching us head out to sea.

Just cant wait to get back out there tomorrow, there was a report of a shark in the sound, so fingers crossed folks!

James

Skipper

Filming on board Sula Beag

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:42:00 +0000

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...

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:48:00 +0000

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!

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:26:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:50:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:07:00 +0000

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.

An Unusual Day Whale-watching

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Sun, 17 May 2009 08:55:00 +0000

It was one of those lovely ‘cloudless sky days’ with a gentle easterly wind. We steamed away from Tobermory with the usual anticipation of what was to come. Every day is different out here. There is no pattern, no logical path to tread.

We passed the sea eagles in their usual haunt and then nosed out into the open seas. There were many exciting feeding frenzies of manx shearwater, gannets, and auks including the odd puffin. These were usually interspersed with porpoises hunting around the edges.

The only obvious intrusion into this wonderment was the United Nations Naval exercise goings on -- a large warship and many smaller vessels with all sorts of nasty looking things on their decks. This war like armada accompanied by warplanes, screaming overhead at odd intervals.

Three hours later, having covered a great deal of ground through many favourite whale spots and finding nothing, I decided that I must reward our passengers with something a bit unusual. We steamed to a lovely sandy bay, hidden away behind reefs and affording an idyllic place to anchor for lunch. I was just about to switch off engines when there was a large shout of “WHALE!”
There…… not more than 50 metres from us, was a juvenile minke whale.
Oh golly gosh! Here we bob in only 20 feet of water and this great and wild creature has come to say hello to us, albeit briefly, before returning seaward.

Amazing…gobsmacking. – Skipper POPZ

May update

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:40:00 +0000

Hello! I’m Ruth, one of the new guides joining Sea Life Surveys for 2009. Now in my third week and what a few weeks they have been... from getting sunburnt on my first day out in the stunning Cairns of Coll… to many days of solid rain and very strong winds…now back to beautiful sunshine (this time armed with sun-cream!)... I have loved every moment.

Highlights obviously include the Minke whales. Yesterday was particularly special, after a morning spent cruising the tide-lines around Ardnamurchan with great views of the Small Isles and up to Skye. We were heading into Sanna Bay for lunch and refills of tea and coffee when directly ahead of the boat, right on cue, as people began tucking into their sandwiches, a Minke! It seemed to be travelling so didn’t hang around for long, but what a fantastic sighting!

We’ve also had some great Harbour Porpoise action with one group of about six animals being unusually playful coming right up to the boat, letting us have a good look at them under the water. Sometimes it’s a question of which direction to look with Porpoise behind you and the Sea Eagles sitting on the shore putting on a show in front of you giving everybody onboard spectacular views.

Every day starts with more and more anticipation to see our first dolphins and basking sharks of the season. Any day now and I cannot wait...
Ruth

EASTER

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:07:00 +0000

It is now that plankton levels start increasing in daily jumps. It is generally in April that we experience high atmospheric pressure systems that produce increased levels of sunshine. Dynamite.The start of the spring marine magic. Quite literally within a few days, plankton levels increase dramatically, followed by a similar increase in bird populations.

Follow some of the tide-lines where tidal currents meet, that cause upwellings of water from the seabed. They bring nutrients to the surface, producing a food basket for all. Seabirds,, puffins, razorbills, manx shearwater, and more , a great skua , or bonxie harassing a luckless individual and forcing it to drop it’s food or driving it into the water in order to kill it. .
But where are the whales?. it, or them

Today, April 18th, I cruise the tide-lines watching the feeding. Then it happens. I get that same old familiar ‘feeling’ that draws me elsewhere. I leave the feeding area and steam in a direction and for a distance that makes no logical sense. It is a compulsion I must follow. I see no birds, but an occasional gannet; no signs; nothing.

WHALE!
An excited shout from above. Engines cut, we drift to watch 3 minke , – 2 adults and a juvenile, their blows plainly audible when up wind. Each one comes to inspect us in turn as if to say ‘ Where have you been?’

So, a winter season ends and another magical summer at sea begins – the circle is complete.

POPZ

2009 Season is a go!

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 10:43:00 +0000

We are just coming to the end of our first week of the 2009 season.

There have already been some fantastic sightings of Harbour Porpoise, with one group swimming close behind the boat as we enjoyed our coffee break.

Sea Eagle sightings have been regular also, with a particularly close encounter with a pair that flew directly over the top of Sula Beag, much to everyones excitement!

Although no whales or dolphins have been spotted YET...we have done a number of plankton trawls that have come with superb amounts of copepods and even a small sand eel...good sign for the season ahead.

The heat is on to get out there and find some bigger beasties, look forward to seeing you soon :-)

James
Skipper

Winter Cruises

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:21:00 +0000

With the fantastic weather over the Festive period we have been able to run a number of short cruises. This gave us all a great opportunity to find out what has been going on whilst no-one has been looking out at sea! So far our winter trips have been very successful with sightings of porpoise on nearly every trip, other sightings have included seals, peregrine falcon and soaring above us we had a pair of sea eagles!

We are going to be running these trips all year, its great to be able to get out there, we have the best gear to kit you up in to keep warm and dry, and off course at this time of year with the sun and temperatures lower its a completely different experience.

Ironically the day after our cruise last week we had a group of bottlenose dolphins right inside Tobermory Bay! They where around for an hour, leaping amongst the boats in the harbour, watched by many from the fishermans pier, Happy New Year!

Have you had any sightings on your patch over the winter period? We would love to hear what you have been seeing, perhaps you have seen a beastie that you cant identify? Please send us your photos and we will do some investigating for you.

James
Skipper

End of Season Update

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:08:00 +0000

Our whale watching season has now come to an end, with our last Whalewatch Explorer at the end of September with the last Minke spotted on the 28th September.

We are still running our shorter wildlife trips throughout the winter months, with a number of both Wildlife Adventures and Ecocruz's in October with successful sightings of Harbour Porpoise, Seals, Sea & Golden Eagles, and a number of sea birds. We will be running these shorter trips subject to demand all year round, with some special festive cruises, that will include some essential mulled wine!

On a daily basis we are having sightings of our resident Otter in Tobermory Bay. Giving us some fantastic views of this small mammal, regularly seen chomping on fish on the pontoon, or aboard the Mishnish yacht!

Close Encounters

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:30:00 +0000

The crew on board Saturday’s whalewatch explorer trip set off with much anticipation, despite the low cloud, as the strong winds that had thwarted the previous few trips had dropped, leaving us with perfect conditions. After hearing a rumour that Dolphins had been seen up North that morning we set off to try and catch up with them. By the time we reached the area, they had moved on. However we were treated to a fantastic view of 3 Minke whales, as well as large numbers of porpoise and a wide range of bird species all feeding in the same area. Just as we had turned and were slowly heading for home we were treated to a fantastic view of a Minke whale as it surfaced less then 15m away heading straight for the boat, it then turned and allowed everyone on board the opportunity to take in it’s full size and even see the white on the fins. All of this was topped off by another whale sighting within half an hour of Tobermory bay and porpoise guiding us home. Maybe it was just a good day sightings wise or maybe they knew that it was our guide Dunk’s (A.K.A Harry Potter) last day but either way it made for a special send off.

SLS guide Clare

Northern Bottlenose Whales at Loch Scridain

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 14:34:00 +0000

Reports have been flooding into the Sea Life Surveys Centre today of two cetaceans seen at Loch Scridain yesterday afternoon. Thanks to Chris Banks who has provided the accompanying photograph, the unidentified marine mammals have been confirmed as Northern Bottlenose Whales. It is very exciting to hear these deep water cetaceans are in the waters around Mull as they are very rarely spotted here. Sea Life Surveys has only spotted the 7-9m long toothed whales once – two years ago. They were also seen last week by another operator, Sheerwater who run from Arisaig. We will be keeping a keen eye out for them on our trips!

Sarah, SLS Guide

Risso's Dolphins Make an Appearance

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 14:00:00 +0000

The Whale Watch Explorer on Wednesday 3rd September had this summer’s first sighting of Risso’s Dolphins. The weather conditions were perfect and after a passenger spotted a fin over a mile away we were all excited to get closer and find out it was two Rissos’s Dolphins.

We followed them from the Ardnamurchan Lighthouse down to the northwest coast of Mull and were treated to fantastic views of their scarred bodies and watched as they raised their tail stocks and flukes out of the water before diving. By the time we left the dolphins we had counted six individuals, including a mother and calf pair, and suspected there was most likely more than that in the area. Fantastic!

Sarah, SLS Guide

ORCAAAAAA!!

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:19:00 +0000

An Orca-some Wildlife Adventure

Yet again, Orca have graced us with their presence this year. The passengers onboard the MV Sula Beag were greeted with quite a surprise during their 4 hour Wildlife Adventure cruise when a pod of three Orca appeared on the scene.

The trip began with much promise, with the boats depth sounder picking up large quantities of fish, both in and around the Sound of Mull. After an hour of scouring the waters surrounding Ardnamurchan Lighthouse, a passenger called out “whale”!!! However, what came to the surface was in fact something quite different. The unmistakable tall dorsal fins of three Orca broke the surface almost simultaneously, putting on a great show for the passengers. A sight that will never become tiring.

Duncan (A.K.A. Harry Potter)
SLS Guide

Orcasome Sightings this Week!

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:41:00 +0000

After the Whale Watch Explorer on Tuesday had excellent sightings of a Minke Whale, Common Dolphins, Basking Sharks, Harbour Porpoise and a Sunfish all within one square mile of ocean, it was going to be difficult to top that on Wednesday!

We left the Tobermory drizzle behind and headed out towards the sunny skies above Coll. It wasn't long before we spotted a Sunfish up at the surface and some large Basking Sharks nearby. After lunch we found a juvenile Minke Whale feeding and a large group of ~12 porpoises rounding up fish.

As we continued to search for another Minke Whale, a very large dorsal fin was spotted in the distance. There was no mistaking what it was - a large male Orca. With a lot of excitement from the Crew and Passengers on board Sula Beag we followed the male and his female companion out to the open ocean towards the Outer Hebrides. As we got closer we realised the male was well-known to us, believed to be one of the dominant males in the Hebridean pod. He was first identified in September 1992 and given the identification name 'John Coe'.

John Coe was spotted off the Pembrokeshire Coast on the 1st June, the furthest south he has ever been recorded. Who knows what he has been up to in the intervening 12 weeks! We all felt very privileged to be in the presence of the Orca and you couldn't ask for a better leaving present for our guide Laura on her last day. Magic!

Sarah, SLS Guide

Summer Highs

noreply@blogger.com (Sea Life Surveys) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:11:00 +0000

Summer is well and truly under way and the wildlife has continued to impress. Highlights from the last few weeks have included more close encounters with ‘knobble’, a whale we have seen numerous times this year.
A recent trip up north impressed with Muck Ducks, tasty carrot cake and an inquisitive young whale that surfaced right next to Sula Beag.
Basking sharks are still delighting both the Whale Watch Explorer and the Wildlife Adventure with some days seeing between 10 and 15 sharks!
Often over looked, our smallest cetacean, the Harbour Porpoise, continue to put in an appearance on most trips. Large feeding groups of between 10 and 15 porpoises have been sighted recently and although usually quite shy of boats ‘our’ porpoises have approached close on a number of occasions.
The last two weeks have also brought our second and third sightings of Sunfish, the third being a reasonably large and unusually mottled individual.
Not to be out done the bird life around our shores has continued to please with excellent views of both white-tailed and golden eagle, fantastic aerial pursuits between Skua’s and gulls, gannets plunging from great heights and guillemot chicks constantly calling to their fathers nearby!
Photo's to follow...