Hebridean Sealife

Cetaceans

Whales

During the warmer months, most come to see the whales that migrate from the south to spend the summer feeding in the nutrient-rich Hebridean waters. Minke whales are the most common and are often seen in deeper waters, but there are also sightings of orca and rare visits from humpbacks and fin whales.

While whales aren’t difficult to spot, they are often heard before they’re seen, expelling water from their blowholes, but signs to watch out for are obviously when they break the surface, flat patches of water where they have just dived, splashes and irregular waves. Read more…

Dolphins and Porpoises

Out in open water, it is common to see dolphins and porpoises surfacing and jumping with regularity, and the dolphins in particular love to bow ride alongside the boats. Species that we see regularly are common dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, harbour porpoise.

The bottlenose dolphins are identifiable by their dark backs and light underside while the common dolphins are smaller and grey in colour. Both species prefer to move together in pods and come to the surface to breathe but also to jump around and play which is what everyone really comes to see.

In contrast to the dolphins, the porpoises are much smaller and tend to travel in smaller groups of two to five and the majority of sightings are of them only just breaking the surface. Read more…

Basking Sharks

Basking sharks are common in the Southern Hebrides during summer as they migrate from warm waters following blooms of plankton. Even though they spend a lot of their time below the surface, they are easy to spot even from a distance as their massive dorsal and tail fins break the surface while they feed. Read more…

Seals

Seals are present all year round and when not basking on beaches and shoreline rocks, they can be seen in the water when their heads are visible just above the surface before they duck back under again. Species we tend to see the most are the common seal and the Atlantic grey seal but on occasion ringed seals, harp seals, hooded seals and bearded seals wander here in search of food. Read more…

Rarer Sealife

The nutrient rich waters of Scotland’s west coast not only attracts more common species of sealife, rarer species such as sunfish and turtle are summer visitors which come up to feed in the Gulf Stream. Read more…