Sightings news from our Head Wildlife Guide, Lynsey Bland
Our 2024 season proved to be the most unforgettable one so far for cetacean sightings, for both our crews and guests. Across our three vessels, our guests and crews reported almost 700 sightings to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT), documenting 3,766 animals from 11 species.
Despite changeable weather over some of the season, the incredible marine mammal sightings we had the privilege of sharing ranged from the smallest harbour porpoises to the majestic humpback and fin whales. The large number of sightings demonstrates why the Hebrides is an outstanding place to encounter wildlife, especially when exploring from the sea.
The harbour porpoise, our smallest cetacean and resident all year round, was most commonly sighted, with a total of 330 sightings of 721 animals. A highlight commonly quoted by our guests are sightings of dolphins, particularly when they decide to join our vessels to “bow ride”. Common dolphins were the most regularly reported species for us, with 2,718 animals seen during our cruises. However, common dolphins are not the only dolphin species we spotted. Last season saw incredible sightings of bottlenose dolphins and a truly memorable sighting of 22 bottlenose dolphins, seen from our vessel, Lucy Mary. Guests and crew were treated to an unforgettable close encounter in the Inner Sound of Skye with the animals staying around the vessel for 30 minutes.
Minke whales were the most commonly sighted whales (134 individuals, 101 sightings), but we also encountered some of the larger whale species. We were lucky enough to enjoy 13 sightings of humpback whales (21 individuals) and 8 sightings of the enormous fin whale (11 individuals) during our 2024 season.
The waters of the northern Minch have undoubtedly been a hotspot in recent years, with remarkable numbers of larger whales reported. However, these magnificent creatures can be found throughout our entire cruising area. Whale sightings are always a delightful surprise, for guests and crew alike, and over the years, we’ve had the privilege of encountering them throughout our cruising area, from breaching minke whales near the Small Isles and humpback whales off the Treshnish Isles, to fin whales en route to St Kilda. Orca are actually the largest species in the dolphin family, despite their common name of killer whales. It is always a very special occasion when “John Coe” and “Aquarius”, the last members of the ‘West Coast Community’ of Orca are seen, and they can appear anywhere across the Hebrides. Both our Elizabeth G and Lucy Mary vessels encountered these two large male orcas in the waters north of the Isle of Mull, close to Ardnamurchan lighthouse during our 2024 season to the delight of all on board.
The main reason Hebrides Cruises can report more large whale sightings is because of the recent addition of our expedition and research cruises to the Northern Minch and beyond.
Emma Jane’s crew and guests experienced an incredible day watching multiple fin whales and humpback whales off the Lewis coast during a “Whale Watching in the Northern Minch” cruise. This cruise is designed to maximise our time at sea to increase the chances of spotting these rare whales. We were treated to an astonishing encounter of a mother and calf fin whale (a possible first for the Hebrides!) that surfaced around the vessel for around 20 minutes before continuing on their way. Our new “ In Search of Giants” expedition cruise aboard Elizabeth G, led by Dr Conor Ryan, journeyed as far west as weather would allow, in search of fin, sei, blue, right, sperm and humpback whales- all species historically hunted in Scottish waters. The expedition carried out 17 cetacean surveys using HWDT’s Whale Track app recording 35 groups of common dolphins with harbour porpoise groups seen 23 times. The next most abundant species was minke whale, (with 10 sightings) but the highlight of the trip was seeing humpback whales- with four separate encounters of at least 6 individual whales. We were fortunate enough to see three fin whales, the second heaviest animal in the history of life on earth. The real value of this new cruise is that the research carried on each year will add significantly to the knowledge of the presence of large whales in our waters.
For our guests onboard, witnessing whales, dolphins or porpoise (and in most cases-all 3!) in their natural habitat is nothing short of magical for them. Whether it’s the thrill of bow riding dolphins or a whale surfacing against the backdrop of Scotland’s wild seascapes, our guests often say these moments create memories to last a lifetime.
While we are very busy with our winter maintenance on our three vessels, the conversation is often about the amazing sightings in 2024 and how very excited we all are to see what 2025 will bring!
Unfortunately our trip coincided with the most prolonged strong winds for twenty five years, which made the crossing to St. Kilda impossible. Nevertheless our skipper, James, made the best use of both wind and sea conditions and managed to get us over to the Outer Hebrides when other operators had been unable to do so. Taking advantage of the islands themselves we sailed almost the entire length of the archipelago, from Harris to Mingulay, going ashore on Eriskay, Vatersay, Harris and Mingulay. James also attempted to get us over to the Shiants, but we had barely cleared Scalpay when it became obvious to everyone that the conditions made this too dangerous. Despite these setbacks we had an interesting and enjoyable trip and were very grateful to James for what he enabled us to experience. We have nothing but praise for the way in which we were looked after on board by the rest of the crew; Viv served up a series of excellent meals (I still dream about her pork!), Charlotte was constantly busy seeing to our every need, and Will kept us alert, both on board and ashore, to any wildlife that was around and provided a wealth of information on our walks. All four crew members were a delight to sail with and I am only sorry that we had such a short time to say goodbye to them.
David Leonard Davies: 11 June 2022St Kilda and the isles of the Outer Hebrides