10 essential dolphin and whale-watching trips
21.07.2023 - 08:24
/ roughguides.com
From whales in Iceland to the pink penguins of Hong Kong harbour, here's ten of our favourite holidays for seeing whales and dolphins, taken from the pages of travel bible Great Escapes. Let us know your own below.
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Iceland’s waters are blessed with large numbers of almost every kind of whale: blue, fin, humpback, sperm, sei, minke, killer and pilot whales, to name just a few. Not to mention the abundance of dolphins and other marine life.
The largest whale-watching operator in Iceland is North Sailing, which organizes three-hour trips on board a renovated oak fishing boat from Húsavík as well as a sailing trip on board a two-mast schooner, which visits a puffin island and all the traditional whale-watching sites. There’s also a three-day sailing excursion, which includes a visit to a herring and whale museum plus a few hours on the small Arctic island of Grímsey, home to a variety of seabirds, including puffins and auks.
Whatever your view on whaling, one of the best ways you can support the conservation of whales is to join a responsible tour like those offered by North Sailing– it will help show that a whale is worth more alive than dead.
For itineraries, prices and reservations see www.northsailing.is.
Here’s your chance to see what it’s like to be a marine biologist working in the warm waters of the eastern Mediterranean. In collaboration with Oceans Worldwide, The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) lets volunteers help scientists monitor several species, including bottlenose dolphins and the enormous fin whale – the world’s second-largest animal. You’ll spend five days out in the Ligurian Sea between Italy and Corsica on board a motorized sail boat (which is also where you sleep), spending your time learning identification techniques. Regular “swim stops” at various islands are scheduled during the trip so you can relax and cool off. Chances are you’ll come dangerously close to changing your career.
For itinerary details and prices see www.wildlifeworldwide.com/journal/whale-watching.
The Bay of Biscay is one of the best places in Europe to see whales and dolphins. Since 1995, over 21 species have been recorded in these waters (more than a quarter of the world’s total), including risso’s and bottlenose dolphins as well as various species of whale: fin, pilot, minke, Cuvier’s beaked and even the enormous blue whale. Different species are associated with different areas of the crossing; the common dolphins, for instance, spend their winters off the Brittany peninsula, while the beaked whale is often seen over the submarine canyons off Spain’s north coast.
You can cross the Bay of Biscay on a weekly service from Portsmouth to Santander (24hr) or from Plymouth