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Prices
Valid until 04 October 08
per
person.
Prices
are all inclusive except for alcoholic drinks:
4 day
cruise £490
6 day
cruise £840
12 day
cruise £1590
A 10%
discount applies to all our past guests.
We
are very proud of the high standard of our catering, We offer breakfast,
lunch (packed if going ashore) and a three course evening meal.
Between times you can get coffee, tea and biscuits whenever you
wish. Please specify any particular dietary requirements on booking.
Vegetarians are welcome (David is one!). We do try to use fresh
produce whenever possible, and local seafood when available.
There
are no hidden charges.
To
obtain a booking form please click here:
Booking Form
You may need Adobe Reader to open and read this form
click
here to download
I would be grateful if each guest could complete the form thanks
For further details, a chat, or to book:
Tel + 44 (0) 1347 833078
Mob + 44 (0) 7903817882
Contact us! by e-mail
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Photo
Galleries - Whales and Dolphins |
| Photo
Gallery - Whales and Dolphins
Bottle nosed dolphin
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Minke whale
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On all our trips we expect
and hope to see various cetaceans - porpoise, dolphins and whales.
The likelihood of successful sightings depends on the weather and
the time of year.
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April |
May |
June |
July |
August |
September |
| Whales |
* |
** |
*** |
**** |
***** |
***** |
| Dolphins |
*** |
**** |
**** |
**** |
**** |
**** |
| Porpoises &
Seals |
**** |
**** |
**** |
**** |
**** |
**** |
| Basking sharks |
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* |
** |
*** |
*** |
*** |
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This
minke whale came over half a mile to see what we were up to
and stayed with us for half an hour. We simply drifted along
as it swam curiously around the boat, several times coming
right out of the water to have a close look at us. |
I
really enjoy seeing the cetaceans as part of our normal activities
as we nearly always see them during our passages between the
various islands and during our time at sea. We often alter
our route to investigate any interesting reports of sightings
we may have heard over the radio. I think this approach leads
to a better wildlife experience during the months when these
elusive creatures are not so easy to find. |
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We
have been very fortunate with our sightings of whales and
dolphins and many times have enjoyed being close to these
fascinating animals, and sharing the world together. This
is the same minke as above that stayed with us for ages, it
was very co-operative to the photographers as you can see!
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We
are very strict and take great care not to disturb them. We
maintain a suitable distance, we leave after a limited time
and we only approach with great care and by the recommended
procedures. The interests of the animals always comes first. |
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Feeding
mass of birdsWhen we are looking for whales, the most promising
indication is a feeding frenzy of birds, diving in a close
mass to feed on shoals of fish. Guillemots, razorbills, gannets
and shearwaters all feed underwater on the shoals of young
fish driving them towards the surface where they are trapped.
This gives the gulls and other surface feeding birds the chance,
and it appears the commotion attracts the minke who are able
to approach the shoals from beneath. |
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Suddenly,
there may be an upsurge of water and foam and we see the enormous
shape of the minke break the surface and engulf the fish from
underneath. The birds must obviously see the minke approach,
as I have never seen a bird taken along with the fish!!
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Minke
whales, especially young ones, will often come right up to
the boat to investigate, and give us marvellous opportunities
for photography and the chance to share the experience together.
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Quite
often on our trips to St. Kilda, we see whales and dolphins
- this was a minke feeding in the gap between the island of
Boreray and Stac Lee in July of 2001. |
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However,
we also see several species of dolphin including the grey
or risso's dolphin. One day off Rum, we were very fortunate
to be approached by a group of about forty dolphins made up
of adult females and youngsters of various ages. In this photograph
there are two adults with a youngster in the background. However
next to the nearest adult you will see the head of a really
small dolphin, probably only a few weeks or even days old.
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The
calf was very curious and kept approaching the boat and the
mother was continually intercepting it and gently fondling
and playing with it. She showed no concern as we sat quietly
on deck and observed this fabulous scene. |
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Meanwhile
the rest of the group were quite happy to carry on with their
normal lives, socialising and just enjoying the beautifully
calm and sunny day. One of the older youngsters was putting
up a great show tearing around amongst its' elders and leaping
from the water time and time again.
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On
several occasions it came very close to the boat and would
take a really good long look at us before gently rising from
the water and falling back into the sea. |
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Another
oceanic dolphin species we see is the common dolphin although
we do not see them as often as their name suggests!!
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The
common dolphin can be identified by its quite small size,
active behaviour and the very beautiful and striking pattern
along its' sides. |
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The
dolphin we see with the greatest regularity is the bottle
nosed. This is not because of high numbers but due to the
fact they are frequently seen near the coast, they love to
join the boat and bow ride, and they often stay in one area
for some time. This makes seeing them rather less haphazard
than the other dolphin species. |
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Sometimes
the bottle nosed dolphins are so curious they will go into
one of the local harbours - here they followed Guideliner
into Tobermory harbour on Mull, where they stayed for the
whole afternoon and evening.
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The most common of all
our cetacean is the harbour porpoise, and it also has the distinction
of being one of the hardest to photograph! They are very shy and
rarely approach the boat except by accident, but we always see them
as we pass through the sounds and narrows between the islands. They
are usually around with the minke whales and many a guest has raised
a false alarm having seen the fin of one of these creatures.
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| Contact
Us |
By phone:
+44 (0) 1347 833078 / +44 (0) 7903817882
or
e-mail: info@guideliner.co.uk
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