Encounters to Remember, Seas to Protect
Creating connections with Scotland’s seas is important if we are to inspire the next generation of whale champions. When we create memorable and impactful moments, people are empowered to protect Scotland’s marine wildlife.
On the Isle of Mull, our Hebridean Whale Centre makes world-class wildlife experiences accessible, uniting whale experts and the public. We provide hands-on opportunities to connect with Scotland’s seas, spot whales in the wild, and engage in conservation. Through these activities, we empower people to become whale champions, fostering a deeper appreciation for our oceans and inspiring meaningful action for marine conservation.
Throughout the season, we run weekly headland watches, supporting people to spot whales, dolphins and porpoises in the wild and inspire them to get involved with monitoring our seas. One stand-out headland watch started off with little hope…but ended in a memorable first for all involved!
HENRY’S EXPERIENCE
I’m Henry, I’m 11 years old and I love the natural world. I’m a Junior Wildlife Ambassador for the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, which is my local Wildlife Trust and I love exploring wild places, nature reserves and amazing landscapes in the UK and abroad.
I like wildlife watching because it allows you to connect with nature in a deeper way, which is good for your mental health and wellbeing. I love it when you see something new for the first time, and the thrill of being able to tick it off in my nature books.
Wildlife watching for whales is really cool because each of the size of them and they are fascinating because of their adaptations as mammals who live permanently in the water!
During our holiday on the Isle of Mull, we’d been out on the water with Sea Life Mull and seen harbour porpoises and minke whales, and wanted to find out more about the local whales and dolphins. We visited the HWDT’s centre in Tobermory, and found out about their whale watching opportunities.
As well as spotting lots of birdlife, including gannets which are my favourite bird, we were lucky to spot something very special just as we were about to leave.
A long way out to sea we suddenly saw splashes in the water from something breaching. Using the powerful bins, and people’s own scopes and cameras we saw a whale jumping clear out of the water. One of our tour leaders, May, suddenly shouted out in amazement, because she was sure it was a rare visitor to this part of the ocean! We had seen a northern bottlenose whale and it was incredible to see it. As it was so far out, we didn’t see it in detail, but just knowing what it was, was really exciting.
David Attenborough’s message about how if people don’t know about something, they won’t understand it, and if they don’t understand it, they won’t care for it really resonates with me.
I think it’s really important that we all can shout about what we want to protect and care for. We all have a voice whether you are young or old!
MAY’S EXPERIENCE
Meeting people was my favourite thing about my time at HWDT; from my fellow volunteers to the staff, and most of all the visitors that came into the centre and out on our guided walks and watches. Everyone had their own stories and connections with the seas around Scotland. I was lucky enough to lead watches with people who were seeing whales and dolphins in the wild for the first time and talk to people in the centre who brought in photos and videos of the most amazing encounters from around Scotland! Being able to connect people with amazing marine life and encourage all ages to learn more was so special.
For me, there’s no bigger joy in the world than watching animals in the wild. Sitting and watching a minke whale lunge feed from land or experiencing a pod of common dolphins leaping out of the water and coming to bow ride a boat is a magical experience no matter how many times you’ve seen it. Spending time in nature is a great way to unwind or spend time with friends. I always find myself feeling more relaxed and clearheaded whenever I come back from sea watching or birdwatching.
During Henry’s watch we were faced with high swell, bad sea state, and raining; I wasn’t expecting to see a thing! It helped to have such an enthusiastic family with us - Henry was happy to chat whales and dolphins and ask questions despite us all being a bit soggy. We were sat chatting when we noticed a large splash a few kilometres out from our watch point at Glengorm, immediately we had binoculars at the ready and were watching; I thought it was a breaching minke whale, a rare sight in itself. When it jumped again, we saw it clearly, a bulbous rostrum, long bottle-shaped beak, and chunky brown body - a northern bottlenose whale, a first for everyone on the watch! Thanks to Henry’s dad who managed to get a video of the breach on camera we were able to confirm the ID! It was a great day made even better by an amazingly rare sighting in very poor conditions.
The more people connect with nature the more people are able to understand it and ensure that it thrives. In the case of nature, ignorance isn’t bliss and increasing people’s knowledge about our natural world is paramount to protecting it. Without connecting people to nature, many would never realise that certain threats exist such as microplastic pollution in the marine food chain or underwater noise pollution. With nature under threat, we need now more than ever for people to connect with it, to take an active interest and spread the word about issues surrounding our natural world so we can all work together to help it recover and thrive.
ONE DONATION, DOUBLE THE IMPACT
Join our mission to create connections with Scotland’s seas, because when people connect with the ocean, they’re inspired to protect it. Right now, our marine life needs that protection more than every.
Everyone who donates to our Big Give campaign - no matter how small the donation - will be entered into a prize draw to win a trip on board Silurian! For ONE WEEK ONLY that the Big Give will DOUBLE any donation you make between midday Tuesday 22 April and midday Tuesday 29 April, up to our target of £20,000.