SCOTLAND - EAST COAST
Boat Operators
Certified: Colin Aston
At Seafari Adventures Forth we operate from two locations close to Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city. Our main base is at North Berwick where we run boat trips out to see the magnificent Bass Rock and out to the Isle of May. We also offer trips from South Queensferry around the spectacular Forth Bridges and to Inchcolm and Inchmickery Islands.
Certified: Andrew Maxwell
Forth Wild offer trips to suit almost every need, experiencing the Isle of May, Bass Rock and the Fife coast. On board our boat you will see stunning Firth of Forth Wildlife including puffins, razorbills, guillemots, cormorants, shags, seals and dolphins depending on the time of year.
Certified: Alex Gardner, Roy Giles
Anstruther Pleasure Cruises operate the May Princess from Anstruther to the Isle of May. Sailing daily from April-September, the May Princess is licenced to carry 100 passengers out to one of Scotland’s most exciting National Nature Reserves, home to the largest puffin colony on the East coast along with thousands of other seabirds.
Certified: Ian Ashton
We operate a RIB charter on regular trips in the Tay estuary viewing local landmarks and
observing the resident bottlenose dolphin population between April and September. We also see sea eagles, grey and harbour seals and waterfowl.
Certified: Adelaine Munro
See the other side of Caithness with an exhilarating trip on our powerboat.
Certified: Sarah Pern
We are truly fortunate to have such a variety of wildlife on our doorstep, the most famous of which being the resident colony of Bottlenose Dolphins. Join us and enjoy the unique thrill of exploring
these waters aboard our custom built, wildlife watching RIB, Saorsa and let us share with you the scenery, wildlife and history that make this area so very special.
EcoVentures has operated from the beautiful, historic town of Cromarty since 2004 and is owned and operated by local skipper Sarah, who has nearly 20 years experience running trips in these waters.
Certified: Gwyn Tanner
You may encounter Ospreys and Red Kites, Seals, Porpoises, Bottlenose Dolphins and many other wildlife species including Otters along with the odd historical landmark for good measure. Again, please be aware that no sightings can be guaranteed.
Certified: Stewart Taylor
https://www.forthseasafaris.co.uk/
The Firth of Forth has a wealth of beauty to explore. The iconic Forth bridges, Blackness Castle, Inchcolm Island and its twelfth century Abbey, The Isle of May, the ruined war-time fortifications of Inchmickery and Crammond Islands and numerous bird and marine life colonies are just some of the wonders best viewed from the water! Our extremely experienced, fully qualified local skippers and crew are on hand to ensure a professional and friendly service from start to finish.
Our modern and beautifully maintained rib and catamaran boats can carry up to 12 passengers and are equipped with the latest navigation and safety systems. Twin engines allow both tranquil wildlife watching or the thrill of high-speed boating - with our crew ensuring the highest safety standards at all times. Adult and children's lifejackets are always issued and we can even supply
waterproofs, if needed.
Certified: Eric Wardlaw
Departing from Nairn harbour on board a 10.5 metre waterjet powered Cabin Rib, enjoy the
magnificent views of 'Fishertown' and beautiful local beaches from a different aspect. There's an abundance of wild-life in the area and the possibility of a sighting of seals, porpoises and dolphins.
The duration of the trips can be adjusted to suit your time-scale and departure is restricted to tide times and weather. The cabins can accommodate 12 passengers per trip so early booking is recommended.
Certified: Andrew Buchanan, Andy Martin
Cruise the Aberdeenshire coast, viewing the local features such as Dunottar Castlle, watching for seals, seabirds and cetaceans aboard our 10.5m RIB able to carry 12 passengers.
Certified: Pippa Low
Moray Firth’s amazing and abundant wildlife is made accessible to the budding explorer on our 2-hour long Wildlife adventures from either Findhorn or Lossiemouth. Offering a unique combination of adventure, exhilaration and the joy of close encounters with themarine life and incredible scenery. Our experienced and established staff will give interesting and informative local knowledge on both the area and its wildlife. Check out our wildlife section for more information on the furry, fishy and flying friends we see on every trip!
Certified: Stuart Simpson
https://www.seahunter-marine.co.uk/
We offer wildlife trips/charters in the Inner Firth of Forth from Granton Harbour, Edinburgh. We regularly see seals, dolphins, puffins and various other seabirds and humpback whales in the winter.
Certified: Ronnie Marshall
Bird watching, dolphin watching and sea angling trips.
Certified: William Aitchison
Certified: Graeme McColl
Diving charters.
Certified: Alan Stewart
BlueWild sails daily from Dunbar and North Berwick to the iconic natural wonders at the edge of the North Sea – to the isles of gannets, puffins, kittiwakes, seals and dolphins.
Sail to withing almost touching distance of Bass Rock, beneath 150,000 northern gannets on the world’s largest island colony. Visit one of the UK’s largest puffin colonies: 200,000 migrant birds, seals and Stevenson’s lighthouse. Expert guides from NatureScot and BlueWild take you on a 3 hour island exploration.
Certified: Yvette Hogan, Jamie Hogan
We operate a high speed RIB and a Large passenger vessel in the Moray Firth. We have a resident pod of bottlenose dolphins that we encounter on most trips.
Certified: Danny Wright
From our base in St Abbs Harbour, boat for scuba diving, snorkelling and open water swimming in the pristine Berwickshire Marine Reserve, St Abbs. Our charters are run aboard Stingray a commercial – coded 12 person Offshore 105.
Certified: Ian Ashton
Certified operators: Colin Macleod, Lex Horsburah & Nigel Smith
https://www.sulaboattrips.co.uk/
North Berwick, Anstuther, Firth of Forth.
“Sula 111” boat trips to the iconic Bass Rock, home to the world’s largest colony of Atlantic Gannets and to craigleith , home in the breeding season to 5000 pairs of puffins. Wildlife boat trips around the may isle, a national nature reserve and home to 250,000 seabirds during the breeding season. Passenger ferry service between North Berwick and Anstuther.
Certified operators: Jon Reyburn, Kris O' Brien, Robin Attwood, Steve Dalgleish, Steven Selby
https://www.seafari-edinburgh.co.uk/
Three Island boat tours to Lamb Island, Craigleith and the famous Bass Rock, the largest colony of Northern Gannets in the world. Many of the UK’s seabird species can be seen plus frequent. sightings of seals & dolphins. Isle of May landing trips with a minimum of 2 hours on the island to see many species including Terns, Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills and Shags.
Certified operators: Andrew Reid, Craig Potter
https://www.maidoftheforth.co.uk/
We are a pleasure cruiser providing trips to Inchcolm island and the river Forth.
We have a large amount of seabirds and seals as well as dolphins.
Adventure Operators
Certified: Derek Napier
Certified: Emy McLeod
Stand up paddle boarding, coaching, guiding and tours.
Certified: Donald Thomson
Somerled Sea Kayaking provide guiding and coaching in sea kayaking, both locally in Aberdeenshire and Scotland wide. The business has a focus on training leaders and guides and improving club paddlers performance and knowledge of skills and journeying on the sea.
Certified: Elizabeth Kate MacKinnon
We provide archery activities and nature activities within woodland in the Highlands of Scotland. Our woodland is nurtured and cared for and we encourage native species of wildlife to safely reside. We are based just 4 miles from the Scottish seaside town of Nairn and within two miles of the stunning Moray Firth coastline.
Certified: Sam Christopherson
Adventure sports company specialising in surf, paddle board and coaster lessons. Our home location is East Lothian and we are based in Dunbar. We also do tours to the Western Isles, seeing coastal wildlife from dolphins and seals to seaweed and crabs.
Certified: Genine Keogh
Through snorkelling, discover and explore the incredible underwater world of the Berwickshire Marine Reserve along the south east coast of Scotland. We offer discover snorkelling for beginners of all ages, teaching the basic snorkelling skills, including an opportunity to explore. We run small groups and one to one sessions from May – September. Guided snorkelling sessions are available for those with some experience and out of season when sea conditions allow.
Certified: William Goodall-Copestake
Outdoor Explore offer guided kayak tours in Scotland. Based in Perthsire and operating mainly in Tayside and the east coast of Scotland we have a great opportunity to explore places full of amazing wildlife, historic sites and scenic view points. Our trips cater for novice and experienced paddlers of pretty much all ages. We are open all year round.
Coastal Operators
Certified: Mike Dales
Certified: Richard Whyte
Certified: Harold Napier
Along with Scotland’s only mainland gannet colony, the RSPB Reserve at Troup Head there is an abundance of birdlife which can be seen from “Guide” or “Seacat”, including guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, shags and puffins. Add to this our most “famous” residents; the bottlenose dolphins, porpoises, grey and common seals and summer visitors including minke whales you’ll never be short of something to see. Listen to the underwater world of dolphins, whales and porpoises with our new underwater microphone.
Certified: Ian Todd
Certified: Ian Wightman, Kevin McClure
Certified: Jan O’Neill
Highlands Unbridled offer long distance horse riding holidays. We specialise in wilderness and Coast to Coast rides taking our guests into beautiful, wild and remote areas on our beautiful sure-footed horses and ponies. Wildlife is generally disturbed much less when you are on horseback than on foot and we often see seals on beaches, deer in the hills and Golden Eagles soaring overhead, keeping an eye on us as we ride through. We offer rides in the Cairngorms, Sutherland,
Torridon, Greta Glen, Wester Ross and new trails are being added every year all over Scotland.
Certified: Piotr Gudan
Outdoor Explore offer guided kayak tours in Scotland. Based in Perthsire and operating mainly in Tayside and the east coast of Scotland we have a great opportunity to explore places full of amazing wildlife, historic sites and scenic view points. Our trips cater for novice and experienced paddlers of pretty much all ages. We are open all year round.
Certified: Charlie Phillips
www.charliephillipsimages.co.uk
Professional wildlife photographer and tour guide with 25 years’ experience studying and
photographing marine wildlife around Scotland, particularly the resident bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth. Field Officer for marine charity Whale and Dolphin Conservation.
SCOTLAND - WEST COAST
Boat Operators
Certified: Ronnie Dyer, Andrew MacDonald, Donald MacLellan
From Arisaig you can sail to the islands of Eigg, Muck & Rum aboard the M.V. Sheerwater with time ashore to explore these beautiful and contrasting islands.
Certified: David Ainsley
https://sealife-adventures.com
Sealife Adventures run whale search and wildlife watching boat trips from our pontoon on the mainland near Oban on the west coast of Scotland. The area is exceptional for porpoise, minke whales, dolphins, basking sharks, otters and seals. Bird watching highlights include sea eagles, golden eagles, puffins and a great variety of seabirds. The Firth of Lorn Special Area of Conservation / Marine Protected Area is one of the few sites in Scotland to have enjoyed a high
level of long term protection. We run 3, 4 and 5 hour tours, all of which visit the Corryvreckan
whirlpool. All ages welcome!
Certified: Celia Bull
https://www.selkie-explorers.com/
Selkie is available for bespoke voyages for your family or groups of friends. Book a trip at a time that suits you to explore the beautiful coastline of Scotland’s islands and its lochs, anchoring in
exquisite bays each night. Depending on your length of stay aboard, we can visit St Kilda, the Outer Hebrides, the Small Isles, Skye, Col and Tiree, or sail north to the Summer Isles and Shiants. The wild life we see is incredible, as are the vistas. It’s a special time spent together, sharing the experience. And everyone on the trip will enjoy delicious, home-cooked food, sourced locally.
Certified: Catriona Craig
https://www.themajesticline.co.uk/
Escape to another world on a Scottish cruise
The Majestic Line offers 13 exclusive cruise itineraries aboard our fleet of four ships to the most beautiful and secluded parts of the west coast of Scotland and the Hebrides. Choose from 3-night, 6-night and 10-night cruises. Many of our guests return year after year to explore more of these idyllic coastlines and islands. Private cruise charter is also an option for a special gathering of family and friends.
Certified: Richard Darby
https://www.sealifesurveys.com/
Sea Life Surveys has offered scenic boat tours and whale watching cruises from the Isle of Mull for over 37 years. The variety of species that we regularly encounter, including minke whales, basking sharks, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise, seals, white-tailed eagles and an abundance of seabirds, makes the Hebrides the number one whale watching destination in the UK.
Certified: Ian French
https://www.porpoise-gairloch.co.uk/
Experience the Marine Wildlife of Wester Ross from the comfort of our Catamaran, Seaquest MRV. We are the only boat in Gairloch skippered by a qualified Marine Biologist with decades of
experience working and researching the local Marine life. Gairloch and The Minch provide habitat and migratory feeding grounds for a diverse range of marine life, from marine mammals such as Whales, Dolphins, Porpoise and Seals to numerous species of Seabirds, and not forgetting Ocean Sunfish, Basking Sharks, Jellyfish and even the occasional Leatherback Turtle and Walrus!!
Certified: Nick Davies (Master), Steve, Truluck, Veerle Van Den Bossche
What you can see The North Minch is one of Britain’s richest and most diverse marine wildlife environments. Many creatures are resident, many others are just passing through. The Minke Whale is commonly seen offshore in high summer and is occasionally spotted inshore later in the season.
The Humpback Whale can occasionally be found offshore from June onwards and the Killer Whale, resident in these waters, may be seen at any time of year.
Rare sightings are possible. Early and late in the season some great creatures of the deep pass through our waters, like the Sei Whale and Sperm and Fin whales. And in the summer months, Northern Bottlenose and Long-Finned Pilot whales have occasionally been seen offshore.
There is a good chance that you will see the diminutive Harbour Porpoise inshore and, from time to time, the Bottlenose Dolphin. Both animals are also found offshore, as is the Common Dolphin, a regular deep-water summer visitor.
The larger Risso’s Dolphin is occasionally seen cruising offshore waters and there is a chance of less-common sightings of Atlantic White Sided and White-Beaked dolphins.
Certified: Paul Hamilton
Certified: Peter Hammond
Certified: Lindsay Johnston
https://www.craignishcruises.co.uk
4 hour Whale and Wildlife Watching Boat Trip
We constantly monitor cetacean and basking shark movements and only run these trips when whales are known to be in the area usually May to September. We only run this trip on dates and departure times when the tides are most suited to give us the best chance of sightings. Click book
now button to view our trip calendar for trip dates and departure times. Even so sightings cannot be guaranteed. All sightings are reported to the relevant organisations, mainly the Sea Watch Foundation and Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. We also take in a seal colony and a sea eagle’s nest while searching for sea eagles, golden eagles, other birds of prey, porpoise, basking
sharks, dolphin, minke whale, and whatever else is around at the time. This trip will include Corryvreckan, the Grey Dogs, and the Great Race.
Certified: Carl Mackay
Operating from Ullapool Harbour in the north west Highlands of Scotland, Shearwater cruises offer trips to Loch Broom and the Summer Isles. Our cruises are approximately 2 hours 15 minutes
taking in the region's wildlife and scenery. Famed for their outstanding beauty, the Summer Isles are a collection of wonderful islands ranging in size from little more than rocks to the last inhabited island Tanera Mor. The isles and sea are home to numerous sea birds, seals, dolphin, porpoise, whales and eagles.
Certified: Lorne MacKechnie
Certified: Jill Mills
Certified: Carolyn Perkins
https://www.seafari.co.uk/oban/
Seafari Adventures offers exceptional wildlife and nature boat trips to see whales, porpoises, sea birds from our base at Easdale, Oban, Scotland. Experience the Gulf of Corryvreckan, home of the
World's Third Largest Whirlpool. Our range of tours offer you the opportunity to see whales,
porpoise, dolphins, basking sharks, otter, golden and white tailed sea eagles and much more in our European Special Area of Conservation - Firth of Lorne.
Certified: Struan Smith
Certified: Shane Wasik
https://baskingsharkscotland.co.uk/
We run a range of exciting and adventurous wildlife experiences in one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland - The Hebrides! Come aboard and let our fantastic team of marine biologists show
you the best of what we have to offer. The Hebrides is a real hotspot for wildlife - particularly basking sharks - the best area in the world to see these amazing creatures. Our mission is to provide you with great interactions with basking sharks and the abundant wildlife of the area. We create opportunities for you to have an in-water experience with basking sharks plus wildlife and adventure excursions. You can choose to swim, snorkel and kayak with sharks, seals and other amazing native marine life or simply enjoy the rich experiences from the boat.
Certified: Robert Henry
http://www.juraboattours.co.uk/
We offer bespoke RIB Tours to various areas of outstanding beauty with an abundance of wildlife found around our shores. Passengers have the opportunity to enjoy the Corryvreckan whirlpool which is the 3rd largest in the world and is a sight to behold during large spring tides, and there are various other tours inc the West Coast of Jura to see the raised beaches. There is scope to see Dolphins, Porpoise, Seals, Otters and occasionally Minke Whales as well as Red Deer, Goats and Sea Eagles from the safety of the boat.
Certified: John Mackenzie
https://www.visitwester-ross.com/members/wester-ross-sea-adventures-gairloch.asp
We offer snorkelling trips, fishing trips and wildlife watching trips in and around Gairloch.
Certified: Jamie Elder, Frances Elder
https://westhighlandsmarine.simdif.com/index.html
We are located in Loch Ewe in Wester Ross and based at Inverewe Garden. We encounter white tailed eagels, golden eagles, seal colonies, oystercatchers, gannets and otters. We also show guests
shellfishing techniques.
Certified: Scott Atkinson
https://www.redmooncruises.co.uk/
Explore Skye, Lochalsh and the Small Isles in comfort for up to 4 guests. Bespoke, deliciously relaxing voyages, watching the majestic scenery and enjoying the abundant but sometimes elusive wildlife.
Certified: Martin Balcombe
www.caledonian-discovery.co.uk
We offer a range of cruising holidays based in the spectacular Great Glen. Our amazing barges have comfortable en-suite cabins for 12 guests with a crew of five looking after you. Wonderful
food, guided walking, biking, canoeing and sailing trips are all included. Our wildlife cruises are led by our WiSe accredited skipper and hosted by our friendly and knowledgeable wildlife
guide. On these cruises we head out onto the sea lochs to either Loch Linnhe on the west coast or on the east coast to the Inner Moray Firth – one of the best-known sites in the UK for spotting bottlenose dolphins.
Certified: Neil White, Paul Mills, Stewart Stirling, Ruari MacGibbon, Jerome King, Stephanie Pearce & William Stanford
https://www.sthildaseaadventures.co.uk
Oban-based St Hilda Sea Adventures provide small ship cruising and wildlife holidays among the breathtakingly beautiful islands, sea lochs and mountains of the Inner and Outer Hebrides. They have three unique vessels: St Hilda, an ex-Tall Ship; Seahorse II, an ex-Norwegian Ferry and Gemini Explorer, an ex-Cruising Lifeboat - all converted to cruise in comfort and style. The company is passionate about wildlife.
Certified: Jock Hamilton
Beagle Cruises offer sailing based wildlife/activity holidays from Tighnabruaich, Kyles of Bute. We run a Bowman 49 sailing boat and mainly cruise the Clyde (i.e. east of the Mull of Kintyre).
Arran and Bute, both fascinating and very different islands are in the middle of our cruising area. Guests participate in the running of the vessel. The area is rich in wildlife and good walking
abundant, numerous activities are offered depending upon guests’ preferences.
Certified: Alistair Forsyth
We operate from the Isle of Bute offering boat tours in the Kyles of Bute over to Arran and around the Kintyre peninsula to Tarbert and Portavadie.
Certified: Martin Ashall, Janine Ashall
We offer one or two hour boat tours on board Fyne Explorer, an Evolution 40 vessel, operating from Portavadie Marina on Loch Fyne in Argyll. Our tours primarily cover lower Loch Fyne. Wildlife that we typically see are seals, porpoises and occasionally bottlenose dolphins, also cormorants, gannets, various gulls and birds.
Certified: Jason Coles, Claire Hallybone
We provide scuba diving charters in the Clyde and further away in Scotland’s southwest corners, visiting historic shipwrecks and sites filled with the most beautiful marine life. We also provide powerboat trips from Dunoon to beautiful landmarks like castles, lighthouses and even shipwrecks. We have an array of wonderful wildlife here, including harbour porpoise, grey and common seals,
birds of prey and even the odd whale now and again!
Certified: Aly Monsef
The M/V Sileas offers you the opportunity to penetrate one of Britain’s few remaining wilderness areas, where regular sightings of golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, black-throated divers, otters
and red deer are common. Accessible only by boat, the eighteen mile length of Loch Shiel, once a sea loch but reshaped by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age, contains a wide variety of wildlife among stunning mountain scenery. Cruises are operated by friendly, knowledgeable crew who provide a live commentary. The Sileas has a bar and also offers tea, coffee and light refreshments. Binoculars, ponchos, blankets are available for use by visitors. Cruises depart from Glenfinnan and once a week from Acharacle.
Adventure Operators
Certified: Myles Farnbank
Certified: Tony Hammock
Certified: Kenny Lacey
Certified: Mike Martin
Certified: Graham Moss
Certified: Sam Lee, Niamh Lee
Certified: Lyndsey Waterson, Huw MacBride
Certified: Vicki Mayes, Stewart Richardson, Karen Mitchell, Frida Bos
Certified: Ann Shand
Certified: David MacBride
Certified: Laura Bennitt, Mark Mitchell, Erin Scott, Phil de Longh
Certified: Tim Hamlet
Certified: Conor Brown
Certified: Philip Keetley
Certified: Willie White
https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/ea/learningoutdoorssupportteam/
Coastal Operators
Certified operator: Steve MacFarlane
Sea kayak Guide & Coach
stevemacfarlane@hotmail.co.uk
Certified: Van den Bossche
Certified operator: David Devoy
I cover all of Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway whilst Paddle Boarding and offering Marine Identification and Photography if any are spotted whilst on activity with club/clubsI am also a member of a Paddle boarding Club and offer enhanced marine life identification and photography skills.