Whale and Dolphin Activities

Firstly go to reception on Deck 6 and pick up the ”Whale, Dolphin and other Wildlife Activities” .

This will give you a guide to the itinerary of events that the Wildlife Officer (WLO) holds during a “mini cruise” Please note that the first Introductory talk is held in Cinema 1 at 1000 hrs on the morning after leaving Portsmouth and you need to be there to learn how everything works! This is free of charge and you don’t need a cinema ticket. As well as the information talks the WLO also conducts Deck Watches on Deck 11, also known as the helicopter Deck.

These are listed in the Activity sheet and various announcements are made to the “common areas” of the ship… not to the cabins!

If you miss the first talk… please try to be there… then the WLO will try to catch up with you at the first Deck Watch generally held on Deck 11 at 14:30 on the first afternoon southbound.

Some of the encounters we have with both whales and dolphins are very close to the ship but binoculars are a distinct advantage when viewing distant animals… the wildlife officer will give tips as to how to spot these animals for yourself and will explain how dolphins often cause splashes as they approach the ship and of course big whales create big “blows”. Biscay is renowned for its seabirds and sharks, turtles and billfish such as Marlin can also be encountered on the voyage.

Your success with seeing any of this wildlife is purely dependent on the amount of effort you put in. You will have to be very lucky to see dolphins from any of the bars !! You really need to be on the outer decks, so in between enjoying the other facilities come onto Deck 11 for at least one concerted hour of watching and in that time hope you are lucky. Of course, the nature of offshore watching is that nothing may happen for many hours and then everything seemingly happens at once. If the weather is good in the summer months, set up a deckchair on deck 10 and listen for the tell tale pandemonium as a whale or dolphin is sighted and the wildlife watchers scramble from one side of the ship to the other!

The site also contains more detailed advice on how to watch and what to look for.

The WLO has many duties on board the ship. However, as well as the advertised Deck watches the WLO can often be found on Deck 11 or will work from the Bridge. Using the Bridge public address system the WLO will try to draw your attention to some of the whale and dolphin encounters… you will only hear these announcements if you are on the outer Decks… it simply becomes too intrusive to announce them to the whole ship.

There is no special time when whales or dolphins miraculously appear… this is wildlife watching and either side of the ship has the same potential but one side or the other may be more comfortable depending on wind direction, sun glare etc.

The area of the North East Atlantic that the ship travels is one of the most rich, dynamic and exciting in the world as far as wildlife is concerned, and the WLO will try to enhance your experience.

The BDRP researchers scan with the naked eye and binoculars. Many dolphins like to swim to the ship to bow ride and if the ship passes whales then you can get fantastic views without any optical equipment, but if you do own binoculars, don't leave them at home!

Because deck 11 is so high up you can see quite a distance and passengers with telescopes are also frequently found on the outer decks to take advantage of this.

Good luck!
 

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