MARINElife Surveyors' Blog: Brittany Ferries
'Armorique'
Plymouth to Roscoff survey 21st to 22nd
February 2011
Our departure from Plymouth was in the late evening so we enjoyed a restful sleep in our cabins southbound. We awoke for the morning arrival in Roscoff and enjoyed a stretch of the legs around the picturesque village fuelled by coffee, croissants and pain au chocolate. We were excited about our survey northbound and were eagerly looking forward to the lunchtime departure from Roscoff.
Soon after departure the
father of a family asked us what were doing, what we were looking
for and which species it might be possible to see.
Using a guide book we showed him what we thought was likely to
be seen on this route at this time of year. We also explained the
same to an interested crew member and within two minutes of
commencing the survey we were rewarded with our first cetacean
sighting; a pod of Common Dolphins complete with a small calf, all
playfully swimming fast and coming in to bow ride. Before we
had time for the smiles to leave our faces a second group of Common
Dolphins came in fast, again from the port side, to leap, feed and
bow ride and follow the path the others had taken.
As we neared England we encountered another small pod of Common Dolphins to starboard with a bunch of Guillemots near by. The dolphins tried to come in to bow ride but didn't quite make it this time.
Just over ten minutes later we spotted another group of Common Dolphins swimming very fast off the port side and then a small pod of Bottlenose Dolphins, with one individual undertaking a spectacular full leap from the water before swimming at speed into the distance.
This was definitely a cetacean-rich trip and the crew were equally as pleased as us with the activity we had witnessed on this short journey.
For passengers hoping to see dolphins and seabirds we would recommend the following locations on the Armorique:
1. The restaurant on deck 7 is a nice dry inside viewing area with glass windows ahead and to the sides.
2. The top outside deck behind the bridge gives good views to the sides of the ship, unhindered by glass.
3. The three outdoor decks 6, 7 and 8 at the rear of the ship are good for seabirds and possibly dolphins playing in the wake waves.
Our thanks and best wishes go to the Captain and crew of the Armorique for their welcoming support during our research trip.
Heather Fowle and Graham Oliver, Research Surveyors for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884)
For a full summary of the species seen during this survey please visit our Plymouth-Roscoff sightings page.