Dolphins and Porpoises

The seas around Britain and Ireland are some of the best in Europe for dolphins and porpoises, and boat trips from the islands, and even headlands on them, give a good chance of seeing them, especially on calm days from spring to autumn.

The harbour porpoise

The Harbour Porpoise is the smallest and most common, only about one and a half metres long, a shy animal usually seen briefly as a small dark back and fin rolling at the surface. It lives close to coasts all around the islands, and is often seen from ferries and headlands on calm days.

Bottlenose dolphins

The Bottlenose Dolphin, the largest and most familiar dolphin, has resident groups in the Moray Firth, Cardigan Bay and the Shannon Estuary, where they can be watched from the shore and on licensed boat trips. The Moray Firth dolphins are among the largest bottlenose dolphins in the world, their size helping them to keep warm in northern waters.

Risso’s Dolphin, grey and often scarred white from fights and squid, is seen around the Hebrides, the Isle of Man and Bardsey.

Common and Risso’s dolphins

The Common Dolphin travels in fast, lively groups, sometimes of hundreds, often bow-riding beside boats, especially off the south-west and west coasts and around the Hebrides in summer. Risso’s Dolphin, grey and often scarred white from fights and squid, is seen around the Hebrides, the Isle of Man and Bardsey.

Northern dolphins

In the north, the White-beaked Dolphin and Atlantic White-sided Dolphin live in the colder, deeper waters off Scotland and the Northern Isles, and are seen more often from ferries and offshore boat trips than from land.

Watching responsibly

Dolphins and porpoises are protected by law. On boats, let them come to you, keep a steady speed and course, and never chase or drive through a group. Records of sightings help scientists to understand where they live and how their numbers are changing.

Dolphin life

Dolphins live in social groups called pods, communicate with clicks and whistles, and find their food by echolocation, sending out sounds and listening for the echoes. Porpoises are quieter and shyer, usually alone or in small groups, and rarely leap. Calves are born in summer and stay with their mothers for a year or more.

Threats

Dolphins and porpoises are at risk of being caught in fishing nets, of underwater noise from shipping and construction, and of pollution. Strandings on beaches are recorded by volunteers, and anyone who finds a stranded dolphin or porpoise should report it rather than try to push it back into the sea.