1. VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY
CONTACT: Dafydd Rees
TELEPHONE: 01437 721911
EMAIL: info@ramseyisland.co.uk
ADDRESS: 1 High St, St Davids, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6SA
Type of vessel and trip: we offer a variety of wildlife watching boat trips on 10m rigid hulled inflatables which are custom built by us, specifically for this purpose. They all have internal seating with unrestricted views for all passengers and offer the safest and smoothest rides, ideal for photography and getting the best sightings. The boats are skippered by highly experienced skippers and the trips are guided by our friendly, knowledgeable and professional crews.
Our longest trip is 2 1/2 hrs in duration and will take you out to the RSPB owned Island of Grassholm with its enormous gannet colony, one of the largest in the Northern hemisphere. From there we continue out towards the Hats and Barrels Reefs, the Smalls light house, (the last bit of rock before America) and to the edge of the ‘Celtic Deep’, an incredibly rich and diverse marine habitat. This trip gives you the best opportunity for spotting cetaceans such as harbour porpoise, common and Risso’s dolphins and minke whales.
Our staple trip is a 1hr Ramsey Island Voyage, suitable for all ages, taking you into the caves and gorges around the island ad getting great wildlife sightings, including porpoise at the right stage of tide, thousands of breeding seabirds in the spring and early summer and Atlantic Grey Seals and their pups in the Autumn.
Other trips include visits to the Bishop’s and Clerk’s with their Puffin colonies and evening voyages to see thousands of Manx Shearwaters returning to their burrows.
Likely species to be seen: harbour porpoise, common dolphin, Risso’s dolphin, minke whale, Atlantic grey seals, puffins, razorbills, guillemots, manx shearwaters, gannets, plus lots of resident seabirds, other recent sightings include; leatherback turtles, sunfish, basking sharks, sooty shearwaters, great skuas, scoter and many more.
2. THOUSAND ISLANDS EXPEDITIONS
CONTACT: Cindy Pierce
TELEPHONE: 01437 72721; 07791917011
EMAIL: sales@thousandislands.co.uk
ADDRESS: Cross Square, St David’s, Pembrokeshire
Type of vessel and trip: marine wildlife boat trips on a 40 seater traditional pleasure boat or a 23 seater jet boat. The jet boat ventures offshore and we only take 12 passengers so there’s plenty of room to move around and she’s a great platform for photography.
Likely species to be seen: we visit the RSPB island of Grassholm, home to over 39,000 pairs of breeding gannets, offshore reefs and the Smalls Lighthouse. During this trips we see a wealth of seabirds and seals and a good chance of sighting common and Risso’s dolphins, harbour porpoise and minke and pilot whale.
3. FALCON BOATS
CONTACT: Ffion Rees
TELEPHONE: 07494 141764
EMAIL: info@falconboats.co.uk
ADDRESS: 6 Maes Dewi, St David’s, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6PA
Type of vessel and trip: we provide a range of professionally guided wildlife boat tours in Britain’s only coastal national park. Our vessel is a purpose built 10m rigid hull inflatable boat. Join us to experience unforgettable close encounters with seals, porpoise and dolphins as well as myriads of nesting seabirds and spectacular scenery.
1-2 hr trips to Ramsey Island are suitable for all ages and you can expect to see wildlife such as Atlantic grey seals, harbour porpoise and thousands of nesting seabirds, depending on tides and seasons, as well as exploring the island’s spectacular scenery of rock gorges, echoing sea caves, towering sea cliffs and some of the fastest tidal races in Britain.
For the more intrepid explorer we offer a 2.5 hour expedition to the most remote of the Pembrokeshire islands and the fringes of the Celtic deep. On this voyage our first stop is Grassholm Island where you will encounter over 80,000 gannets, Britain’s largest and most majestic seabird before we begin our sweep looking for cetaceans. This trip offers the best opportunity to see Common and Risso’s dolphin as well as a wealth of seabirds and occasional sightings of minke and other whales. Depending on sightings and conditions this trip will often take you past the rich feeding grounds of the Hats and Barrels reefs as well as the Smalls Lighthouse.
Or find the perfect end to the perfect day in Pembrokeshire on our sunset puffin and shearwater trip, witness one of the wonders of the natural world as 360,000 Manx shearwaters return to their burrows at dusk, their wingtips skimming the surface as the sun sets.
We also offer bespoke trips where you can hire the whole boat and tailor a trip to suit your needs, these include: artist/photography trips, story telling, filming, special events/celebrations.
Likely species to be seen: common and Rissos dolphin, harbour porpoise, minke whale; Gannets, shearwaters, storm petrels, guillemots, razorbills, puffins, kittiwake, fulmars as well as lots of resident birds; Atlantic grey seals, sunfish, basking shark, jelly fish.
Due to our remote location on the western tip of Wales we also often sea migratory birds such as skuas, terns, sooty shearwaters and many other species.
4. GOWER COAST ADVENTURES
CONTACT: Dave Tonge
TELEPHONE: 01792 348229
EMAIL: dave@gowercoastadventures.co.uk
ADDRESS: Oxwich, Swansea SA3 1LS
Type of vessel and trip: we provide a breath-taking, interactive tour of the South Gower Coast, leaving our passengers with unforgettable memories. Guided by professional qualified crew with excellent local knowledge, you will encounter a wealth of marine wildlife, fascinating local history (from prehistoric bone caves to tales of smugglers) and a unique thrill as we skim across the open water.
Likely species to be seen: Seals, harbour porpoise, common dolphins and lots of sea birds.
