How to see whales and dolphins around Scilly

We are lucky on Scilly to be spoiled with regular sightings of incredible ocean giants. Your first opportunity to explore Scilly's mega marine life is aboard the Scillonian III. St Mount's Bay, Penzance, is a top spot to see species like minke whales, harbour porpoises or even Risso's dolphins. Keep your eyes open on the trip across for common or bottlenose dolphins, or fish species like bluefin tuna or ocean sunfish.

Scilly's seas abound with wildlife, including a variety of cetacean species including common dolphins, harbour porpoises and even bigger species like humpback and fin whales. One of the best ways to see marine mammals is to watch from Scilly's many headlands (like Peninnis or Deep Point on St Mary's, Wingletang on St Agnes, Shipman Head Down on Bryher, Castle Down on Tresco or from the Daymark on St Martin's). Cetaceans don't generally come between the islands, so a trip to the Western Rocks, Eastern Isles or beyond will give you the best opportunities to see them. Head out on a WiSe-accredited boat trip to see them. We recommend taking a Wildlife Safari with St Agnes Boating. 

There are several species to look for around Scilly. Harbour porpoises are very shy compared to their dolphin cousins, so you'll be lucky to see more than a dark fin and a bit of the back breaking the surface once or twice before they disappear. The bigger and sleeker common dolphins can be seen in small groups or can form huge superpods, with several hundred animals all cruising along at once. Look beneath diving gannets and big flocks of gulls for a chance to spot fins breaking the surface beneath - both birds and cetaceans will make the most of big shoals of fish or bait balls.

Humpback whales can be seen sporadically at any time of year, but are most frequently seen in the winter months (from December to March). Always keep an eye out in the summer, though, as they are present throughout the year, along with the bigger fin whales and smaller minke whales.

Risso's dolphins are one of the more unusual species of dolphin to spot off Scilly, but there are annual sightings. They are large and often very pale in colour, with huge, curved fins. Their bulbous heads and comically short snouts make them unmistakeable. They tend to hang out in small pods, and are often seen off the Cornish coast around Penzance. There have also been sightings of pilot whales, but these aren't common. In 2022, a rare striped dolphin beached on St Mary's. A rescue attempt was made to refloat the animal with BDMLR-trained Marine Mammal Medics, but sadly the creature passed away.