Scotland’s rugged coastlines and pristine waters offer the magical opportunity to spot whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. Organised wildlife spotting boat tours operate from many coastal towns, and there are many well-established land-based locations too.
A recent survey reported that some of the best opportunities can be found on the many ferries plying the sea routes to the Hebridean and Northern Isles. So let’s look at where to see whales and dolphins in Scotland.
ORCA Survey
A recent article published by The Press & Journal revealed the results of an investigation carried out by ORCA, a Marine Conservation Charity. They undertook the mammoth task of looking at around 20,000 km of water in 2023 for animal sightings – 20,011 km of water, if you’re counting!
Just over a third of these waters are used by Caledonian MacBrayne ferries (often known as CalMac for short), and an assessment of the animals “available for your viewing pleasure” was carried out.
Scottish marine wildlife
When it comes to Scotland, a trip along or near our waters may result in you managing to glimpse a look at some cetaceans (over 20 species to be exact) – otherwise, a collective name for animals including dolphins, whales and porpoises.
The ORCA analysis only considers certain animals, with the main ones being dolphins and whales (and these will be the main focus of this article today too).
CalMac Ferry Sightings
CalMac ferry routes were shown to be a great place for avid marine wildlife lovers to see some of the animals in their natural habitat, with the Oban to Castlebay route coming up trumps when it came to the number of animals spotted… a rather impressive 1118, in just over 200 (210) sightings.
We did a quick calculation, and if our maths skills serve us right, researchers had an almost 20% chance of seeing an animal for every sighting they assessed.
Another notable area for the number of animals seen versus the number of sightings was covered by the ferries sailing from Oban and passing Coll, Tiree and Colonsay (741 animals in 98 sightings, if you were wondering).
A couple of spots of interest included some humpback whales that are not as commonly seen and even a mammoth pod of 280 dolphins.
When to spot Scottish Marine Wildlife
The results of the ORCA report revealed that the summer months were good times to catch a glimpse of some animals, with July and August being two months of note.
The actual timing of your water adventure could also be a factor in the animals you see – morning times seemed to garner some success, although the afternoons also returned some results.
Dolphins in Scotland
The dolphins spotted during the analysis included the bottlenose variety, rissos dolphins and the common dolphin – the latter common by name and nature as they were identified on all the assessed routes.
We’ve put together a quickfire “dolphin guide” for you here too, hopefully making it easier for you to differentiate between each species. A bottlenose dolphin typically sports a deeper shade of grey on its back, with a lighter shade of grey on the opposite side.
You may also spot these dolphins alongside the rissos dolphin, which was interestingly reported to have a considerable increase in sightings by ORCA.
The rissos dolphin is different in appearance, sporting what is described as “grey and white scarring”, with a rather fitting marine-inspired “anchor shape” on their front.
The common dolphin can be recognised due to its dark grey topside and paler underside. However, they also present with a “yellow-hued” area on the side of their bodies, which makes them very easy to spot when you’re travelling our waters.
In saying that, common dolphins are relatively speedy creatures, so if you’re hoping to spot one… you’ll need to be quick!
Whatever dolphin you manage to see, we imagine it will be a sight you’ll treasure and take with you for the rest of your life.
Whale Watching in Scotland
Dolphins weren’t the only cetaceans spotted during the research period. Whales were also on the agenda, including humpback whales, minke whales and even fin whales too.
Minke whales, in particular, are a fascinating species for several reasons, from their distinctive appearance of a darker outerside and a lighter underside and, of course, those white bands that feature on their pectoral flippers.
Yet it doesn’t stop there! Minke whales feed using a technique called “lunge feeding”. They take in water through their mouths that is pushed back out through their baleens (these act as filters)… whilst all those tasty fish are retained and ingested. Clever!
Top tip: Because of the lunge-feeding technique, seeing seabirds above the water (who can detect the fish) often indicates that a minke whale could be lurking close by.
Dolphin and Whale Watching in Scotland
Scotland is one of the best places in Europe for whale and dolphin spotting, so with a wee bit of planning, chances of a sighting can be surprisingly good.
Boat trips and guided tours provide the perfect opportunity to glimpse bottlenose dolphins, minke whales, and even basking sharks as they grace the waters of the West Coast of Scotland.
The Moray Firth is home to a resident population of bottlenose dolphins, and Chanonry Point, on the Black Isle, is the best spot for land-based watching. For the best opportunity, aim for an hour either side of high tide, when dolphins are most likely to follow salmon close to shore.
On the west coast, the Isle of Mull and the wider Inner Hebrides are excellent for boat trips, with regular sightings of minke whales, common dolphins, and harbour porpoises, particularly from May to September.
If you are heading further north, the Outer Hebrides and Shetland offer more remote waters where orcas, humpbacks and even sperm whales are occasionally spotted, but be warned, patience really pays off here.
Even if you are not aiming to go wildlife spotting remember, as we’ve said earlier, you can often enjoy an encounter when travelling by ferry. Passengers travelling with Caledonian MacBrayne and Northlink Ferries often report sightings.
Nature watching with Scottish Tours
We have a whole host of fabulous tours available for you to browse, although if the Scottish waters are a must, we have lots of tours that we are certain will tick all your boxes.
Take a look at our website and book your Scotland Tour today.
Photo credits: Shutterstock and Dolphin Spirit