Basking Shark

Anchorage: Loch Scresort, Isle of Rum.

After starting the day with cetacean identification and general surveying training we set sail from Tobermory just after midday.

An early sighting of a grey seal was called shortly after leaving the harbour.

We then sailed north past Ardnamurhcan Point and it wasn't long before we got our first lone harbour porpoise sighting. In choppy conditions it is not a surprise that the hydophone picked up more porpoise detections than we saw.

This was followed by an excited call from the mast as not one but 5 basking sharks were sighted, including one very large animal! As the day went on we had a total of 8 individuals. This pic, although not great is the best of a bunch of slightly rubbish basking shark photos!

After a brief lull in sightings, the excitement quickly picked up again as two distant, but large splashes were seen. Unfortunately we were unable to identify the cause of these.

As we sailed north towards the Isle of Rum the sea state calmed to zero, however the visability soon dropped to 1nm. The rain came in, but this didn't dampen our spirits as the hydrophone picked up dolphin clicks and whistles. We were then joined by 5 common dolphins which associated with boat, giving us great views in calm conditions.

A further 14 sightings of harbour porpoises (with a number of 41 individuals) were seen before we headed into a very soggy Loch Scressort.

Chocolate brownies and tea have been enjoyed and dinner is now on the stove.

After a fantatic first day on board we are all looking forward to day 2 on Silurian.