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Fabulous day - enhanced by the generous knowledge of both Tom [Naturetrek guide] and Ross [skipper]. Small numbers on the tour meant plenty of room to view from all sides. Saw several pods of dolphins; porpoises; seals; gannets; kittiwakes; shearwaters (some rare - sooty, cory). This is great day out, whether you're an expert ornothologist or an enthusiast - can't recommend it enough!
J.L.J. Gloucestershire, Aug 23
Tour Itinerary and Reports
Seabirds & Cetaceans of Lyme Bay
Tour Code: GBR09A day cruising in Lyme Bay, off Dorset's Jurassic coast, searching for White-beaked Dolphins and other cetaceans, as well as Sunfish, Basking Sharks and much more!
1 days
from
£130
£130
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
On our full-day cruises we will head out into the deeper waters of Lyme Bay in search of White-beaked and other dolphins, as well as a good diversity of seabirds including skuas, petrels, terns and shearwaters. Other seabirds regularly seen on these cruises include Guillemot, Common Scoter, Sandwich Tern, Fulmar and European Storm-petrel, while Sunfish and Basking Sharks are among the other marine-life we could encounter.
- Full-day trips focusing on White-beaked Dolphins & seabirds, departing from Brixham
- Comfortable, well-equipped, small charter boats & experienced local skippers
- One of the best places in the world to see Balearic Shearwater
- Great & Cory's Shearwaters increasingly seen, associated with Bluefin Tuna shoals
- Gannet, Kittiwake, Great & Arctic Skuas, plus Arctic Tern regularly seen
- Pomarine Skua and British Storm-petrel regularly seen
- Bottlenose & Common Dolphins, plus Harbour Porpoise often encountered
- Possibility of coming across more rarely seen cetaceans & seabirds
- Boats have indoor & outdoor seating, tea & coffee facilities, plus toilets
- Led by expert Naturetrek naturalist
Grading
No walking involved, just a boat trip.NULL
Day Trip Location
What's Included?
- Accommodation:
Accommodation n/a
- Food: Tea and coffee is provided on the boat. Bring your own food.
Reviews
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This was a day trip to view the dolphins and seabirds of Lyme Bay, in Devon. We spent 9 hours out on the sea, it was unfortunately quite rough, and I am not the best of sailors!! We did however see numerous dolphins which was amazing, some with their young, and many swam right up to the boat, and also many many sea birds of differing types. I have had three holidays with Naturetrek, and also this day trip, everything is always organised in an efficient friendly manner and nothing is too much trouble. I travel with Naturetrek as I know they will look after me, and that my holiday will be amazing from start to finish.
D.W. Devon, Aug 22 -
A boat trip from Brixham to look for birds and cetaceans in Lyme Bay. Despite relatively rough seas for the first couple of hours - it calmed down later in the day - I was surprised at the amount of dolphins, porpoise and relatively rare seabirds we saw, all with excellent views and in many cases very close to the boat. The other members of a small party were very friendly and helpful. The guide and boat skipper were excellent, in poor conditions, and although we did not see some of the rarer species, this is always the luck of the drawer, it was a superb day. Naturetrek, who I have now travelled with many times, is a high quality, professional, operation who I would highly recommend to anyone interested in a wildlife holiday/trip.
R. L. Hampshire, Aug 21 -
A wonderful day-trip out into the waters of Lyme Bay from Brixham, with very close encounters of 120+ white-sided dolphins, plus porpoises, grey seals and many sea birds. Naturetrek is a very experienced and efficient operator, with excellent guides who are real experts in their areas.
Q.G. London, Aug 21 -
Great day trip out around the Lyme Bay area, looking for sea birds and dolphins. We saw three good pods of dolphins, two swimming close to the boat and 'playing' around us, young as well as adults. Great views of lots of different sea birds. An enjoyable trip. Naturetrek run a good variety of trips. They communicated well with us about this trip with updates as required. The guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about what we saw.
J.A. Essex, Aug 21
Dates & Prices
2025
Departures
Availability
Cost
Thu 24th Jul – Thu 24th Jul
1
£130
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£130
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Tom Brereton
Tour Leader: Tom Brereton
Tom has had a lifelong passion for all forms of natural history, and a varied career in wildlife research and nature conservation spanning the last 15 years. After graduating in Environmental Science, Tom spent several years working for the RSPB on a number of bird, botanical and invertebrate survey and research projects. Following an MSc in Conservation at University College, he worked as an independent ecological consultant specialising in botanical surveys. Tom returned to academia in 1993, to complete a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. Tom currently works for Butterfly Conservation, as a monitoring and species ecologist, but remains an enthusiastic all-round naturalist, through extensive travel and involvement in a number of voluntary wildlife projects. Tom is active in local botanical, insect and bird surveys, and pursues his interest in seabirds and cetaceans as a founding director of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (now Marinelife), which carries out research, conservation and educational work in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Wed 27th Aug – Wed 27th Aug
5
£130
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£130
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Tom Brereton
Tour Leader: Tom Brereton
Tom has had a lifelong passion for all forms of natural history, and a varied career in wildlife research and nature conservation spanning the last 15 years. After graduating in Environmental Science, Tom spent several years working for the RSPB on a number of bird, botanical and invertebrate survey and research projects. Following an MSc in Conservation at University College, he worked as an independent ecological consultant specialising in botanical surveys. Tom returned to academia in 1993, to complete a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. Tom currently works for Butterfly Conservation, as a monitoring and species ecologist, but remains an enthusiastic all-round naturalist, through extensive travel and involvement in a number of voluntary wildlife projects. Tom is active in local botanical, insect and bird surveys, and pursues his interest in seabirds and cetaceans as a founding director of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (now Marinelife), which carries out research, conservation and educational work in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Thu 28th Aug – Thu 28th Aug
3
£130
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£130
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Tom Brereton
Tour Leader: Tom Brereton
Tom has had a lifelong passion for all forms of natural history, and a varied career in wildlife research and nature conservation spanning the last 15 years. After graduating in Environmental Science, Tom spent several years working for the RSPB on a number of bird, botanical and invertebrate survey and research projects. Following an MSc in Conservation at University College, he worked as an independent ecological consultant specialising in botanical surveys. Tom returned to academia in 1993, to complete a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. Tom currently works for Butterfly Conservation, as a monitoring and species ecologist, but remains an enthusiastic all-round naturalist, through extensive travel and involvement in a number of voluntary wildlife projects. Tom is active in local botanical, insect and bird surveys, and pursues his interest in seabirds and cetaceans as a founding director of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (now Marinelife), which carries out research, conservation and educational work in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Mon 15th Sep – Mon 15th Sep
SPACES
£130
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£130
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Tom Brereton
Tour Leader: Tom Brereton
Tom has had a lifelong passion for all forms of natural history, and a varied career in wildlife research and nature conservation spanning the last 15 years. After graduating in Environmental Science, Tom spent several years working for the RSPB on a number of bird, botanical and invertebrate survey and research projects. Following an MSc in Conservation at University College, he worked as an independent ecological consultant specialising in botanical surveys. Tom returned to academia in 1993, to complete a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. Tom currently works for Butterfly Conservation, as a monitoring and species ecologist, but remains an enthusiastic all-round naturalist, through extensive travel and involvement in a number of voluntary wildlife projects. Tom is active in local botanical, insect and bird surveys, and pursues his interest in seabirds and cetaceans as a founding director of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (now Marinelife), which carries out research, conservation and educational work in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Tue 16th Sep – Tue 16th Sep
6
£130
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£130
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Tom Brereton
Tour Leader: Tom Brereton
Tom has had a lifelong passion for all forms of natural history, and a varied career in wildlife research and nature conservation spanning the last 15 years. After graduating in Environmental Science, Tom spent several years working for the RSPB on a number of bird, botanical and invertebrate survey and research projects. Following an MSc in Conservation at University College, he worked as an independent ecological consultant specialising in botanical surveys. Tom returned to academia in 1993, to complete a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. Tom currently works for Butterfly Conservation, as a monitoring and species ecologist, but remains an enthusiastic all-round naturalist, through extensive travel and involvement in a number of voluntary wildlife projects. Tom is active in local botanical, insect and bird surveys, and pursues his interest in seabirds and cetaceans as a founding director of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (now Marinelife), which carries out research, conservation and educational work in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Wed 1st Oct – Wed 1st Oct
6
£130
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£130
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Tom Brereton
Tour Leader: Tom Brereton
Tom has had a lifelong passion for all forms of natural history, and a varied career in wildlife research and nature conservation spanning the last 15 years. After graduating in Environmental Science, Tom spent several years working for the RSPB on a number of bird, botanical and invertebrate survey and research projects. Following an MSc in Conservation at University College, he worked as an independent ecological consultant specialising in botanical surveys. Tom returned to academia in 1993, to complete a PhD on the ecology and conservation of the Grizzled Skipper butterfly. Tom currently works for Butterfly Conservation, as a monitoring and species ecologist, but remains an enthusiastic all-round naturalist, through extensive travel and involvement in a number of voluntary wildlife projects. Tom is active in local botanical, insect and bird surveys, and pursues his interest in seabirds and cetaceans as a founding director of the Biscay Dolphin Research Programme (now Marinelife), which carries out research, conservation and educational work in the English Channel and Bay of Biscay.
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
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At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
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