Moray Firth Dolphins

[masted]

Hi,
Have been tempted by articles on dolphin watching from the shore. Booked a couple of days round the Moray Firth mid May (as per Natures Calendar). Anybody tried this, did you do any good? Or have I been fooled again and all the dolphins are contracted by the BBC and only appear for Bill Oddie or Chris Packham?
cheers,
Dave

[LindaB]

Hi

I didnt book at that time of year but when we went a couple of years ago to that area, around the last week of June/first week July we never saw one lol.

We stayed at a B&B quite close to the Moray Firth and regularly went there, also on any trips out where we crossed over the bridge, we never saw a thing. The landlady couldnt believe we hadn't seen any in the whole week as apparently they are seen quite regularly by the local people.

We have however, seen them and porpoises on another 2 trips to Scotland over the West side: on a boat trip to Mull we saw them and up around the area of Kyle of Lochalsh/Isle of Skye.

Good luck.

Linda

[phinz]

Hello,
We usually go up to the Moray Firth in August each year for a couple of weeks and we've had plenty of luck! In my experience it really is the best place to see lots of very active dolphins from the shore. I've spent quite a lot of time at Spey Bay near the wildlife centre and although its good for seeing seals and osprey I've only seen the dolphins there once and they were pretty far out. It's much better if you go up to Chanonry Point on the Black Isle. When the dolphins are there they can be just off the point so about 15m away, jumping all over the place and throwing salmon around. In my experience they seem to be pretty consistent in the time they time they turn up so if you call at the Dolphin and Seal centre in North Kessock first they have a sightings board and will give you a print out for the tide so you have a better idea of when to go to the point.

We've also tried out quite a few of the boat trips and the best I've found is Dolphin Trips Avoch , it seems to be the one nearest to Chanonry point and every time we've been out with him we've seen the dolphins.

Hope that helps.

Christine

[VinceS]

We see the dolphins every year but in October. Never been out on a boat but have seen them from Chanonry and from the coast at a village called Hopeman. Best time seems to be just as the tide is turning to go out. Spectacular site to see them jumping out of the water. Hope you are lucky

Vince

[masted]

Thanks for the advice.
I appreciate that these are wild creatures and sightings are not guaranteed, but it looks like I can set off in an optimistic frame of mind. Should the weather preclude dolphins there seems to be plenty of other opportunities for wildlife viewing. Wish I'd booked more than 2 days now!
cheers, Dave

[ladyhawk]

I was lucky one day went out in my cousins boat and the dolphins were jumping all around me, you might be lucky but it is later on in the summer they are most active in moray firth another good place is Buckie when the tide is right in they swim right beside you, they have not been seen so often past the bridge due to pollution which is sad.

[Speyside]

Hi Dave,

I live in the area and have seen dolphins on many occasions. From the shore at chanonry point, findhorn, cullen and spey bay. I also had a boat trip and was lucky to see lots of dolphins playing with the boat and this was in early March(!)

I've seen "spotting" locations for dolphins on Greater Speyside, Speyside and Moray, accommodation, events, whisky, festivals and visitor attractions in Speyside, Moray and Greater Speyside and on the Dolphin Space Programme | Home web site.

Hope this helps. Have a great time in Moray!

Rene

[masted]

Arrived in Inverness late afternoon and set off staight away for Channonry point. Expecting a wait but saw dolphins within a couple of minutes! Mother & calf, so no acrobatics. Same next morning, it was so easy, a few more adults there too. Only one other person on the point, I couldn't believe it, though we did go early before touring round looking for other stuff like osprey. Would have been more comfortable without the onshore wind, but never mind, that's a box I'm so glad I've ticked. Beautiful area altogether.
Target this month - swallowtail butterflies in Norfolk. If this trip goes half as well I'll be delighted.

Dave

[mrs fish]

That sounds so cool being able to watch Dolphins

[Jas Dee]

Having visited on a number of ocassions I have found that it is worth visiting the tourist information centre on the Kessock Bridge and getting the times of the low tides. At about an hour before low tide time the movement of the water causes a whirlpool between Chanonry Point and Fort George point and traps fish - this is the best time for the dolphins to feed. From then for about 2 hours you will catch sight of fins as the dolphins come up for air. It is worth waiting on untill they finish feeding - that is when they have fun throwing fish to each other, jumping and surfing along the point.

[larachmor]

The best time of year for seeing dolphins in the Moray Firth is generally from May through to September. Though they can be seen at any time of the year they tend to drift down the coast to areas around Aberdeen.
The best place to see them is undoubtedly Chanonry Point, near Fortrose. The best time of day to see them is from low water onwards - in my experience around an hour or two after when the tidal currents begin to swirl around The Point - this will virtually guarantee sightings of dolphin.
Very low tides are particularly favourable - It is a matter of luck if the dolphins start to perform - when they do, this is frequently within yards of The Point - and I mean yards, so close that you will hear them blowing!!
The boat from Avoch is in my opinion very expensive - around £15 for an hour, much of which will be spent going the few miles to and from The Point. Save your money and stay at The Point - and the views are invariably better.
A mate of mine - Charlie Phillips works for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, and he spends a great of his time - much of it around The Point, taking photos by which he and his team are able to identify individual creatures. During the summer months he runs a blog, and it is here that you can get a general idea of the current activity.

http://www.adoptadolphin.com/blog/

Taken from the beach at Chanonry Point ....