September 2024

With some calm weather forecast, Andy suggested we take a trip out west to Gairloch, to go on the whale watching trip that departs from there, taking in the seas all around that area, as far out as Lewis and Harris. We were exceptionally lucky with the conditions, with mirror-like water around the harbour.

Donning buoyancy suits, we clambered aboard the rib, and headed out into the open water, seeing loads of common dolphins along the way.

Even with the amazing conditions, locating whales is clearly tricky and it took us a while to find one. A humpback called Taylor, after the Foo Fighters' late drummer, not Miss Swift.

We enjoyed some incredibly close views as the whale swam along, and the highlight for me was when he went under the boat, and surfaced just a few metres away from us. I could barely fit the fluke in the frame, even zoomed right out.

We also saw minke whales and a fin whale, but the humpie was my favourite, and the trip is definitely something I intend on doing again, next year.