Go Whalewatching from Oban ! Follow @highland_tiger
Please note : whalewatching trips are only offered as full-day excursions and only run between June and August.
Yes, you can go whalewatching from Oban on board Highland Tiger...
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If you want the chance to see whales around the UK, then the west coast of Scotland is one of the best places to be to make the most of this incredible opportunity. As with any other form of wildlife, whales have a preferred habitat and follow their food source - and the waters around the Hebrides provide these conditions. But you won't see them just anywhere....
Where are they....?
It's unusual to see a whale close inshore or in shallow waters so we'll be traveling to the west end of the Sound of Mull, to the waters around Ardnamurchan and Coll, or south toward Jura and the Garvellachs. This is a fantastic opportunity to travel through one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland, with diverse wildlife and scenery: waterfalls tumble from majestic cliffs, historic castles stand proudly on headlands and ancient oakwoods hug shorelines blasted by Atlantic storms. Seeing a whale may well be the highlight of your journey, but you'll see many other amazing sights too.
When can we see them....?
We only run specifc whalewatching trips between June and August, because these are the months when you are most likely to achieve sightings.
Which whales might we see...?
You're most likely to see the northern, or common, minke whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata ), a seasonal visitor to Hebridean waters as they move north in summer towards cooler polar waters around Iceland, Greenland and Spitzbergen. Minke whales can grow to an average length of 8 metres and weigh between five and ten tonnes and it is estimated that they can live for up to 50 years.
Very occasionally, there are also sightings of orca, or 'killer whale' (Orcinius orca). Orca can grow up to 8.5 metres long, with an easily-identifiable pointed dorsal fin which can be up to 1.3 metres high. A top predator, orca hunt collectively in groups or 'pods'. It is believed that they can live for up to 80 years.
Minke whales are very curious and will often approach a boat, so sightings can be at close quarters! However, as with all wildlife, they choose whether or not to tolerate us in their environment and we have to behave responsibly whilst in their domain - we are whale-watching, not whale-chasing!
The reality of whalewatching...
If the real question here is "can you guarantee that we'll see a whale", then the answer is definitely "no.." The only places where there is a guarantee of seeing 'wild' creatures are zoos and aquariums. Waiting for a whale to appear in a vast expanse of sea can be like watching paint dry, but the resulting experience is worth waiting for.
What else will I see...?
Seeing a whale might be the focus of your cruise on Highland Tiger, but we'd like to think that you'll appreciate the possibility of seeing far more than this.... Common and bottlenose dolphin, porpoise and basking sharks are all resident in the waters of the Hebrides, along with an array of seabirds which include puffin, guillemot, gannet, shearwater, petrels, skua, terns, fulmar and kittiwake. There's always a good chance that we'll see golden and white-tailed sea-eagles too.
Please note : whalewatching trips are only offered as full-day excursions.
