Ocean Atlas · Europe and Mediterranean
United Kingdom
Cold, green Atlantic seas in Scotland and the far south west, with basking sharks, dolphins, seals, puffins and deep historic wrecks.

Ethics pass, open for travel. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, Explanatory Notes, legislation.gov.uk; Basking Shark Code of Conduct, Shark Trust; Above 18m: blue shark encounters in Cornwall, Divernet.
🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The US State Department renewed its advisory for the United Kingdom on 9 Sep 2026 at Level 2, exercise increased caution, due to terrorism. Australia's Smartraveller advises a high degree of caution. Sources: US State Department travel advisory, United Kingdom · Smartraveller, United Kingdom Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.
Why United Kingdom
In the Hebrides, basking sharks feed in summer and minke whales, common dolphins and seals share the same sea. The Sea of the Hebrides is protected for basking sharks. In Scotland it is a crime to disturb whales, dolphins or basking sharks on purpose or by being careless. A small group snorkel with basking sharks may be possible here, only with a guide who follows the basking shark code: four people in the water, 4 metres away, no touching and no flash. In the Moray Firth about 220 bottlenose dolphins hunt close to the shore. In Orkney, Scapa Flow holds the sunken German fleet of 1919, and the wrecks are protected, so divers look but never take. In England, the Farne Islands have grey seals and puffins, and Lundy was England's first Marine Conservation Zone. We do not join shark trips that use bait or chum. The last two orcas of the West Coast Community, two old males, still travel these coasts.
Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.
When to go
May-Sep. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.
We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.
Can we travel here ethically?
Ethics pass
Meets the Ocean Calling standard.
In Scotland it is a crime to disturb whales, dolphins or basking sharks on purpose or by being careless. We watch whales, dolphins and seals from the boat or the shore, and a small basking shark snorkel follows the shark code, with a trained guide and no bait. In Cornwall some blue shark trips use chum and bait, so we do not join them.
Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.
Where in United Kingdom
Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.
Inner Hebrides (Coll, Tiree and Mull)
ExploringSummer islands where basking sharks feed near the surface, with minke whales, dolphins and seals nearby.
🤿 In the water: Basking sharks (snorkel only, small guided group of four, 4 metres away, never baited, only if the shark stays calm)
⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Basking sharks, Minke whales, Common dolphins, Bottlenose dolphins, Harbour porpoises, Grey and common seals, Humpback whales (sometimes)
When: Jun-Sep. Basking sharks are here from about May to October, most often in summer, and fewer have been seen in recent years. Weather decides every day at sea.
Moray Firth and Chanonry Point
ExploringA narrow point near Inverness where bottlenose dolphins often hunt salmon close to the shore, watched from the beach.
⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Bottlenose dolphins (from the shore), Harbour porpoises, Seals
When: May-Sep. Summer is the best time, and late summer is when new calves are born. The dolphins come and go with the tide and the fish.
Orkney and Scapa Flow
ExploringA sheltered bay holding the German fleet sunk in 1919, protected wrecks for experienced drysuit divers.
🤿 In the water: Protected First World War wrecks (look, never touch or take), Cold green water with kelp and reef life
⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Grey and common seals, Seabirds
When: May-Sep. Diving runs mostly in the warmer months. The wrecks are deep and cold, for experienced drysuit divers only.
Farne Islands
ExploringSmall islands off Northumberland with puffins in early summer and grey seals all year, seen from the boat or on a short landing.
⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Puffins (May to July), Grey seals (all year, pups in autumn), Other seabirds
When: May-Jul. Puffins nest from May to July and leave by early August. Landings run April to September and can be cancelled by weather.
Lundy
ExploringA granite island in the Bristol Channel and England's first Marine Conservation Zone, home to grey seals.
⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Grey seals, Seabirds, Dolphins (sometimes, on the crossing)
When: May-Sep. The island boat runs in the warmer months. Lundy has had a no take zone since 2003 and became England's first Marine Conservation Zone in 2010.
Animals recorded in United Kingdom
Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.
Common minke whale (North Atlantic)Balaenoptera acutorostrataSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Basking sharkCetorhinus maximusSeen in 23 countries in the AtlasEndangered
Grey sealHalichoerus grypusSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Harbour porpoisePhocoena phocoenaSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Moon jellyfishAurelia aurita and other Aurelia speciesSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasNot Evaluated
Lion's mane jellyfishCyanea capillataSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasNot Evaluated
Green turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Sperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Loggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Blue whaleBalaenoptera musculusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasEndangered
Ocean sunfish (mola)Mola molaSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Long-finned pilot whaleGlobicephala melasSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Risso's dolphinGrampus griseusSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Silvertip sharkCarcharhinus albimarginatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Striped dolphinStenella coeruleoalbaSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Cuvier's beaked whaleZiphius cavirostrisSeen in 42 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Kemp's ridley turtleLepidochelys kempiiSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered
North Atlantic right whaleEubalaena glacialisSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered
Rough-toothed dolphinSteno bredanensisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Silky sharkCarcharhinus falciformisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Bull sharkCarcharhinus leucasSeen in 30 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Blacktip sharkCarcharhinus limbatusSeen in 49 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Galápagos sharkCarcharhinus galapagensisSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Sandbar sharkCarcharhinus plumbeusSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasEndangered
Portuguese man o' warPhysalia physalisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasNot Evaluated
Atlantic walrusOdobenus rosmarus rosmarusSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
Common octopusOctopus vulgarisSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Magellanic penguinSpheniscus magellanicusSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Pygmy sperm whaleKogia brevicepsSeen in 23 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Spiny dogfishSqualus acanthiasSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Atlantic white-sided dolphinLagenorhynchus acutusSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Mauve stinger jellyfishPelagia noctilucaSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasNot Evaluated
Brown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
SailfishIstiophorus platypterusSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Atlantic bluefin tunaThunnus thynnusSeen in 39 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Scarlet ibisEudocimus ruberSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast Concern
King penguinAptenodytes patagonicusSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Gentoo penguinPygoscelis papuaSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Southern rockhopper penguinEudyptes chrysocomeSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Black-browed albatrossThalassarche melanophrisSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Red-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Atlantic herringClupea harengusSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
White-tailed eagleHaliaeetus albicillaSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast Concern
Common smooth-houndMustelus mustelusSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasEndangered
American flamingoPhoenicopterus ruberSeen in 47 countries in the AtlasLives on landLeast Concern
Greenland sharkSomniosus microcephalusSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Bearded sealErignathus barbatusSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
Great cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Wilson's storm-petrelOceanites oceanicusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Northern gannetMorus bassanusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Scopoli's shearwaterCalonectris diomedeaSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Leach's storm-petrelHydrobates leucorhousSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Manx shearwaterPuffinus puffinusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Great shearwaterArdenna gravisSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
European shagGulosus aristotelisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Small-spotted catshark (lesser spotted dogfish)Scyliorhinus caniculaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Tope shark (school shark)Galeorhinus galeusSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered
Northern fulmarFulmarus glacialisSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Yelkouan shearwaterPuffinus yelkouanSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Bluntnose sixgill sharkHexanchus griseusSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
Marbled electric rayTorpedo marmorataSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Common thresherAlopias vulpinusSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerableKitefin sharkDalatias lichaSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Velvet belly lanternsharkEtmopterus spinaxSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Thornback rayRaja clavataSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
NursehoundScyliorhinus stellarisSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Swinhoe's storm-petrelHydrobates monorhisSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedAtlantic torpedo (electric ray)Tetronarce nobilianaSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Double-crested cormorantPhalacrocorax auritusSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Spinner sharkCarcharhinus brevipinnaSeen in 14 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Common stingrayDasyatis pastinacaSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBigeye thresherAlopias superciliosusSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Starry ray (thorny skate)Amblyraja radiataSeen in 12 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
PorbeagleLamna nasusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLongnose velvet dogfishCentroselachus crepidaterSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
Dusky sharkCarcharhinus obscurusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasEndangeredLeafscale gulper sharkCentrophorus squamosusSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasEndangered
Pelagic stingrayPteroplatytrygon violaceaSeen in 11 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSpotted ray (homelyn ray)Raja montaguiSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Blonde rayRaja brachyuraSeen in 10 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedStarry smooth-houndMustelus asteriasSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedBlue skateDipturus batisSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredBlackmouth catsharkGaleus melastomusSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBirdbeak dogfishDeania calceaSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasNear Threatened
Sowerby's beaked whaleMesoplodon bidensSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPortuguese dogfishCentroscymnus coelolepisSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedLongnosed skateDipturus oxyrinchusSeen in 8 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Macaroni penguinEudyptes chrysolophusSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Undulate rayRaja undulataSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedCuckoo rayLeucoraja naevusSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedBlack dogfishCentroscyllium fabriciiSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBroadnose skateBathyraja brachyuropsSeen in 7 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedSmall-eyed rayRaja microocellataSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedRound skateRajella fyllaeSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSandy rayLeucoraja circularisSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasVulnerable
Chinstrap penguinPygoscelis antarcticusSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTell Rocío what you would love to see
There is no trip here yet. If enough people ask, it helps us decide where to go next.
Based in United Kingdom?
We are always happy to hear from exceptional local operators, accommodation, conservation organisations and destination experts in United Kingdom. If your work fits responsible, small-group ocean travel, we would love to learn more.
Partner with Ocean CallingSwim with humpback whales in Moʻorea, September 2027
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