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About Us
Established in 1989 Gairloch Marine Life Centre & Cruises is one of the longest running marine wildlife operators in Europe and has the longest running porpoise survey world-wide. We offer scenic and wildlife survey cruises around Gairloch, on the magnificent west coast of the Highlands of Scotland, with the emphasis on research and education. As Ian is a Marine Biologist, much of our time is spent researching marine mammal behaviour. As part of our ongoing research with Sea Watch Foundation and Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust all sightings during our cruises are recorded and input into our onboard computer. As well as being used for our own research purposes this important data is also shared with scientists and statisticians as part of their ongoing cetacean studies. We are the only marine wildlife cruise operator in the area to be accredited by both the Scottish Marine Wildlife Operators Association and WISE Scheme and comply with the marine wildlife operators’ code of conduct. We are also members of the SeaWatch Foundation and Wild Scotland. Our monitoring and data collection is funded only by wildlife cruises offered between March and October each year. The cruises aim to inform and educate visitors about the marine environment and eco tourism. We also have a visitor information centre, with no charge for entry, which offers video, photographic, ID guides and sightings data for the Gairloch area. We have in excess of three thousand visitors a year through the centre, made up of visiting tourists, local people, wildlife groups, school and university parties, businesses such as wildlife photographers, television companies and journalists all with a keen interest in the wildlife in our area. 
Things don’t stop at the end of the summer season though; much of our time during the winter months is spent preparing for the next season with general maintenance and modifications to the boat. We spend time updating information for the website and generally catching up on lots of things after a very busy summer season! |
