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Sightings
Killer Whale - orcinus orca
This very distinctive whale with its dramatic black and white markings are only occasionally seen around Gairloch. The killer whale reaches lengths of 9m (30ft) and have a single blowhole and tall dorsal fins. The males have taller fins at about 1.9m (6ft) compared to females and juveniles.
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 | Basking Sharks - cetorhinus maximus
The basking shark is the second largest fish in the world. Adults can reach lengths of 12m (40ft), In local waters, juveniles at an average length of 6 m (20ft) are more usually seen. Despite its size, the basking shark is a harmless plankton feeder and we often see them swimming at the surface with their mouths open as they sieve the plankton from the water.
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 | Seabirds
The different species of seabird that are encountered during our trips are far too numerous to list individually but include the puffin, guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake, herring gull, gannet, Manx shearwater, storm petrel, arctic and great skua, amongst others. Simply thousands of these birds can be sighted in one day.
Some species of bird are associated with the feeding whales and dolphins, a fascinating interaction to watch. Clouds of hovering birds diving to the surface to grab fish are often a great clue that whales and dolphins are around.
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