Where and when to see marine wildlife in Scotland

From puffins to orcas, Scotland has no shortage of fascinating marine life. We are an island country after all! Take the time to get up close to some of nature’s most incredible beings in their beautiful coastal and marine habitats, and experience awe-inspiring moments of connection with nature.

Here’s our guide on where and when to see Scotland’s marine wildlife.

A Stand Up Paddleboarding lesson by Basking Shark Scotland at Ganavan Bay, Oban
© VisitScotland / Stuart Brunton

Tours

A wildlife watching tour ready to leave Lerwick harbour

One of the best ways to see marine wildlife in Scotland in any season is to take a guided tour by experts on our marine animals and birds, vastly increasing your chances of a sighting.

Boat trips are an ideal way to see both marine animals and birds, where you’ll get a great view while causing minimal disruption to onshore breeding sites. You’re also likely to see more than one type of animal when you take a tour. Although, do be sure to take an accredited boat tour for the wellbeing and safety of the (often curious) sea animals.

See all of our listings for wildlife tours by boat, and be sure to select your chosen month for the most relevant options.

Year-round sightings

Otter cubs on Yell, Shetland
© Neil McIntyre

Otters

Otters live along the seashore and in rivers or lochs, more commonly in the north or west coast. It’s estimated that there are 8,000 living in Scotland. Otters are regularly seen in Shetland, which has the highest density of otters anywhere in Europe, and possibly the world! They are most active from evening till very early morning, breed all year round, and you might hear their playful ‘peep’ whistle before you see them.

Some of the best places to see otters include:

Shetland – Try a day tour with Shetland Photo Tours for £300 per adult, or Shetland Nature for £175 per adult
Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides – Bright Water Visitor Centre, and Kylerhea Marine Hide
Isle of Mull, Argyll & Bute – Try Mull Wildlife Tours for £70 per adult
Kerrera island, the Inner Hebrides – Try a 2-hour boat trip round the island with Argyll-Sea Tours, departing Oban for £24 per adult
The Moray Firth – around Spey Bay and Culbin Sands
Mallaig, The Highlands – Explore the surrounding shore and beaches by foot
Aberdeen – The River Don, flowing through Seaton Park

Bottlenose dolphin in the Moray Firth
© Neil McIntyre

Bottlenose and common dolphins

Dolphins are very intelligent and playful creatures – they are always fascinating and engaging to watch! They can be seen throughout the year, although they may be more visible in the spring and summer when the sea is calm. There are healthy populations of both bottlenose and common dolphins in Scotland, and they are quite easy to spot, particularly from small islands on the west coast.

Some of the best places to see dolphins include:

The Moray Firth – Try the beach below the lighthouse at Chanonry Point on the north shore, or the WDC Scottish Dolphin Centre on the south shore
Aberdeen – RSPB Dolphinwatch at Torry Battery
Isle of Mull, Argyll & Bute – Try a day-trip boat tour with Sea Life Surveys for £90 per adult
Oban, Argyll & Bute – Try a 2-hour boat tour with Seafari Adventures from £53 per adult
Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides – Try a 2-hour boat tour with SeaSkye Marine for £40 per adult

White Tailed Sea Eagle with catch on the Isle of Mull
© Neil McIntyre

White tailed sea eagles

The largest bird in the UK, the impressive white tailed sea eagle has a wingspan of 2.5 metres on average, and stands at almost a meter tall! They are scavengers, but also hunt for fish, rabbits and seabirds. They became extinct in the UK in 1918, but thanks to successful reintroduction programmes, they are now thriving in several hotspots! There is potential to spot them on any wildlife boat tour, in the north or west of Scotland in particular.

Some of the best places to see sea eagles include:

Orkney – Explore Hoy, one of the Orkney islands, or try a day tour with Wild Orkney Walks for £85 per adult
Isle of Skye – Try a 2-hour boat tour with Stardust Boat Trips (the sea eagle experts!) for £30 per adult
Isle of Rum, one of the Small Isles near Skye – head to Rum National Nature Reserve
Isle of Mull – Mull Eagle Watch
Ardnamurchan – An unspoiled area of wilderness on the west coast, west of Fort William
Fife – Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve

Common and Grey Seals
© VisitOrkney / Raymond Besant

Grey and common seals

Seals can be seen year-round resting ashore on rocks between their deep-sea fishing trips. The time to see adorable grey seal pups is when they are born onshore, between late September and late November. They stay ashore until they have been weaned and finished moulting in late December. However, the smaller common (or harbour) seals are born onshore in June, thus mothers with pups can be spotted on beaches in summer.

Some of the best places to see seals include:

Shetland – Try a 3-hour boat tour by Seabirds-and-Seals (April – October) for £65 per adult, or Shetland Wildlife Boat Tours, also £50 for 3 hours.
Orkney and Caithness coast – Try a 1.5-hour boat tour with John O’Groats Ferries for £22 per adult
Moray Firth – Try a 2-hour boat tour with North 58 Sea Adventures for £40 per adult
Firth of Tay – Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve
Ythan Estuary – Forvie National Nature Reserve
Oban – Try a 1-hour boat tour with Argyll-Sea Tours for just £12 per adult

Seasonal sightings

Puffins

(April - August)

In spring, these absolutely adorable yet hardy little birds return to Scotland to breed at their favourite nesting spots. They can be spotted rearing their chicks in cliff-top burrows from late March to late August on numerous cliff tops around Scotland. The largest colony is found on the remote bird-haven isle of St Kilda.

Some of the best places to see puffins include:

Shetland – Try Sumburgh Head, the Hermaness Nature Reserve on Unst or the Isle of Noss on a 2-hour boat tour with Shetland Seabird Tours for £50 per adult
Orkney – head to Marwick Head on West Mainland or Castle O’ Burrian on the Isle Westray
Firth of Forth – The Isle of May National Nature Reserve or Bass Rock, both accessible by boat tour from the Scottish Seabird Centre
St Kilda – See this incredible island situated to the farthest reach of the Outer Hebrides with a day tour by Go to St Kilda, departing Skye for £260 per adult
Isle of Mull – Lunga, or try a day-trip boat tour from Mull with Turus Mara for £65 per adult
The Treshnish Islands, just west of the Isle of Mull – Staffa National Nature Reserve
Aberdeenshire – RSPB Scotland Fowlsheugh Nature Reserve

Orcas

(May - August)

Orcas, also known as killer whales, are actually the largest member of the dolphin family. These incredibly intelligent animals live and hunt together in family pods. They can be more elusive to spot than some of our other marine wildlife, but are mostly sighted between May and August in the far north around the Shetland and Orkney islands, when they come inshore to hunt the common seals that are rearing their pups on beaches. They are also occasionally spotted around the Hebridean islands.

Some of the best places to see orcas include:

Shetland – Try a 2-hour boat tour with Shetland Seabird Tours, during which you might also see seals, otters and whales, for £50 per adult
Caithness coast and Orkney islands – Try a 1.5-hour boat tour with John O’Groats Ferries, sailing from John O’Groats for £22 per adult

Gannets

(April - September)

These sleek and eye-catching sea birds migrate to Scotland in early spring to spend the summer raising their young here. Scotland is one of the best places to see them as the biggest colony in Europe can be found on the Bass Rock, just offshore from North Berwick. The island is known for appearing white due to the sheer number of birds and their droppings! You can watch them diving headlong into the water at speed in a truly impressive spectacle!

Some of the best places to see gannets include:

North Berwick – The Scottish Seabird Centre runs boat tours to the Bass Rock and other surrounding islands
Aberdeenshire – RSPB Scotland Troup Head Nature Reserve
Shetland – The island of Noss, try a 3-hour tour with Shetland Wildlife Boat Tours for £50 per adult
St Kilda – See this incredible island situated to the farthest reach of the Outer Hebrides with a day tour by Go to St Kilda, departing Skye for £260 per adult

Minke whales

(May - October)

Minke whales are very distinctive looking, and grow to 8 – 8.5 meters long on average. They can be found all around Scotland between May and October, but a few of them will remain here year-round. They often feed in shallower water and come close to land. Juvenile minke whales can be very inquisitive and may approach boats, so please make sure to view them with accredited operators.

Some of the best places to see minke whales include:

Lewis and Harris – Try a 4-5 hour boat tour with Hebridean Adventures
Gairloch – Try a 2.5-hour boat tour with Hebridean Whale Cruises for £65 per adult
Isle of Skye – Try a 3-hour boat tour with SeaSkye Marine for £55 per adult
Isle of Mull – Try a 3-hour boat tour to whale feeding grounds with Seafari Adventures, departing Oban or Mull for £68 per adult

Basking sharks

(July - September)

Growing to around 6-8 meters, basking sharks are the second largest fish in the world! These gentle summer visitors feed entirely on plankton – their feeding method is to glide slowly along the surface with their enormous mouths open. If you’re feeling brave, the most memorable way to see these sharks in Scotland is to get in the water and swim with them! Try a scuba diving tour with Basking Shark Scotland around Oban, from just £45 per adult.

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Where and when to see marine wildlife in Scotland

Tours