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The harbour porpoise is actually an endangered species, so the Sea Watch Foundation (a UK whale and dolphin charity) has given us a tablet computer to keep on board Sea Serpent to record all our porpoise and dolphin sightings. This helps the charity learn more about them and how to protect them.

This July we are running a special 'Porpoise and Dolphin Survey' trip in conjunction with Sea Watch as part of their National Whale and Dolphin Week.

Check back with us for more dolphin encounter stories, photos, and details of the Sea Watch's work.

And when you come out on a trip with us, remember to keep your eyes peeled for the whole journey!

We will need your help to name more seals as we photograph them through the season, so keep an eye out for lots of seal related photos and posts over the coming months.

Dolphin and porpoise sightings

Another star attraction in the summer months are the common dolphins. They are so playful and make a fantastic trip into a truly unforgettable one!

But these aren’t the only dolphins in our waters. The harbour porpoise is a small species of dolphin which is resident here, so we see them regularly through the whole season. They are often a little overlooked due to their shy nature which sometimes makes them hard to spot, but they are beautifully serene creatures and our passengers love seeing them.

Over the last few years we have been taking photos of our seals and have begun to recognize the same individuals year after year.  Some are old friends and have been spotted from our boat for 10 years or more.

This year I am conducting a study on the seals at Worms Head for my university Masters project, to learn more about their movements and behaviours, and hopefully getting to know them much better.

Each individual seal has unique markings and can therefore be identified. We have started to name the individuals we recognize according to a marking we see in their fur, for example:

Things to look out for soon:

Help us name our seals

As you're probably aware now, Atlantic grey seals regularly haul out on to the rocks at Worms Head to rest, and are often seen dozing or playing in the water there too. They are the main attraction for our passengers for obvious reasons:

Nearing the end of the trip it was time to pull up the lobster pot and examine the catch of the day. The kids on board were fascinated as Dave showed them lobsters, big brown crabs, spiny spider crabs, and starfish.

After returning our catch safely back in to the sea we cruised back to the beach, having thoroughly enjoyed an awesome trip."

Four years later and, not surprisingly, I'm still here striving to make every trip as thrilling as my first adventure. My enthusiasm for my local wildlife and sharing it with others hasn't waned. It's not difficult to maintain, especially when your boss is just as enthusiastic!

 Hundreds of sea birds were nesting and resting on the cliffs here. Guillemots and razorbills nestled together on the ledges above, some huddling over their eggs, others flapping down on to the water. Kittiwake chicks sat in twos and threes in their nests, and herring gulls lead their young along the island rocks in search of food.

On the return journey we ventured a little further out to sea. I saw the rolling backs of harbour porpoises, beautiful resident dolphins, as they surfaced and then dipped away again. Huge white gannets performed their spectacular high-speed dive next to them.

 Cormorants were perched on the rocks drying their wings out in the sunshine, and several straight-winged fulmars soared around above us.

There were plenty of intriguing caves, and interesting historic and nautical stories to take in along the way too.

At Worms Head, an impressive tidal island at the tip of the Gower peninsula, the obvious attraction was the seals basking on the rocks or poking their heads up out of the water in their inquisitive fashion. We drifted gently past them as they rested or squabbled over their favourite rock.

Just a little bit about me

I'm Lizzie, one of the guides aboard the boat trips, and Dave the skipper's right hand woman. I started working for Gower Coast Adventures in the late spring of 2013, having just finished a degree in marine biology at Swansea University.

Working on the beach and out at sea, getting to watch my local marine life every day, and share this passion with others sounded like a dream job to me.

And I haven't been disappointed!

My Gower Coast Adventure:

"From day one I was hooked. Tagging along on my first trip to begin learning my role was an incredible eye-opener.

Our group strolled down the beach to the water's edge as Sea Serpent approached in the shallows for us to board. We settled into our seats and, after a short safety briefing and a few spins in the bay, we set off around the headland.

We skimmed along the glistening sea close to the coasline, taking in all the beautiful bays and inlets of the Gower coast from this unique perspective.

Meet the crew

All of our crew are life-long nature enthusiasts and lovers of all things marine, we are passionate about conserving it and feel priviledged to be able to show it and share it with others. We hope you come away from your adventure with us with a little more nature knowledge, and most importantly love and enthusiasm for protecting it too.

There is nothing quite like witnessing our local wild animals in their natural environment, exhibiting natural behaviours. So we aim to provide memorable welsh wildlife encounters for each and every one of our passengers, and we strive to make each trip fun and engaging from the moment you arrive until you disembark.

Welcome!

Welcome to Gower Coast Adventures' first blog post (of many!). We will be blogging often throughout the season to bring you up-to-date news, stories, and photos of Gower's wealth of wildlife and insights into other features along the beautiful coastline that we encounter on our boat trips.

We've got so much to share with you, from legends of sea caves, shipwrecks, and smugglers, to sunbathing seals, spectacular seabirds, and spirited cetaceans. We're keen to show you what creatures we haul up in our lobster pot too, and enthuse about the more unusual marine life that visits our coast.