Return to the Farne Deeps.

Whales and dolphins are addictive. Once you have experienced the high of a close encounter with any of the world's cetaceans you are liable to become a marine mammal junkie and the next fix can't come soon enough!
I had a very successful encounter with the North Sea's White-beaked Dolphins last July on a trip with the "sealdiver" himself, Ben Burville, and I was keen to return so my partner Jane could also witness this unique marine spectacle. But ocean going trips are always subject to the vagaries of the weather and I was gutted when I received a text from Billy Shiels Boats saying that due to forcasted high winds the pelagic was to be postponed from the Saturday afternoon to the Sunday morning. Our hotel had already been booked and the chances of finding somewhere to stay in Northumberland at the height of the summer holiday season seemed remote to say the least; and a fruitless hour spent phoning dozens of hotels in the area proved the point.
I reluctantly phoned Billy Shiels boats to inform them of  my decision to cancel, but was given a tip on where to find accommodation for the Saturday night in Seahouses itself, local knowledge is priceless.
Saturday was spent on a seven mile walk around the beautiful Cheviot Hills. The remote rolling hillsides (we hardly saw another person all day!) and changeable weather (wind and rain) provided a challenging but rewarding excursion.

The iPhone takes a good snap, this could be a
 cover photo for a country walking magazine.

Early Sunday morning found us at the harbour as the tide slowly edged closer to our viewpoint in the car-park, threatening to disturb the Eiders loafing on the rocks below. We made our way along the harbour wall and joined the intrepid band of potential dolphin-watchers being briefed by Ben. We donned our life-jackets and were soon speeding away from Seahouses on board the fast RIB, skippered by the experienced Alan Leatham.
We were only  a few miles out from Seahouses when we came across an unexpected sight. A large and well-scattered group of grey seals were to be seen bobbing in the water. Alan slowed the rib as we all took in the amazing view of myriads of seal heads bobbing in the water, most looking directly at us. Ben told us that they were there to hunt herring and, despite his extensive experience of this part of the North Sea, this was only the second time that he had witnessed this amazing phenomenon.

The seals were spread over a large portion of the sea so it was difficult to estimate their numbers, but there could easily have been over one hundred animals in the area. But they were not our target species, so after a few minutes we continued out to sea, being careful not to disturb the seals.
The Farne Deeps is an area 20 miles off the coast and is one of the best places in the country to observe White-beaked Dolphins. But it goes without saying that the sea is vast and our first stopping point proved fruitless, but there were a lot of seabirds in the vicinity which is always a good sign when looking for cetaceans.



Fulmar gliding past the boat.



Feeding Gannets can be a sign that dolphins are nearby.

We headed off again scanning the ocean intently for any signs of dolphin activity. Suddenly, Ben shouted out saying he thought he had seen splashing in the distance, a sure indication of dolphins; and he was right! Through my binoculars I could see splashes below the horizon, and they were moving closer. White-beaked Dolphins produce distinctive splashing as they "porpoise" through the water, so much so that at a distance the animals themselves are barely visible while the splashes they produce can be clearly seen.
We waited with baited breath, but soon there were at least four dolphins zipping around the boat. Ben jumped in the sea to obtain film of these amazing animals while the rest of us attempted to take photographs, not an easy task as they moved through the sea at some speed. It is a real priveledge that the dolphins choose to be with the boat and, without wishing to be anthropomorphic, they clearly seem to enjoy riding the rib's bow-wave; this behaviour allows us to appreciate these wild animals within touching distance! But it's important not to disturb them so our time with any cetaceans is limited and rightly so. It was soon time to leave this group and go in search of more dolphins.
And it wasn't long before we encountered another group of about eight White-beaked Dolphins. They are inquisitive animals with keen underwater hearing, and this group also made a beeline for the rib. Once again Ben entered the water to obtain video footage and did his best to point out the positions of the animals to the excited watchers on the boat. (N.B. Ben Burville has a special license to film the dolphins.)

They went that way!

And again we obtained magnificent views of the dolphins riding the bow wave, and my partner Jane made use of a bathyscope to watch the dolphins under the water from the safety of the boat. This device, although sounding like some apparatus used by Captain Nemo on board the Nautilus, is in fact a wonderfully simple viewing scope that once placed in the sea eliminates glare and, depending on the clarity of the water, provides stunning views of the dolphins as they swim past below the surface of the sea.

The dolphins played around the rib for about ten minutes, after which they swam away from us but were still visible in the distance as Ben explained about their biology and his own research. I continued to watch the dolphins through my binoculars and was amazed so see some of them leaping out of the water. Their acrobatics reminded me of similar behaviour that I have witnessed amongst the Bottlenose dolphins of Cardigan Bay when they are chasing fish. Alan turned the boat so we could obtain better views, but did not approach the dolphins so as not to cause any disturbance. One individual White-beaked Dolphin breached at least six times; an amazing sight to see, but the position of the boat and the distance of the animal precluded anything but record photos.

We were all more than satisfied by the day's sightings as Alan turned the boat to head back to Seahouses. But we kept our eyes peeled on the return journey and were rewarded with more sightings of the Grey Seals along with numerous Manx Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua.
My craving for dolphins had been sated for a short while, but I'm sure I'll be back soon for another mind-blowing fix!
 

White-beaked Dolphins

Planning  a cetacean-watching trip can be a fraught experience. Will the weather be ok? You really need a calm sea to spot cetaceans, poor visibility due to mist or rain would really hamper things as well. And even if you feel bold enough to venture out to sea in rough weather the skipper of the boat might deem a trip too dangerous in such conditions.. Then there are the animals themselves; the sea is vast. I know that sounds obvious, but when you are looking for distant fins breaking the surface of the water or trying to distinguish the splash caused by a diving Gannet from that of a dolphin you begin to realise that the sighting of any cetacean is not going to be easy when you are bobbing around in a small boat some considerable miles from the shore.
But with the dolphin-finding skills of expert Ben Burville and the boat handling skills of Alan Leatham the odds of finding something exciting increase dramatically. This was my second trip to the Farne Deeps on board the RIB (rigid inflatable boat) Ocean Explorer in search of White-beaked Dolphins. Last September I had ventured north to the beautiful Northumberland coast to join a group of like-minded cetacean watchers in the hope of finding this enigmatic species. Ben is licensed to swim with these dolphins as part of ongoing research with Newcastle University. My trip last year (click here) failed to find any White-beaked Dolphins, apart from the decaying corpse of one unfortunate individual that was providing rich pickings for a few Fulmars. But we did see two Minke Whales and, amazingly, a pod of White-sided Dolphins which are reputedly rarer than the White-beaked Dolphins in this area.
I took my place at the front of the RIB as I believe this is the best spot from which to view any wildlife as it has unhindered views in the direction of travel. But there is a downside to sitting at the front, in all but the calmest conditions, the boat travelling at some considerable speed smacks into the troughs between the waves and your backside and spine truly understand why the boat is called "rigid"! Despite the considerable skill of the skipper who managed to slow down enough to lessen the shock of some of the bigger impacts I did return to harbour with a few bruises, but this is a small price to pay for the chance of viewing some of the world's most beautiful dolphins.
We cruised out of picturesque Beadnell Bay and then put the hammer down to reach the best areas for the dolphin search. After about half an hour Alan put the boat into idle and we eagerly scanned the sea for any signs of activity. Gannets were plunge diving in significant numbers a twelve o'clock from the front of the boat. The feeding activity of these  magnificent Daz-white seabirds are always a good indication of the presence of shoals of fish, which in turn also attract cetaceans.

And, right on cue, a fellow passenger spotted splashing in the distance; dolphins! And they were heading our way. I have seen plenty of dolphins before but never any species that create quite as much splashing as these. Ben confirmed that they were indeed White-beaked Dolphins; success! And wow did they come close! An estimated fifteen or so individuals swam straight towards us and began an amazing display all around the boat; bow-riding, diving, surfacing, blowing and zipping straight under the bow like black and white torpedoes. The markings of this species are stunning with a jet black fin contrasting markedly with blue-grey flanks, black back, a dark slate-grey saddle and a white patch behind the dorsal fin. This along with grey/white flank stripes and white beak make this a very distinctive and beautiful dolphin. Although, interestingly, not all members of the species have white beaks.

 



 

Some species of dolphin such as Bottlenose can be individually recognised by having distinctive dorsal fin shapes, the various notches and nicks acting like the wavy lines of a fingerprint. Researchers photograph the fins and assign names to recognisable animals; this proves invaluable when it comes to conducting research. But White-beaked Dolphins create such a splash when they surface that photographing their dorsal fins is not an easy practice. Instead, Ben enters the sea with the dolphins and takes photos of them underwater.

 

The splash of a White-beaked Dolphin may obscure the pattern of the dorsal fin
and may not be conducive to research, but it does create a very photogenic image.

 

 Some of the dolphins were clearly eyeballing us as they swept past underwater on their sides trying to get a better view as we hung over the sides of RIB snapping away with our cameras. But after about fifteen minutes they grew tired of us and headed away from the boat. This is apparently normal for White-beaked Dolphins. But there were big grins form all the occupants of the boat as we finally had time to take stock and appreciate our amazing encounter.

We spent the rest of the afternoon searching for more cetaceans but to no avail despite seeing numerous flocks of diving Gannets. But we were not too disappointed; our early encounter with these beautiful dolphins could surely not have been bettered. Thanks goes to Ben, Alan and the rest of the dolphin enthusiasts; what a great wildlife experience we all had!

 

 

 

 

 



Dolphin Watching in the Farne Deeps

Last Saturday (13th) my friend Jane and I drove to Northumberland. We were booked on a trip with North Sea Pelagics who take their fast rib boat 20 miles offshore with the aim of observing White-beaked Dolphins.
Our small group assembled in the carpark of picturesque Beadnell Bay, where a film crew were photographing our tour leader Doctor Ben Burville. Ben appeared last year on the BBC's Countryfile programme with John Craven who undertook the same trip as us and had great views of the dolphins, so hopes were high. The tractor towed the rib to the water's edge and we clambered aboard. We decided to occupy the front seats so we could spot anything directly ahead of the boat. Although people at the front of the rib experience more of the bouncing motion as the boat skims over the waves we were undeterred, and enjoyed the roller-coaster ride!Conditions were excellent with a sea state of only 1 to 2, and the early morning fog had mostly dissipated by lunchtime.
The trip to the "Deeps" takes about 45 minutes but there were plenty of seabirds to keep us occupied, including many winter-plumaged Guillemots, Razorbills and the occasional Puffins without their bright summer bills. Fulmars and Gannets were numerous as well.

 

Then ,along with another passenger. I spotted a falcate fin breaking the surface and the unmistakable profile of a Minke Whale! The rib slowed to halt and we spent a short time with this magnificent animal ensuring everyone got a good view while being careful not to cause any disturbance. It was definitely a tricky game trying to predict where it would surface again. At one point it surfaced quite close to the rib and we were treated to a shower of its stinky breath! Interestingly, this whale had a distinctive notch cut out of its dorsal fin; perhaps a close encounter with a ship's propeller or maybe a close shave with an Orca?

 



After this fabulous encounter we continued on our way to where we hoped to see the White-beaked Dolphins. We constantly scanned the calm sea for the tell-tale splashes of dolphins and closely monitored the activities of the seabirds; a flock of circling and diving Gannets is often a sign that cetaceans are in the area. And wow! How amazing are Gannets when they dive!
Soon we saw a flock of Fulmars feeding on something in the water, and even appearing to stand on the waves! We edged the rib closer and discovered what was attracting these "mini-albatrosses"; a dead dolphin! And they were standing on the corpse ass they fed.  It was a large animal with most of its guts showing and its skull almost devoid of flesh. This unfortunate animal was identified as a White-beaked Dolphin; not the view I had hoped for. After a few photos of the Fulmars we beat a hasty retreat from the putrefying stench.

Another Minke was seen by some of the group but it was more distant than the first. We continued on our journey and soon reached the "Deeps". The engine was cut and we scanned the calm waters.It's amazing to be that far out at sea with no sign of land, and not even any other vessels to be seen. Conditions were perfect for viewing cetaceans; if anything at all had broken the surface we would have seen it. But, alas, nothing was seen. We scoured the area, and closely monitored the Gannets to see if they had found any fish shoals. But, unfortunately, there were no large flocks of seabirds and, sadly, no dolphins.
Although some of the Gannets did make sweeping passes of the boat providing fabulous views and a chance to test our skills at aging these magnificent seabirds. Additionally, we saw good numbers of juvenile Kittiwakes which were carefully scrutinised in the hope of finding a Sabine's Gull.

We made our way slowly back and were very fortunate to find another confiding Minke Whale that provided another photographic challenge in the dull evening light.

The sun was getting lower in the sky and it was time to head for the shore. But our ever vigilant group did not give up hope.
And then there they were! A pod of dolphins in the dusk! The group of maybe a dozen animals swam adjacent to the rib, with some even riding the bow wave! Amazing! Everyone on the rib was ecstatic with high-fives, whoops and cheers all around. But, wait, these weren't the expected White-beaked Dolphins. They had pale lateral flank stripes that were clearly visible when they leapt from the water despite the fading light. Photography was difficult in the evening gloom but record shots were taken which later confirmed the species as Atlantic White-sided Dolphin; a species I had never seen before! Very unexpected, but that's the beauty of wildlife.
A tired but very happy crew made their way back the sandy bay at Beadnell, where we said our thank yous and goodbyes. And no doubt we were all planning our next northern pelagic as soon as we left the carpark!

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