Nick Davies made the company to what it is today, moving the focus from sea angling close to shore, with M.V. Kerry, towards exploring the open Sea of the North Minch, with Orca 1, where we encounter Whales & Dolphins close to offshore feeding grounds.
Exploring the open sea also opened up the way towards the Shiant Islands, where we are able to see the stunning beauty of the islands, where among others Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots and more bird species find there nest, where Golden and White-tailed Eagles roam the sky, and where Common & Grey Seals have their home.Today, Nick's direction, passion and knowledge is still the foundation of our trips.
Exploring the open sea also opened up the way towards the Shiant Islands, where we are able to see the stunning beauty of the islands, where among others Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots and more bird species find there nest, where Golden and White-tailed Eagles roam the sky, and where Common & Grey Seals have their home.Today, Nick's direction, passion and knowledge is still the foundation of our trips.
Services
We start our season with cruises towards the Shiant Islands, where we are not only enchanted by the stunning beauty of the Islands, but also by the presence of hundred thousands of nesting birds (including Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots). The Shiant Islands are also the home of hundreds of Grey and Common Seal and the ideal location for Golden and White-tailed Eagles to roam the sky.
She is a sea-going RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) with the power to travel quickly to whale and dolphin feeding grounds offshore. Powered by Yamaha 300 hp twin engines, 'Orca 1' has excellent stability at sea, is able to plane effortlessly across the water, and is highly maneuverable. She has the power, speed and strength to take you quickly and safely into offshore waters where whale and dolphin sightings are most common.
From mid-May until mid-September we'll be running both our 2.5 h 'Whales & Wildlife' cruises and our 4h 'Ultimate Orca 1' cruises on daily basis* on different moments of the day. So hopefully everybody can find their perfect moment.
During the summer months, the 'Ultimate Orca 1' cruise departs either early in the morning or late afternoon to take advantage of usually more favourable sea conditions in the morning/evening as we search much more open water areas and it is still daylight this far north.Generally, the morning cruise departs at 0900/1000 hrs and the afternoon cruise departs between 1300/1500 hrs depending on the duration of the morning cruises.
During the summer months, the 'Ultimate Orca 1' cruise departs either early in the morning or late afternoon to take advantage of usually more favourable sea conditions in the morning/evening as we search much more open water areas and it is still daylight this far north.Generally, the morning cruise departs at 0900/1000 hrs and the afternoon cruise departs between 1300/1500 hrs depending on the duration of the morning cruises.
Reviews (19)
Lisa Pattenden
Sep 25, 2021
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I had a wonderful time. Our skipper was so thorough and really made great effort to help us all enjoy a wonderful trip. As we were rounding back towards going back she was able to identify a Minke whale and asked us all if we were OK to go over our time. This was a great effort to ensure we got to enjoy watching. I highly recommend this tour. Excellent experience.
Neil Parkin
Sep 23, 2021
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Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness
A great trip, we saw Minke whales and dolphins. The high light though was when a Minke whale had corralled a big shoal of fish and Gannet’s were diving down to feed, an awesome sight. Great trip very professional and informative, we thoroughly enjoyed it
A great trip, we saw Minke whales and dolphins. The high light though was when a Minke whale had corralled a big shoal of fish and Gannet’s were diving down to feed, an awesome sight. Great trip very professional and informative, we thoroughly enjoyed it
Liam Graham Street
Sep 20, 2021
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One of the best whale cruises I’ve been on, very lucky to catch a rear glimpse of these amazing animals. Thankfully they decided to show their faces. As been on a few whale cruises and sometimes the animals… might not want to show there faces. It’s not the zoo. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave an excellent experience. Would of enjoyed it even if we didn’t see anything. Keep the great work up and I’ll be back next year to hopefully see some of the bigger whales. Six stars rating if was allowed. 🙌🏻🐋🐳🐬🐟
Jacqueline Bennett
Sep 14, 2021
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Shannon Magoo
Sep 14, 2021
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Carol Derrick
Sep 14, 2021
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Katherine Edwards
Sep 13, 2021
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Fantastic experience and very knowledgeable crew. It’s wildlife so you obviously cannot guarantee your going to see anything & trips could get cancelled due to weather…after all it’s peoples safety the crew look after! However the weather was kind & the knowledge and experience paid off…..we saw dolphins🐬 , whales 🐳 and various sea birds 🦅 We loved it so much, we’ve booked another trip with these guys. Highly recommended 👌🏼
Jay Jfm
Sep 13, 2021
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Highly recommended, we have been on many boat trips all over Scotland and tbh this as been the best bar none, we got to Mink whales, Dolphins, Different sea birds and The experience was made more special by the friendly manner of the skipper and guides :) very welcoming and very friendly, we loved it that much we booked it again for the day after 😍
Jerry Saunders
Sep 10, 2021
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FloydyBoy
Aug 31, 2021
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Paul Farrington
Aug 26, 2021
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Nicole Lesley
Aug 21, 2021
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I had a fantastic 2.5hr trip with HWC! Having been on 4 wildlife cruises in Scotland, this one was the best by far!
Veerle & Steve were excellent and extremely knowledgeable. They took us to the best spots and shared their wealth of knowledge with us. We were lucky to see 2 Minke whales, 20/30 common dolphins, a sunfish and many bird species.
Definitely recommend to anyone looking to see some of the wildlife the UK has to offer on top of fantastic scenery!
Veerle & Steve were excellent and extremely knowledgeable. They took us to the best spots and shared their wealth of knowledge with us. We were lucky to see 2 Minke whales, 20/30 common dolphins, a sunfish and many bird species.
Definitely recommend to anyone looking to see some of the wildlife the UK has to offer on top of fantastic scenery!
Gregor Logan
Aug 20, 2021
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We were lucky enough to be able to go on the 2.5 hour cruise on 19th Aug and we really enjoyed the experience. Steve and Viola were brilliant guides, they worked really hard to get us to the right spots and we're really enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable.
We travelled around The Lower Minch skirting the Isle of Rona and Trotternish Peninsula… on Skye with great views of the old man of Storr from the water. We saw two Minkie Whale, a small bob of Grey Seals and a large pod of Common Dolphin that came close to the boat travelling at speed, some with calves. We were also really lucky
We travelled around The Lower Minch skirting the Isle of Rona and Trotternish Peninsula… on Skye with great views of the old man of Storr from the water. We saw two Minkie Whale, a small bob of Grey Seals and a large pod of Common Dolphin that came close to the boat travelling at speed, some with calves. We were also really lucky
Abban Magos
Aug 19, 2021
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Went on the 2.5hr cruise on 17th of August with my partner and it was fantastic. Very knowledgeable crew, great boat and lots of wildlife.
We saw two pods of dolphins and two minke whales feeding which was a great spectacle, along with many diving sea birds.
The trip has made me want to go on the 4hr trip. We will be back. Wouldn’t recommend the trip enough.
We saw two pods of dolphins and two minke whales feeding which was a great spectacle, along with many diving sea birds.
The trip has made me want to go on the 4hr trip. We will be back. Wouldn’t recommend the trip enough.
Viv Ien
Aug 16, 2021
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My friend and I went on the trip on Sunday 15th August 2021.
both staff were fantastic and they knew their stuff and where to go to get the best out of the trip. I would definitely recommend booking but you… have to keep an eye out on the page for slots as they fill up fast.
can safely say it was a memorable trip seeing both whales and dolphins made my day plus more.
Well worth the money
both staff were fantastic and they knew their stuff and where to go to get the best out of the trip. I would definitely recommend booking but you… have to keep an eye out on the page for slots as they fill up fast.
can safely say it was a memorable trip seeing both whales and dolphins made my day plus more.
Well worth the money
Alice Beaney
Jun 24, 2021
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Paul Billany
Jan 03, 2019
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David Win
Aug 31, 2018
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Good day out and hope to perhaps return when there’s a bit more activity. Would have liked a bit more time around the Shiant Isles than we actually got as it was always clear sea life was going to be limited on the day thanks to the naval exercises. Good equipment supplied which is very necessary if you’re out on one of the longer cruises. Friendly and helpful staff throughout.
Dan Cook
Sep 02, 2017
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Extremely helpful to get you out on a cruise where possible. The cruise itself was brilliant, bouncing along the waves we headed straight out and on the first stop spotted 2/3 whales. Then headed further out and spotted plenty of dolphins as well. Skipper was incredibly friendly and informative as well.
