Watching Wildlife - our code of conduct

On your Scottish wildlife cruise, you will encounter wildlife at sea and on land. In this instance, we're classing 'wildlife' as cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoise), basking sharks (the second largest fish in the world), mammals, reptiles and birds.

It's a great privilege to be able to watch wildlife in its natural environment, and we believe that as responsible operators and guides we have a duty of care to ensure that we behave in a responsible and ethical way with this 'natural resource'. It is therefore important that you understand HOW we observe the wildlife that we will encounter, and how you can help us to maintain high standards.

• Pursuing animals causes them distress and we have a strict 'no chase' policy.
• The recommended 'stand off' distance between a single boat and a cetacean is 100m.
• Please take as many photographs as you can, but don't use a flash.
• We will carefully monitor the behaviour of any wildlife that we're watching and allow it to control the duration of the encounter.
• When we're at sea, it's important that nothing is thrown overboard - sweet papers, cigarette ends etc can all be ingested by marine life with disastrous consequences.

This does not mean that you will not enjoy a 'close encounter' with any of these fabulous creatures - what it does mean is that we give them the choice of whether or not they are happy to be close to us! It is very easy to scare or injure cetaceans with a moving vessel. However, a cautious approach not only allows you to see them behaving quite naturally but creates an opportunity for them to safely 'check us out'. You'll be amazed at how inquisitive whales can be and the obvious enjoyment derived by bow-riding dolphins.

When ashore...

You're quite likely to encounter anything from a wild goat to an otter or an eagle to an adder. The same rules apply - stay still and watch it. As soon as you try to get close, whatever you're watching will simply move further away. Leave no litter or rubbish behind. Do not pick wild flowers and be careful not to damage plants when you're walking. In short, let's leave places as we find them.