Dolphin watching in Cornwall
Sea Wildlife Safaris in Padstow
Charlie was surprised when she first heard that there are tours to watch dolphins in Cornwall. She also wouldn’t have thought of visiting the historic fishing town of Padstow before, but wildlife adventures at sea are always a good reason.
As so often, Charlie stayed in Newquay which is about 15 miles from Padstow. There is a direct bus connection which takes about 1.5 hours – the roads are narrow and winding but offer great coastal views. Getting there by car is faster, but parking can be challenging. Either way, you should get there early to make it on time for your tour. The tours – especially during the summer season – should be booked online. There can be some last-minute availability at the booth by the harbour.
Padstow Sealife Safaris
Charlie did the tour with Padstow Sealife Safaris, and she could choose between tours of 1 hour, 90 minutes or 2 hours. Of course, she did the 2 hours to increase her chances of seeing wildlife. The group met 30 minutes before the booked time at the ticket booth to get a security briefing and a waterproof jacket. From there, they walked to the dock where the boat would pick them up. Once all 12 passengers were in the boat, they drove out to the sea along the mouth of the River Camel, passed by the Doom Bar sandbank and reached a cliff formation that looks like a sleeping dragon. There, they were looking for birds and seals. The latter were all chilling on a nearby rock, called Puffin Island. There was no sign of puffins though. It was the end of August, and the puffins are only there during breeding season (from late March to early August). The best chances to see them are in May and June.
From there, the boat picked up speed to drive further out of the bay. The speed caused as much spray that Charlie got completely soaked. She was lucky to have the waterproof jacket and the rain poncho to keep her camera gear dry. The stopped near a tuna fishing boat because where there’s tuna, there are likely to be dolphins around. Shortly after, they spotted them. The captain turned the boat and drove a bit further along to ensure everybody on the boat could see the dolphins splashing around and swimming along and under the boat. Charlie could feel the dried sea salt on her face and in her hair (she did get completely wet earlier), but it didn’t matter in that moment. She was simply happy to have seen dolphins on the Cornish coast.
