Our research vessel, Silurian, spends all summer season gathering visual and acoustic data

Every year, we welcome aboard teams of students from St Andrew’s University, Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) to discover how we collect data on board our research vessel, Silurian. Over the course of 10 days, each team spent time travelling to different areas of the west coast, collecting vital visual and acoustic data on marine mammals. Each of the teams share their experiences below…

Team 1: Miranda, Jessie, Kalyani, Ciara, Julia

Day 1

Silurian and her team of observers left the dock at Mallaig and headed out into the choppy waters of the Sea of the Hebrides. The observers braved the elements in the pursuit of marine wildlife, with those at the mast searching diligently through the metre high swell and pelting rain, visibility even decreased to 150 metres at times. While no marine mammals were sighted, several species of seabird made an appearance. There were sightings of gannets, razorbills, guillemots, Manx shearwaters, and even a puffin!

The hydrophone detected snapping shrimp, the whoosh of water, and Silurian herself. However, due to the challenging weather conditions, the crew decided to end the survey for the afternoon and anchor in the protection of the Isle of Rum. The crew descended below deck to get dry and warm, spending the afternoon playing games, napping, watching a basking shark presentation, and practicing observation skills. Despite the dismal weather, the crew were excited for another day on the water!

DAY 2

The team awoke on Silurian, once again, to the sound of sheets of rain. As breakfast was prepared, the forecast was checked and did not seem to be much less bleak than Day 1, but everyone was ready for another day on the water, with high hopes of seeing some marine mammals!

After the ship left the harbour on the Isle of Rum, we sailed anticlockwise around the island, passing the north and west coasts of Rum, taking in the incredible scenery – which, due to the lifting of the haar and much brighter weather than forecasted, was visible. The improved weather outlook rounded out around noon, with visibility up to 20nm, meaning the Outer Hebrides could be seen at times. The sun even came out for the afternoon, with most volunteers catching the sun on their noses!

Ciara enjoying lunch on the bow in the sunshine during her break

The start of the survey day was not as busy, with mostly bird sightings – puffins and guillemots, but a quick seal spot by Jessie brought the first marine mammal sighting of the trip. This continued after lunch, with a huge flurry of activity. Julia spotted a minke whale, which surfaced a few times before moving onwards. Later in the afternoon, Jessie picked up the instantly recognizable whistles of dolphins whilst she was on the science station – putting the rest of the crew on alert to spot them visually. Splashes on the horizon revealed around 15 common dolphins porpoising whilst travelling. This larger group split up, with around 5 of them coming up to the boat to bow ride briefly before continuing north. Shortly following the excitement of the first dolphins of the trip, Silurian sailed past four basking sharks within 10 minutes, some coming close enough to the boat for volunteers to see the white inside of their mouths! Proving to be the highlight sighting of the trip.

One of four basking sharks seen in a span of 10 minutes

Finally, the Isle of Muck appeared on the horizon line, and it was time to come in to dock for the night. A short trip was made ashore to visit the sheep and lambs of the Isle of Muck, and to appreciate the wonderful – unexpected – sunshine. Once back on Silurian, volunteers Ciara and Kali decided to head for a very quick dip in the 11°C waters whilst volunteers Miranda, Julia and Jessie prepared a meal for the evening. All in all – a very successful day with improved weather and many more sightings than Day 1!

The team enjoying their time at the mast

Day 3

The team awoke at the mooring spot in the harbour on the Isle of Muck to wonderful glassy seas and beautiful weather. As everyone grabbed breakfast and got suited and booted, Silurian left the harbour and volunteers took up their stations.

The team even got a chance to climb the crows nest!

The first half an hour was relatively quiet, leaving us to enjoy the flat ocean and 0m swell. Those who had suffered seasickness on the first choppy day were extremely happy today. The first sighting was a harbour porpoise, followed by another and another all in the same five minutes! This set the scene for a day full of harbour porpoise sightings. A few seals were seen as well, and some very distant dolphins as we pulled back into the harbour in Mallaig to dock the boat. The weather kept getting better, with most of the morning being brilliant sunshine – even requiring sun cream at times!

After docking, the team cleaned the boat and packed their things, ready to swap with the next SMRU team of students, who hopefully will get to enjoy similar weather over their trip.

Team 1 travelled a total of over 79 miles around the small isles, collecting over 13 hours of visual and acoustic data.

Team 2: Pip, Emma, Belen, Ines, Laura

Day 1

A Silurian Haiku

We battled the waves

Sea sickness tablets – no help

Alas, we had fun

After a short training session on the survey protocol and a practice at shouting at one another (SIGHTING! bearing, distance, heading!), we set sail, all set and ready to go! We managed a morning of visual surveys and saw three grey seals, including Belen’s first seal sighting! Very exciting! After lunch, the weather took a sharp turn so the boat had too as well. A few of our stomachs did not agree, so the bucket made a new friend.

The acoustic surveys continued until we anchored up in a bay off the Isle of Skye. On our shore trip, three seals popped their heads up to see what we were up to. After we stretched our legs on land, we returned for a fun evening of food and card games.

Day 2

Starting bright and early in order to reach Kyle Rhea by 11am, we had a quick breakfast before heading out - with nicer conditions than the day before…but that didn’t last long. With our course set for Loch Duich, we made our way through some choppy conditions before reaching the calmer waters of the loch. With a fleeting sighting of a porpoise, we were optimist we’d have more sightings soon. Although the loch didn’t deliver any more cetaceans, we did spot a couple of seals which allowed us to practice our shouting of SIGHTING!

On exit of the loch, the wind picked up and we had to come off effort and hunker down. We took this opportunity to have a very welcomed tea and biscuits, which put smiles on everyone’s faces.

As we entered Loch Horne (where we anchored for the night) Laura shouted SIGHTING! Spotting a dolphin breaching in the distance. With the anticipation of more dolphin or even some porpoise sightings, we circled the loch, taking in the breath-taking scenery before anchoring near the island of Eilean a Phiobaire.

Ines and Laura, (our top chefs!), once again cooked a delicious dinner and we spent the evening playing games and being rocked to sleep, excited for our final morning of surveying.

Day 3

After a windy night we set sail towards the Sound of Sleat for a final half day of surveying. We saw a few seals, and Sadie tried to encourage some singing to entice the cetaceans out – to no avail! It was another bumpy day, although by this point, we all had our sea legs, so those at the mast enjoyed riding the waves. We spotted lots of birds which certainly improved our seabird ID skills.

The views were again spectacular as we left the loch and were confronted with the Skye sky(e)line amongst the fog. With still no fins having been sighted, this time it was Laia turn to try singing to entice them in, by leading a chorus of American Pie. Niall and Bruce expertly guided us into Mallaig Harbour, where we tucked into some delicious smelling pasta, before leaving Silurian ready for the final SMRU team.

Team 2 travelled a total of 92 miles through the Sound of Sleet, collecting over 14 hours of visual and acoustic data.

Team 3: Eva, Emily, Faith, Luke

Day 1

After a restful night in the village of Mallaig, Silurian set sail around the southern part of the Isle of Skye. Luck was on our side with sunny skies showing off the idyllic Scottish landscape. Not long after surveying began, there was an excited call of a sighting! A minke whale popped up and encapsulated our attention, showing off its sleek fin gliding through the water. Sadie shouted ‘WITH WHALE’ and everyone on board focused on keeping eyes on the whale, so we could collect some photo ID images for the minke whale catalogue. After collecting the ID images, we let it be and our trusty skipper sailed us onwards.

Down at the data recording station we identified some porpoise clicks! We excitedly kept our eyes peeled for the elusive creatures. Luckily, we were given the pleasure of a few quick surfaces of the animal before the harbour porpoise swam into the distance.

Nearing our mooring location, we gazed up at the looming peaks above us whilst a colony of seals lazed on the rocks below. After anchoring, a few brave members of the team tested the west coast waters by plunging into the icy seas. After a warm (!) shower and a tasty dinner we all headed into our bunks looking forward to the adventures and sights tomorrow would bring.

Day 2

After a lovely breakfast spread with hot tea and coffee, we started our transect and set sail. It was not long after we started, that we spotted our first marine mammal sighting; a lone grey seal. After this initial sighting our morning started getting more and more exciting. While the skies stayed clear, we saw a minke whale, several groups of common dolphins, two common seals, and a harbour porpoise! The highlight for a lot of us was the common dolphins, which came right up to the bow of the boat.

The team enjoy watching bow riding common dolphins

Unfortunately, we did not have as much success in the afternoon, but the wavy conditions made the boat ride feel a bit like a fun rollercoaster ride! We had some delicious soup for lunch during the more turbulent part of the journey which all of us managed not to spill! So that was a great success and some impressive multi-tasking if we do say so ourselves.

At the end of our transect we anchored in Borrodale Bay, the Sound of Arisaig. After some tea and snacks we took a short trip to land where we wandered around and saw Silurian in all its glory from atop a hill. What a successful and fun day we had!

Team 3 travelled a total of 99 miles, along the southern end of Skye and around Rum, collecting over 17 hours of visual and acoustic data.

In total the amazing teams from the Sea Mammal Research Unit travelled over 270 miles and collected almost 45 hours of visual and acoustic data. Thanks to Jessie, Miranda, Julia, Ciara, Kalyani, Emma, Pip, Belen, Ines, Laua, Eva, Emily, Faith and Luke, and not forgetting our fantastic crew Niall, Bruce, Laia and Sadie, for an amazing survey trip.

Silurian welcomes aboard students from St Andrew's University

Team 1: Miranda, Jessie, Kalyani, Ciara, Julia

Team 2: Pip, Emma, Belen, Ines, Laura

Team 3: Eva, Emily, Faith, Luke