Whale Track Stories: Whales of Tobermory
©Ewan Miles
Local boat operator, Lyndsey McLaren, tells us about the best month of 2024, that she will never forget.
After 3 seasons of running Tobermory Bay Tours we have seen some incredible wildlife sightings just a stone’s throw away from the town of Tobermory, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would see a whale on a one-hour harbour tour, let alone a minke, a fin whale and orca all in the same month!
In early July Kathryn joined the team as our summer guide and we were out on her first day crewing aboard Twilight. On the last tour of the day out of the corner of my eye I saw a what looked like a fin surface way off in front of Drimnin chapel. I thought to myself ‘don’t be silly’, it was probably just a dark wave but my eyes were glued scanning the sea just in case. Not wanting to excite the guests I told Kathryn to keep an eye out too. A few minutes later a minke surfaced about 200m away in full view for everyone to see. The excitement onboard was incredible, not just from our guests but from us as well.
The whale sightings didn’t stop there. I have lived on Mull for 10 years and had never seen John Coe and Aquarius, the last two individuals of the west coast community. Not one for running out to headlands to spot them, I always figured if I’m meant to see them, they will come to me (not thinking it would actually happen!). But, this July they did just that. One Sunday afternoon, word spread that John Coe and Aquarius had been sighted heading up the Sound of Mull. As the day went on it was looking like they were actually going to pass Tobermory and the excitement amongst the locals was gaining. At 5pm my family and friends jumped aboard Twilight and we headed out in my little yellow boat. The tide was high so we headed through the Dorlinn narrows and sat just off the shore, waiting with just one other boat nearby. The timing couldn’t have been better. Twenty minutes later and the unmistakable sight of a two meter dorsal fin was in full view as they slowly cruised past us with Tobermory in the background. The screeches of excitement from my 6 year old are something I will never forget. To see these two iconic species from Twilight in Tobermory has to be a once in a life time event.
©Ewan Miles
©AJ MacLeod
Thinking nothing can top that, tours resumed as normal for another week. Then a message came through at mid-day that a fin whale was travelling up the Sound towards Tobermory. Surely not?! We were out on a one hour harbour tour with just one family before lunch, so we decided to wait for 10 minutes at the entrance to the bay and have a look just in case, when Kathryn shouted “WHALE”! It surfaced in front of Drimnin and, as the world’s second largest whale surfaced, to say it was huge was an understatement. It surfaced three times and then dove deep. We then heard word it was next seen off Rubha nan Gall lighthouse, twenty minutes and a good kilometre away from our sighting. Looking back, I think how lucky we were to be in the right place at the right time, five minutes later and we would have completely missed it.
This year there have been notable differences in the weather, wind direction and species we are seeing but July 2024 has been a month I will never forget.
©HWDT, photos taken of the fin whale, abaord our research vessel, Silurian
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