#hwdts

[anarchistbitch]

hey do u mind if im ur weapon . like if im the sword that u wield recklessly, giving no heed to ur safety nor mine. just like casually tho lol

[3cosmicfrogs]

not ouyang - zhu as mirrors or ma - lady zhang as mirrors but a secret third thing (ma - esen as mirrors)

[dolphin-lover1]

The functionally extinct orca ecotype (that no one speaks about)

Type 2 Eastern North Atlantic orca (exactly how they should be classified is up for debate, but for the sake of simplicity this is what I'll go with) inhabit the shores of Britain. With just 2 males remaining, each in their sixties - W001 'John Coe' and W008 'Aquarius' - the ecotype faces certain extinction. But what happened?

(Aquarius left/John Coe right - photos from HWDT)

Though this pod could have numbered >15 at one point, only 10 individuals have ever been officially recorded - never with a calf. The main reasons for this being inbreeding and pollution.

Having never been recorded interacting with the other orca pods that are occasional visitors to their home range, they certainly are a highly inbred group of orca. With only one small pod of this ecotype known, they've always been in a fragile state, perhaps destined to fail from the start. It's believed that these are orca from a different region that tried - and, unfortunately, failed - to cut out a niche for themselves in waters where orca were a rare sight. Their population simply wasn't sustainable long term - however, this is no doubt due to pollution, as well as inbreeding.

The most polluted marine mammal discovered thus far was the last female of the pod, Lulu. Lulu passed away after becoming entangled in a creel rope. Her body contained almost 1000 mg/kg of PCB's (a toxic compound used in the making of electronics). A safe amount is considered anything below 20. Evidence suggests that Lulu never had any calves, despite being well over the age of maturity. The combination of PCB's and inbreeding likely rendered her, perhaps even the entire pod, infertile.

It's a tragic end for a beautiful group of orca - with large, downward sloping eye patches, colossal dorsal fins, and an impressive size, these are absolutely beautiful orca. Very little is known about them, unfortunately - in fact, we have only 3 clips of their vocalisations (which are adorable, by the way) vvv

What we do know is that;

° they travel alot, and fast

° they prey on mammals

°they are quiet and reserved (ignoring boats, somewhat inactive, rarely vocalising)

We're witnessing the devastating end to an incredible group of orca - we can only hope this doesn't happen to others. :')

Here are some photographs from HWDT of the beautiful 'West Coast Community' orca.

[dvasva]

Tbh? I think the radiant emperor duology deserves more critique than it gets in its tag, so after stewing it over for a couple weeks and also discussing it with my friend, I have decided to do it myself.

So. Spoilers for She Who Became the Sun and He Who Drowned The World ahead.

First off, so nobody accuses me of hating the series, I liked the series. I'd say I'd give the first book a 4.5/5, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I like both books. I truthfully skipped the fisting scene, it triggered some dysphoria that I wasn't comfortable with personally but I don't have problem with it existing in the book, it's good where it is, no changes.

No, my critiques come mostly from the second book, hwdts. Which sucks because I absolutely loved Baoxiang in it, it's a well known fact that my ideal type is pretty, really mean, characters. ('What about Madam Zhang?!!!???!? Shes mean and pretty!!' I hear you ask. Give it a second cause i will get to my beloved madam zhang) So, my critiques are mostly organized as 'The first part I didn't like in Hwdtw that signals the thing that became my biggest issue, the bits in the middle that i did like along with the bits that I felt didn't really work well, and Act 3 which is where my issues really were exacerbated.'

By the end of book one, I had a general annoyance but acceptance that Ma Xiuying was a bit of a weak character, and not weak as in 'dang shes a woman and cant fight' or any other sexist way you may interpret that, but weak as in structurally, she didn't really have as much depth as other characters. I thought she didn't have as much time put into her character as others. And yeah you could have a million character analysis essays over Ma and her place in the story and etc, but for me, her setup for the next book as potentially having conflict with Zhu or her own morals was the most interesting part of Ma. In general I think a lot of people tend to overlook this flaw partly because Ma is a cis lesbian character and the main 'love interest' in a book that is usually marketed to people as sapphic, which yeah there is certainly a sapphic relationship in the book but I think saying it's a major part of the book is really giving the relationship a load bearing wall ot isn't strong enough to carry. The Radiant Emperor Duology is not a romance, first and foremost. To describe it as a wlw romance is gonna leave people who read ot specifically for that reason kinda dissappointed by the end of book 2.

My big critiques didn't start until book two, and a particular scene, though. Ma, at the start of book two, was generally filling the niche of 'nagging wife' to zhu, which yknow, is a fine place to start from. I was a little disappointed there was no further discussion of Ma's disapproval of the morality of Zhu's actions, and in fact the dead child was pretty much entirely forgotten by Ma in favor of being Zhu's wife. Which, yknow, sure.

The Scene I had issue with happened (Spoilers once again) after Zhu finally captures Ouyang and imprisons him at her base of operations. Ma, dressed in her empressly regalia enters his room with the intention of being the bigger person. She walks in, looks at the stripped down and humiliated general who killed her father and famously is also really a women hater, and tells him she forgives him for killing her father. And then she gets upset and cries when the prideful general who hates women gives her a dressing down and taunts her and is like 'I'm glad I killed your father'? She nearly cries because Ouyang was mean to her (notably only cause he was mean to her and didn't gracefully accept her forgiveness, not because he killed ehr father) and runs off to Zhu. And Zhu responds with 'Wow, he's just a weirdo, everyone likes you and everyone in existance immediately knows you're a good person and you change people.' Which, my friend suggested before she finished the book, was a case of Zhu placating Ma and dismissing her feelings which would be an interesting dynamic.

Really my hangups with this scene come from multiple parts.

1. Ma' few character traits including being observant and reading people really well (a thing she's praised for in book 1) and having good social intuition are completely thrown out by her thinking being alone with ouyang and forgiving him would be a good idea and then her being shocked and upset when he spat on her forgiveness. And

2. Zhu's response is never once treated by the text as her dismissing Ma and placating her, and Zhu's statement despite never being shown to be true before and that moment being the first time it's ever mentioned, ends up becoming Chekov's moral purity by the end of the book, where the plot hinges on Ma being able to magically heal a damaged character's mind enough for Zhu to win in the end. Which I will get back to. There's a lot of other stuff happening between here and the end.

So, before I get back to Ma and her role in the story, I'll address some other bits from after this scene. Both problems and things I enjoyed generally.

Madam Zhang and her parallels to Baoxiang and her being the absolute queen of dissociating really was interesting (before act 3). She was a very compelling character who I completely understood and felt positively about. She had a way more interesting relationship with gender imo than Ma did, especially in book 2. I didn't really like that she was overwhelmingly shown having sexual villence done to her, that felt weirdly like a punishment. But, I did like her a whole bunch, and I liked the look we got into her head. She was probably my second, maybe third, favorite character in the whole book until Act 3.

I really, really liked Ouyangs dynamic and relationship with Zhu. The weird sexual tension between them, their weird kinda nonsexual but also kinda very sexual S&M relationship. It was somehow the most sensual, sexual part of a book that featured Madam Zhang having sex with multiple people, and Zhu going down on Ma, and a lot of other mentions of sex or scenes involving sex. Tbh I feel like, in a way, Ma was left to the sidelines for most of the book because Ouyang became the primary 'love' interest for a hot second there and the only reason Ma could get her spot back was Ouyang and Zbu's separation. Also, from what I've seen when people talk about this book, they always kinda try to express Zhu and Ouyang's dynamic as very nonsexual and nonromantic, as platonic mostly. And there is no inherent superiority of romantic over platonic, but I think to insist that it is only platonic, and not a strange swirl of romantic, platonic, sexual, frustration and relief, and a swirl of familiarity and vulnerability all wrapped into one, is doing the dynamic a bit of a disservice. And ther is, imo, very clearly a subtle hint of romantic intent and interest on Ouyang's part before he realizes Zhu has a body he hates.

Which is also another point I didn't like. Ouyang and Zhu's relationship end felt off. The entire bit with the pirates felt off, but especially how Ouyang found out about Zbu's body, and how Zhu reacted. I think Ouyang finding out second hand, from a combination of being suspicious and from Jiang saying it, was a poor way for that to be revealed. I think there was a better way for that to happen that woyld have felt more like a betrayl to zhu than this did. The fact that Zhu and Ouyang were so in tune and could see each other perfectly, but this one thing was a blind spot for both of them because of how unaffected by gender Zhu was compared to how overaffected by gender Ouyang was is a really interesting thing to explore, an interesting disconnect between two character's whose entire basis for their relationship is 'like recognizes like'. I think Zhu seeing it as a betrayl would have been more impactful if she had presented this informatuon to Ouyang herself and been rejected than how it went down. And, I think her not realizing Ouyang would be disgusted that he felt connected and felt a sameness to someone with a body he found grotesque and that he feared would have been more interesting for zhu, who views herself outside of womanhood and didnt really think that other people would not see her outside of womanhood, if she was the one who told ouyang herself.

Also, less importantly, think going into Ouyangs annoyance that zhu kept moving his target further away was a good move but it wasn't expanded on as much for my taste. I also really liked it when (spoiler) Xu Da dies, and that entire part despite some minir bits, was extremely good in that Zhu finally has tasted loss. She had, up until that point, been riding a wave of positivity, she was the underdog who won over and over again despite all the odds and despite her own reckless choices. So I did appreciate that everything went wrong for her at least once. that would have been, imo if other things were changed, a good place to end a book two in a three book series. Which will make sense as to why I mention it im a bit.

I also didn't like how Ma was nonexistant unless the plot was like 'ok we need to remind people that Ma exists.'

And there's of course other stuff but those are the main points of acts 1 and 2 that i wasn't fond of or that i liked.

Act 3 is a wholely different behemoth which can be encapsulated with 'I wish it was longer but also different' (courtesy of the convo my friend and I had).

My friend and I both agreed that we liked this kind of courtly drama game it was playing. My friend doesn't tend to like the structure or writing style of a lot of the chinese wuxia, danmei, or courtly drama translated books i read, so it was nice to know that the genre content isn't the issue for her there.

The biggest problems I had with the ending though was 1. I think Baoxiang and Ma had an interesting dynamic despite it being really rushed and how distasteful I found the entire concept of Ma being such a good wholesome goody good good person that she could change Baoxiang, quiet his demons and fix him in some way. That was annoying in an otherwise interesting dynamic. And 2. I think Madam Zhang's character traits and cleverness and all that were wiped away to make her inexplicably jealous of Ma in a way that I don't think fit her character and just served to fit a trope of jealous empress who hates the favored concubine.

So, here's my major proposed changes.

1. Ma gets sent to Khanbaliq extremely early on. Like, act one maybe after ouyang is captured early. This serves three purposes. A. Ma has something to do and is more present in the story. this could be a good xhance to let her actually feel frustrated or upset at Zhu in some tangible way that needs to be resolved or talked thru eventually. B. she gets more time to build a relationship with Baoxiang, whose entire defeat hinges on him having a strong connection with her. and C. Her absence in the other parts of the book feel less like she's being ignored or forgotten. It makes Zhu's lack of haste more than just a way to annoy Ouyang, and turns it into an interesting moral choice. Should she rush to Khanbaliq to save Ma or trust that Ma will be ok in favor of gaining power? Her lack of haste means Ouyang leaves, depressed, and she loses Xu Da, all while she doesn't even have the assurance that Ma is ok, she is truly at her lowest point with nobody with her. If Ma is in Khanbaliq and that's explored, then Zhu and Ouyang can also explore their dynamic without Ma feeling a bit like she is battling for Zhu's attention.

2. Madam Zhang is suspicious of Ma, or feels actually tangibly threatened by Ma. In act 3, Madam Zhang's anger towards Ma feels really out of place. She got exactly what she wants, she is empress, her emperor isn't interested in removing her from her position and her position isn't threatened by anyone. Baoxiang won't get rid of her, he won't demote her, he has shown zero sign of ever even considering it. So, why is Madam Zhang jealous of Ma? Imo, especially since she very clearly has dissociated into oblivion and has no love or affection for anyone anymore, and no real desire or motivation to secure her position further aside from maybe producing an heir to make sure shes taken care of after Baoxiang dies, there's no reason for her to be inextricably jealous of Ma. It kinda just erases all of Madam Zhang's political savvy and cunning into jealous, petty woman, and that sucks. If she was suspicious of Ma's intention, or Baoxiang genuinely expressed spmething that actively threatened her position, her hatred of Ma would make sense, but instead she hates Ma cause Ma is ugly and spends every night with Baoxiang. She hated rice buckets concubine cause that concubine used a lot of funds and competition genuinely made her position less stable. She needs better motivation for hating Ma.

3. As I mentioned earlier, Zhu needs to be the one to tell Ouyang that she does not have a dick. That's just all around better, it feels more like a betrayl to bare your secrets and be rejected, etc etc.

4. The duology should have been a trilogy, with book 3 starting when Zhu is at her lowest, ouyang is dead, ma is in khanbaliq, Xu Da is dead, a new guy is the emperor. This is where a book three should have started. in a series that has so many important characters, i feel like it needs more space. she's in a 10 gallon tank when really she needs a 30 gallon tank. Lots of it, especially towards the end of book 2, felt rushed and the extra book will absolutely push that back a bit and make it less rushed.

Anyways that's my critique of The Radiant emperor duology. Once Again, I liked the series, its one of my favorites i've read all year. I don't dislike it, and having a critique or opinion about something doesnt mean I didn't like the book or understand the book (because obviously if i understood it i would understand why its flawless). I liked it, there are things I wish were different, that's it.

[eideard]

Walrus spotted sunning itself in the Inner Hebrides

Creel fisherman Lorn MacRae saw the Arctic animal basking in the winter sun on Cairn Na Burgh Beag, a small island which is part of the Treshnish Isles in the Inner Hebrides, on Monday. Marine conservation charity, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT), described the walrus as “massive” after seeing photographs. HWDT, which has been been monitoring wildlife for 25 years, said Monday’s…

[trudiblog]

The Otter Hide on Rum is part of the brand new Hebridean Whale Trail! A wealth of wildlife can be seen from the hide, including otters, seals, red-throated divers, black guillemots, common sandpipers, red-breasted mergansers, eider ducks, kittiwakes, Manx shearwaters, gannets - as well as porpoise, Minke whale, bottlenose and common dolphins! The Hebridean Whale Trail has launched! Over 30 unique sites across Scotland’s spectacular west coast. Celebrating breath-taking places along our shores that look out across seas where whales, dolphins and wondrous creatures roam. From dramatic headlands, to white, sandy beaches and bustling harbours, the Whale Trail is awash with special places where nature and heritage are interwoven. From the Clyde to Cape Wrath and out to St Kilda… where will you be when your one in a million moment happens? www.whaletrail.org Tag us @hebrideanwhaletrail or #hebrideanwhaletrail to share your experience.

[transpokenerd]

Sksksks I did not mean to come of aggressive, I’m so sorry! I meant “I’ll never forget when Tyler…”

Again sorry queen 💔

Oh! I didn't think you were aggressive fcvh i was just genuinely confused hwdt

[scottish-orca]

Broken Links

Frustratingly it seems Tumblr has broken a vast amount of source links from this page. Combine that with updated websites from the HWDT and the IWDG defaulting the majority of links to their main page, so if some links are working they are probably going to the wrong location.

It may take awhile to fix, but I am going to do my best, I do not like not sourcing photos or information from this page. 

[csnews]

Cuvier’s beaked whale live strands on Mull

Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust - January 25, 2019

Just hours before 2019 began, members of the HWDT team – who have undergone training with British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) - responded to assist a stranded Cuvier’s beaked whale at Calgary Bay, a popular beach in the north west of Mull.  The whale live stranded on the sand, but sadly perished shortly after dusk on Hogmanay.    

Live strandings of Cuvier’s beaked whales are a rarity in Scotland, so the folks from the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings team (SMASS) wasted no time, travelling down to Mull to examine the whale in order to try and establish cause of death.  

“While strandings, particularly live strandings, can be emotionally charged and distressing for those involved, they also provide a unique opportunity to examine rare species which are difficult to study in the wild.”

From initial analysis undertaken by SMASS, the mature male whale seems to have died of natural causes, likely from an infection with a worm.

“It was almost immediately clear why this animal stranded - it had been very ill indeed, with a peritonitis and what appeared to be a multi-organ disseminated bacterial infection. Looking closer however, the underlying cause seemed to be a chronic verminous arteritis, which was most likely due to infection with a nematode called Crassicauda. We are awaiting bacteriological and histopathology results on this, but I think this is the ultimate cause for this old whale’s eventual demise.”

Cuvier’s beaked whales are widely distributed throughout all major oceans (apart from polar seas), with Scotland representing their northern-most limit. Live sightings in the Hebrides are very rare, and so it doesn’t come as a surprise, that we haven’t been able to confirm any live sightings with photos through Whale Track yet. Instead, they inhabit the deeper waters off the continental shelf further out into the Atlantic Ocean. However, numerous stranded animals indicate that they may be more common than sightings data suggest.

Last year, 96 beaked whales, mostly Cuvier’s beaked whales, washed up along the west coast of Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland. This represents the largest unusual mortality event (UME) recorded for this species ever, anywhere in the world. The team at SMASS are still in the process of investigating potential causes. The Cuvier’s beaked whale that washed up on Calgary is not linked to this UME.

This most recent stranding, serves a reminder that even in the depths of winter, whales, dolphins and porpoises inhabit the waters surrounding the Hebrides, and there are so many mysteries linked to them that we are still to uncover. Since welcoming in the New Year, 22 live sightings have been reported to HWDT through Whale Track, including 15 sightings of harbour porpoises. Every one of these sightings is important for research, so please do continue to keep an eye out for activity and please do submit your sightings either online or through the Whale Track app.  What’s more, if you come across a live stranded animal while on the coast, please contact BDMLR (http://www.bdmlr.org.uk). Alternatively, if you discover a marine animal carcass on the shore, please report your find to SMASS (http://www.strandings.org/).  

Finally, we would like say a big thank you to the community of people who gathered together on a cold, wet and windy Hogmanay, providing valuable support during the live stranding and subsequent necropsy, this includes and is not limited to BDMLR, SMASS, Tobermory and Craignure Coastguard teams, Mull Aquarium, Joseph Golledge and the Reade family.

[carimakan]

▶Restaurant name Hainan Island Kopitiam  海 南 岛 咖 啡 店 

▶Location (Google Map) 

 Source: Google Maps  👉  http://lnnk.in/hWdt

[joyscraftshop]

Amethyst Chunky Bracelet with Stainless Steel Bead. #AmethystBracelet #Amethyst #HealingStones #Crystals #CrystalAddict #Gemstones #GemstoneBracelet #FebruaryBirthstone #HandmadeJewelry #JoysCraftShop https://www.instagram.com/p/CBizea-hwdT/?igshid=1nmy89z26iouw

[applekelly]

I *finally* started marking today - found this at the bottom of my marking bag (the main marking bag, not the overflow one🙄) and it has helped immensely. Thank you, Risa! 📚🖍 . . . . @teachermisery @bored_teachers @teacherproblems #teacherproblems #englishteachers (at Riverdale, Toronto) https://www.instagram.com/p/B66qCd-hwDT/?igshid=1foxf3kmlzs2p

[philpickin]

NEW HEBRIDEAN WHALE TRAIL LAUNCHES ON SCOTLAND’S SPECTACULAR WEST COAST

NEW HEBRIDEAN WHALE TRAIL LAUNCHES ON SCOTLAND’S SPECTACULAR WEST COAST

  © HWDT/Karen Denoon; Hebridean Whale Trail map

  30-plus site initiative aims to promote sustainable, low-impact marine wildlife watching from land, and benefit local communities

A spectacular new trail – launched today (28 June 2019) by the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust – is to showcase Scotland’s west coast as a world-class destination for spotting whales, dolphins and porpoises from…

[skylinetreks]

#everest2018 #trekkinginnepal #adventuretime #besttrekkingseason #skylinetreks @chapagaindheeraz @skylinetreks https://www.skylinetreks.com/destination/nepal/trekking-package/everest-region/everest-base-camp-budget-trekking.html (at Everest Base Camp - Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtgYhg-hWDT/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1qfxboacxv11r

[csnews]

Scotland's Seas: Drowning in Plastic?

Lauren Macmillan - October 2, 2018

Like most of the nation, we found some scenes of Drowning In Plastic, a powerful and heartfelt documentary on the devastating effects of plastic pollution on the marine environment, difficult to stomach.

Presented by our inspiring patron Liz Bonnin, the one-off documentary comes almost a year after Blue Planet II hit our screens, highlighting the global extent of plastic pollution in our oceans.  Following the tide of the anti-plastic movement since then, Drowning In Plastic focused on the need for continued and stronger action, and drew attention to the work of individuals and organisations across the globe working to design innovative solutions to tackle and prevent the problem.

To encourage the plastic free lifestyle, earlier this year we opened an Eco-Shop in our Discovery Centre in Tobermory, providing our local community with a refillable Ecover service for cleaning products, as well as ocean friendly alternatives, such as bamboo toothbrushes, shampoo bars and refillable flasks.

Here on the west coast of Scotland, we are unfortunately seeing the effects of marine debris in Scottish waters too. During scientific surveys on board our dedicated research vessel Silurian, we record all instances of man-made marine debris encountered. Plastic is the most prolific, and it is often seen far from human settlements. The types of plastic seen are varied from plastic bottles to crisp packets, through to plastic packing straps. We have seen first-hand the devastating effect this can have on marine life. In 2015, our crew had a distressing encounter with a minke whale where it’s rostrum was caught in a plastic packing strap (pictured above), which would have affected its ability to feed and live a normal life.

One segment of the program explored the complexities of marine mammal entanglement; a global issue and a growing concern in Scottish waters. HWDT’s Science and Policy Manager, Dr Lauren Hartny-Mills says:

“With fishing and wildlife being so valuable to Scottish coastal communities, it is important for us to understand the impact entanglement is having on the livelihoods of fishermen as well as the risk it poses to marine animals.”

To try to answer some of these questions, earlier this year HWDT joined with five other organisations to form the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA) to better understand the impacts and risks of entanglement in creel lines in Scottish waters by working closely with the Scottish inshore fishing industry. Funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), HWDT will be conducting some focused research this winter to analyse the interaction between large whales and manmade items in the marine environment to assess the risk posed to our amazing marine life.

[tripstations]

Sealife encounters around the world: readers’ travel tips | Travel

Winning tip: Farne Islands, Northumberland

This May, my boyfriend and I took a boat trip to the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland. We were hoping to see some sea birds and I was expecting to see a puffin or two, if we were lucky. But we saw guillemots, Arctic terns, fulmars, shags, razorbills, kittiwakes and hundreds of puffins. We also spotted grey seals lounging on the rocks. My expectations were already blown out of the water, but then on the return journey we came across a pod of bottlenose dolphins. The captain did a handbrake turn and they jumped alongside the boat. As a child I adored dolphins but had never seen them in the wild– it was such a magical moment and so unexpected. • Farne island boat trips at National Trust website Ellen

Humpback whales, Madagascar

A humpback whale breaching off Île Sainte-Marie, Madagascar. Photograph: Paolo Torchio/Barcroft Media

With two friends I was on the last lap of an adventure in Madagascar, spending a few days relaxing on Nosy Boraha (also called Île Sainte-Marie). We took a canoe out to the sea to get closer to migrating humpback whales, and noticed a mother and calf in the distance breaching from the water. After a few minutes they disappeared, leaving the three of us scanning the horizon for signs of movement. Suddenly, a few feet from our canoe, the huge eye of the mother appeared, deep, black, and staring straight at us. She was giving us the once-over and, deciding we were not a threat, she rolled over to reveal her calf, nestled against her belly. We sat for a while, gazing, and then they dived, turning into hazy smudges as they disappeared. William

Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of tips will be featured online and may appear in print, and the best entry each week (as chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet) wins a £200 voucher from hotels.com. To enter the latest competition visit the readers’ tips homepage

Orcas, Orkney

An orca seen off northern Scotland. Photograph: G Leaper/HWDT

“Orcas!” shouted Dave, a Stromness resident, our friend and host. Having been notified on his Orkney cetacean alert app, he was glued to his telescope, viewing a pod of six orcas in Stromness harbour. “Looks like they are moving towards the coast, get in the car!” Slinging on our warmest waterproofs, we raced down to the Point of Ness via the campsite and arrived as the pod rounded the headland. The two adults guided their four young on their breakfast fishing spree along the coast at Guardhouse Park. As they headed off up the coast out of sight, we headed back for our own breakfasts, elated. Beverley Cattermole

Great white sharks, Cape Town

A great white shark hunting for seal off Simon’s Town, just south of Cape Town. Photograph: Alamy

A couple of years ago I was in Cape Town for a wedding. The city is one of the best places in the world for spotting great white sharks, and we hopped on a conservation boat with some PhD students studying great whites’ behaviour in Hout Bay. The boat took us to Seal Island, about 20 minutes out. Around 30,000 seals were crammed on to what was essentially a very large rock. Deafened by the noise of the seals, we watched as great whites started circling the island, picking off young seals one by one. The sheer power of the sharks was intense. To top the trip off, we were followed by a pod of around 20 dolphins on the way back to shore and spotted a Bryde’s whale descending. Incredible experience. Neil

Turtles, Barbados

A female leatherback turtle heads back to the Caribbean Sea after nesting. Photograph: National Geographic/Alamy

In Barbados it is not uncommon to see hawksbill, green and leatherback sea turtles, but you are normally surrounded by dozens of other tourists, especially if you are on any kind of organised trip. For an altogether more relaxing swim with the likelihood of encountering these magnificent creatures, I often head to Carlisle Bay early in the morning. At that time of the day everyone is at the far ends of the beach and the tourist boats are nowhere to be seen. We have spent many a peaceful hour snorkelling around the shipwreck and coral, almost always in the company of a handful of sea turtles and huge shoals of reef fish. Kirsty Yeomans

Rockpools, Fuerteventura

Rockpools on the coast of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. Photograph: Alamy

Is there anything more captivating than a rock pool? Discovering these miniature ecosystems on a holiday in Corralejo, Fuerteventura, took me straight back to my childhood. Aged five, crouching on a Cornish beach, prodding anemones and scooping more sand than sea life into a bucket, life couldn’t have been more glorious. Now older, I’ve recaptured that pleasure, spotting tiny hermit crabs, suckerfish and curious little beautifully coloured blennies. Transparent shrimp tickled my feet as they investigated me, and crabs emerged from their rocky shelters to graze on algae. I could have spent hours watching all these fascinating little creatures. Robyn

Otter, Isle of Skye

‘The otter was too engrossed to notice us.’ Photograph: Pete Davis

There was a hissing sound like an angry cat and I looked up to see my first British otter in the wild – the culmination of many years of unsuccessful otter walks from the River Otter in Devon to the Isle of Mull. Otters are claimed on many rivers and much of our coastline but they have been avoiding me for years! My wife caught up with me just as the otter disappeared into Broadford Bay. We headed back down the coast savouring the late afternoon light and suddenly the otter re-emerged from the sea and climbed out on to a rock with a newly caught crab. It was too engrossed to notice us this time, and we enjoyed a superb and extended view of this beautiful and elusive creature. Pete Davis

Puffins, Staffa, Inner Hebrides

Puffins on Staffa. Photograph: Alamy

A 50-minute boat ride from Fionnphort, Mull, off the west coast of Scotland, is the Isle of Staffa. Landing on the island, you walk up a steep set of stairs and along a ridge before stopping at the cliff edge to watch puffins dive for fish. The puffins seemed unafraid of people: when we sat down to recover from the walk a puffin landed next to us to watch for fish. Its bright beak against a grey north Atlantic sky was beautiful, and watching the playful nature of the puffins’ dives was so absorbing we nearly missed the boat home. The three-hour trip costs £35pp with Staffa Tours from Mull or Iona. Jennifer

Whales in the winter, Norway

An orca surfaces off the coast of northern Norway. Photograph: Audun Rikardsen/Science

The polar night, minus 20C, just above the Arctic circle in Skjervøy (four hours’ drive north-east of Tromsø) and I’m surrounded by pods of humpback whales and orcas. This is the only place in the world where the two animals share their skills to hunt herring. (This is a subject of scientific enquiry, so visitors and tours should follow guidelines at visittromso.no.) To be on a still boat, encircled by the curious animals, hearing only the sound of their powerful breath in a magical setting is nothing short of mesmerising. Most trips take place between November and January, according to the whale and herring migration. Whales, aurora borealis and frozen fjords – there’s a lot to love about this trip. • From £130 for 3½-hour trip, wildseas.no, also from Lyngen and Tromsø, (see visittromso.no for more trips). Edward Thianpiriya

Kayaking and whales, California

A humpback whale shows off its tail fin in Monterey Bay. Photograph: Chase Dekker/Getty Images

If your best whale sighting has been a glimpse from a crowded whale-watching boat, you need to go kayaking at Moss Landing in Monterey Bay. Dave, our guide, told us we’d see half a dozen whales, plus some seals and otters. That was an understatement. We quickly lost count of the whales, and couldn’t even begin to count the otters. Not only that, but seeing them at eye level, without a boat rail separating you, really brings home their true scale and majesty. Dave warned us it might not be the safest thing we would ever do, but it was undoubtedly one of the best. • Humpback whales/sea otters tour $75, April-October, santacruzkayak.com Sam

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