Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch (MWDW) has been at the forefront of marine mammal science on the Isle of Man since 2006.
We work voluntarily year round to ensure the safeguarding of whales, dolphins, and porpoises (cetaceans) in Manx territorial waters through non-invasive research and public awareness efforts.
Moonlight & Starlight
Our resident bottlenose dolphin mother and calf
Report a sighting
Let us know what you have spotted in Manx waters
Become a member
Join us as a member to get more info and support our work
Please share our cetacean code of conduct far and wide. As sightings increase and more people are going out on their boats, it is very important to follow best practice so as to limit any disturbance we can cause to these wild animals. Harassment of cetaceans, basking sharks and seals is an offence under the Wildlife Crime Act, and vessel owners can be subject to fines of up to £5,000. Section 9 states as follows:![]()
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Subject to the provisions of this Part, any person who intentionally or recklessly disturbs any wild animal included in Schedule 5 or —![]()
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(a) a dolphin or whale (cetacean);![]()
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(b) a basking shark (cetorhinus maximus);![]()
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(c) a seal (all species) (pinnepedia); or![]()
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(d) a turtle (marine) (all species) (dermochelydiae and cheloniidae),![]()
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he shall be guilty of an offence.20
So the basking sharks are back in full-force this year, we are now up to 25 sightings since 29th April, which is much higher than in recent years. We have seen footage of some VERY BIG mature sharks and small aggregations of sharks rather than just the single animals. Our Risso's dolphins are back and we have a few photographs to get us going with photo-identification of individuals. We believe there are about 3 sub-groups of Risso's currently using Manx waters, totalling around 15 animals. There have been 4 sightings of minke whale so far, with a late first sighting of the year on 6th June. It looks as though these guys are a bit further offshore at the moment. First short-beaked common dolphin sighting was also this week, albeit slightly outside Manx waters at 20miles offshore NE from Peel. This species usually returns to the Manx territorial 12 mile limit in June, so we expect to see more of them soon. Moonlight and Starlight were in Port Erin this week as well as Peel but sadly many people have stopped reporting them to us so sightings are going unlogged. Even if a few people report one sighting to us, that is better than no one at all. Please report all sighting to us via our website sightings forms (links in comments) we have a separate form for cetaceans and sharks. Completion of this simple form provides us with all the info we need regarding a sighting and reducing admin time, so please try to fill out the form rather than sending a facebook message. All photos or video of a sighting can be emailed to us at info@mwdw.net, facebook reduces quality too much to see any detail. Thank you for all your support.
We have Mark Carwardine's new Field Guide to Whales Dolphins and Porpoises in stock. This beautifully illustrated book was published on 16th May 2022 and gives a fascinating overview of cetceans and their identifying features. Priced at £17, you can purchase a copy in the Visitor Centre and they will be going into our online store very soon. We are open tomorrow 10-4.
Recent sightings in Manx waters
| Date | Time | Species | Total | Duration | Location | Observer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20/06/2022 | 15:30 | Bottlenose Dolphin | 12 | 5 |
Perwick Bay, Port St May |
|
| 20/06/2022 | 15:20 | Risso’s Dolphin | 12 | 30 |
Chicken rock, SW of the Calf of Man |
Jan G |
| 20/06/2022 | 09:00 | Bottlenose Dolphin | 2 | 180 |
Peel bay |
Too many to mention |
| 16/06/2022 | 13:40 | Risso’s Dolphin | 6 | 30 |
Port St Mary |
Phil M |
| 15/06/2022 | 18:45 | Minke Whale | 1 | 1 |
Carrick Bay |
Dermot Shimmin |
| 15/06/2022 | 18:42 | Harbour Porpoise | 1 | 5 |
Carrick Bay |
Nina Shimmin |
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