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.
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Join us as a member to get more info and support our work
Report a sighting
Let us know what you have spotted in Manx waters
Dolphin family
‘Temporarily resident’ mother and calf bottlenose dolphin
Some sad news to share. Maura formed a very close bond with Donald, a solitary bottlenose dolphin who lived in the south of the island in the 1970's.
Lots of whales around at the moment. 3 Minke this morning at 11am Marine drive toll gate, one very close within few hundres metres of the coast and you could hear it before seeing it. Just had another report through about this animal. Also reports further south along the drive. Yesterday we also saw a large whale blowing, it was a very long way away perhaps a couple of miles, the visibility was excellent but sea slightly choppy. It was seen blowing at least 3 times, and was later seen causing quite the disturbance on the surface as it either breached or lunge fed. Analysis soon being done on photographs of this animal. News to come. Has anyone got any reports to add?
If you are in the Telegram app and don't think its working, make sure you go into the app settings and put a notification sound on (p.s there is actually a tone called Moonlight!) You can also choose the style of notification pop up; I use one that pops up on the screen overriding anything else you are looking at, and stays there till you swipe it away. So you can't really miss any sighting. If you don't choose one, you can miss notifications. If you have downloaded the app but genuinely can't get it to work, make sure you have activated it properly by putting your phone number in.
Recent sightings in Manx waters
| Date | Time | Species | Total | Duration | Location | Observer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30/08/2020 | 16:00 | Bottlenose Dolphin | 2 | 5 |
Kirk Michael |
Ali and Luke |
| 30/08/2020 | 15:40 | Harbour Porpoise | 2 | 5 |
Stack (Calf of Man) |
Nina & Dermot Shimmin |
| 30/08/2020 | 09:00 | Harbour Porpoise | 10 | 20 |
Port St Mary Ledges |
Daryl Blake |
| 24/08/2020 | 20:10 | Common Dolphin | 30 | 20 |
West of the Sound |
Cheryl Moorhouse |
| 24/08/2020 | 17:50 | Risso’s Dolphin | 12 | 180 |
Chasms- The Sound |
Richard, Jan & Nicky Cooil, Nina & Dermot Shimmin |
| 24/08/2020 | 16:05 | Bottlenose Dolphin | 2 | 10 |
Ayres Visitor Centre |
John Baker |
Diary of a Dolphineer
Online blog written by our summer interns each year
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