Pembrokeshire - The Puffins of Skomer Island (optional snorkelling) Day Trip

Summary

Join us for a wonderful day exploring the wildlife-rich waters around Skokholm and Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire coast. Skomer Island is famous, of course, for its incredible seabird populations, with around 40,000 Puffins, 25,000 Guillemots, 8,000 Razorbills and most incredibly, around 350,000 pairs of Manx Shearwater (which is around half the world’s population!).

Today, we will meet at the boat in Milford Haven marina at 10am and after a safety briefing and introductions, we shall set off at around 10.30. It takes around one hour to travel directly from Milford Haven to Skomer and we shall first pass ancient forts and commercial ships before heading over to Skokholm to see this special island on the way. All the while, we will be looking out for wildlife, of course, with Common Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise regularly seen in these waters. We will then continue and head over to the waters surrounding Skomer, where lunch will be enjoyed while at anchor in either South or North Haven. Seabirds will be all around us here as they fly to and from the island and this bustling seabird city will be bursting with life. On the water and on the cliffs, we can expect to see large numbers of Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills, along with Kittiwakes, Fulmars and possibly Choughs too. For anyone who wants to, there will also be a special opportunity to enter the water with a guide for some fantastic snorkelling. With luck, we may be able to see Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills as they dive for food around us. There are also Grey Seals in the area and if we are lucky, they sometimes come and say hello! The waters here are full of life, with lots of kelp beds that hold cat sharks, spider crabs, bass and pollock, amongst a wealth of other species that we can look out for. After ample time to snorkel and to take in our surroundings, we will then head back to Milford Haven Marina, which we will reach no later than 5pm. For those who wish to get in the water, snorkel kits can be rented for £15 per person and wetsuits for £25 per person (please just let us know your size). The snorkelling will be in sheltered waters with an expert guide and supervision, but some experience and confidence in the water will be required. The boat we will use has an onboard toilet, seating and a cover, with dive lifts to make it easy to enter and exit the water. We ask you to bring your own lunch and snacks but tea, coffee, water and hot chocolate are free of charge all day. We advise bringing layers of clothes, even on warm days, waterproofs and towels if you intend to get in the water. The boat departs from Milford Haven Marina, which has free parking around 50 metres from the departure point. 

Please do not book non-refundable accommodation as we do rely on the sea conditions to allow us to operate this day, meaning rescheduling and cancellation is quite possible.

• A boat trip to the beautiful islands of Skokholm and Skomer
• Puffins, Guillemots and Razorbills at close range
• Common Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise possible
• The opportunity to snorkel with Puffins if you wish!
• Expert guidance both on board and in the water