We got lucky on our Arisaig sea kayak day trip on Saturday and managed to encounter a pod of Bottlenose Dolphins whilst sea kayaking off the Arisaig Skerries – an amazing sea kayaking experience on the West coast of Scotland. The Dolphins swam alongside our sea kayaks for about 20 minutes before heading off on their way – they were very curious and playful, circling round the boats and surfacing parallel to us to get a closer look at what we were.

According to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin trust there are only about 50 Bottlenose Dolphins in Hebridean waters and only about 300 in UK coastal waters.

Bottlenose Dolphins around Scotland are at the Northern limit of their range and grow larger than their counterparts in more Southern waters. They are a very dark grey colour with a near white underside. They are well known as inquisitive Dolphins and can often be seen close to shore.

Some photos from the encounter: