When it comes to blending a sense of adventure with your holiday abroad, it’s hard to beat a touching and heartfelt experience that involves connecting with some of the world’s most beloved marine animals. From bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales to orcas and coral reef fish, there’s a plethora of marine wildlife out there just waiting to be seen. And with activities such as whale watching and marine wildlife searches increasing over the last 3 months, there’s never been a better time than now to make your underwater wildlife dreams come true.
Naturally, there are many places locally in the UK and around the world that you can visit to see your favourite marine animals, so how do you choose exactly where to go for your next trip? To find out, we looked at various searches for different marine wildlife animals from 31 UK areas and 50 worldwide locations and used this data to determine the most popular destinations overall to see these species.
Keep reading to find out just where these are.
Top 5 Locations Worldwide to See Marine Life
When it comes to the most popular global locations to go marine wildlife spotting in, you’re quite frankly spoilt for choice, which is why we’ve picked out the top 5 from our list to get you started.
1. Crystal Coast, North Carolina
First, we have Crystal Coast, North Carolina, an 85-mile stretch of beach of which 56 miles are a protected wildlife reserve. Widely regarded as one of North Carolina’s top tourist locations, visitors to this area can expect to see both sea turtles and dolphins on a regular basis – regardless of whether they’re taking a coastal US cruise or strolling on the beach.
2. Pacific Beach, San Diego
Next, we have Pacific Beach, San Diego, a famed neighbourhood that’s as popular with surfers as it is with affluent retirees. Those staying in the bay around the beach often spot common, bottlenose Risso’s, and Pacific white-sided dolphins, while a few have even been lucky enough to catch a glimpse of humpback and blue whales over summer!
3. Crystal River, Florida
Third on our list is Crystal River, Florida, more commonly known as Florida’s nature coast. Located on the west side of this popular US state, Crystal River is a wildlife paradise and home to a plethora of different marine animals including manatees, alligators, countless different fish, and even river otters, all year round.
4. Treasure Beach, Jamaica
Moving away from America and into the Caribbean, our fourth location is Treasure Beach in Jamaica. A little out of the way, such a spot is more than worth it for the local stunning views alone. However, those on a Caribbean cruise or planning on diving locally can expect to see parrotfish, angelfish, octopus, squid, and a whole host of other reef animals.
5. Tiger Beach, Bahamas
Finally, rounding out the top 5, we have Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. Home to clear and calm waters, it’s practically a given that you’ll have the chance to see some truly beautiful local sea life, including barracuda, coral reef fish, anemones, and if you're brave enough to cage dive, perhaps even a tiger shark.
How Can I Get the Most Out of My Wildlife Spotting Trip?
The spots we’ve just mentioned are only our top five wildlife destinations worldwide, but if you want to see as much marine life as possible over the course of your holiday, then your best bet is to plan a trip that covers several of America’s coastal marine life spots in one go.
With the top 3 spots on our list already being claimed by this country, you’ll be pleased to know that the US also appeared a further three times outside of the top 5, highlighting locations such as Virginia Beach in Virginia, and San Juan Island in Washington as other excellent locations to see marine animals.
And while neither of them appeared in our top 5, it is interesting to note that, alongside all the tropical destinations we mentioned, two of the best marine wildlife spots in the world are actually in Ireland, specifically in Kerry and Cork! So you may want to include them in your holiday plan if you intend to specifically tour wildlife spots closer to home.
Top 5 Marine Wildlife Spots in the UK
Now that we’ve covered the global marine wildlife spots that you should be checking out this summer internationally, let’s have a look at the best spots in the UK that you can travel to for a weekend sightseeing trip.
1. Land’s End, Cornwall
The very distant tip of the UK, Land’s End is renowned in the UK for its absolutely incredible coastal views and walks, as well as its many, many, raucous seabirds. An idyllic location for a weekend away, if you’re lucky and head to the right beaches, you’re sure to see a number of grey seals, and possibly even basking sharks and dolphins in the bay.
2. Angel Bay, Wales
A tiny nature reserve and beach hidden away on the northern coast of Wales, any trip to Angel Bay is sure to meet with incredible sights of seals basking on the sandy beaches all year round, while also offering the potential of seeing a variety of different whales further out to sea.
3. The Isle of Man
Located slap-bang in the middle of the Irish Sea between the UK and Ireland, the Isle of Man might be small, but it’s also home to some of the most exotic marine wildlife seen around the UK. On any given day locals might see harbour porpoises, bottle-nose dolphins, minke whales, and even the occasional killer whales just outside the harbour.
4. The River Clyde, Scotland
The UK’s 9th longest river and one of Scotland’s most well-known marine wildlife spots, for your chance to see a whole host of different marine animals that visit this location, you’ll need to take your binoculars to the river’s estuary. Here, you might be able to catch rare sights, including humpback whales and orcas, as well as more common dolphins.
5. Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire
Best known in Britain as a natural hub for local seabirds to congregate, Skomer Island is situated just off the Welsh coast and combines great views with cute wildlife in the form of its local puffins. However, tourists can also expect to see porpoises, common dolphins, and sometimes even the occasional sunfish – the largest bony fish in the world!
What is the Best Time of Year to See UK Marine Wildlife?
While all manner of marine wildlife can be seen throughout Britain across the entire year, certain months and seasons certainly lend themselves more towards spotting elusive sea animals.
Below are the most common times of the year to see some of the UK’s rarer sea wildlife:
- Dolphins – Even though they can be sighted around the UK throughout the year, June to September are the best months to see dolphins off the coast as there tend to be more pods around the shores.
- Seals – Much like dolphins, seals can also be seen all year round in the UK. But if you want a glimpse of their adorable pups, then you’ll need to head to specific seal beaches between November to January.
- Sperm Whales – One of the more uncommon sights off the coast of Britain, sperm whales tend to grace our waters through the months of February to August during the migration of their pods.
- Killer Whales – Incredibly rare to see around most of the year, for the best chance of spotting a killer whale off the UK shore, you should head to known killer whale watching spots between October to January.
Of course, for the best chance to spot any and all marine wildlife that call UK waters their home, you might want to think about taking a cruise around the British Isles, many of which are tailored towards those hoping to spot local wildlife.
Explore Your Dream Destinations with Planet Cruise
So, there you have it, the best locations in the UK and around the world for those looking to tick off seeing their favourite undersea animals this year!
But while plenty of these can be done in a single trip, if you want to visit several must-see destinations at once, then there’s no better way to see the spots we’ve mentioned than by taking a dedicated cruise.Whether that’s an Alaskan cruise up America’s West Coast, or a journey into the heart of Europe with a cruise around the Mediterranean, our cruise destinations cover the entire world. With Planet Cruise, no coastal destination or continent is off-limits!
Visit our website today to learn more about our ongoing exclusive offers and upcoming promotional deals, and start planning the trip of a lifetime.
Methodology
This document contains 2 datasets. One ranks 50 worldwide locations and the other ranks 31 UK locations, all based on the search volume of several marine species. The locations were then ranked from highest to lowest, based on their search volume.
The factors used are as follows:
- Search Volume - The search volume for "species + location" for each location.
All data is correct as of 19/04/24. The ranking data shown is a compilation of multiple data sources and may not be representative of real life. All data is accurate with regard to the sources provided.
