Padstow Sealife Safari Boat Trip

When you picture Cornwall, what comes to mind? Excellent food? Celebrity chefs? Sandy beaches? Beautiful coastlines?

How about dolphins, spotted in their natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean?

The most incredible activity for you to do if you visit Cornwall has to be a Sealife Safari. This was without a doubt one of the best things I’ve ever done – and I’d definitely do it again!

If you’re staying near Padstow, you can book a boat trip with the lovely folk at Padstow Sealife Safaris. We booked a two hour sea safari for 10am in the morning and met the team at their hut, near the Rock ferry point.

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Each trip is run by a qualified skipper and a professional guide, giving you the opportunity to learn more about the local wildlife and nearby points of interest.

You’re given a waterproof & windproof smock to wear, but I’d advise wearing a warm fleece as well – regardless of how sunny it might be, it gets chilly when you’re out on the water. Don’t forget your camera, sunglasses and some sensible shoes!

The sea safaris are carried out onboard huge orange RIBs, with plenty of seating – make sure to sit at the front for the best view.

Once you’ve clambered onboard you’ll head out of the Camel Estuary, past Polzeath on your right and out into the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Floating alongside the rugged Cornish coastline, you’ll keep an eye out for seals, cormorants, shearwaters, puffins and other sea birds. We mostly just spotted sea birds at this point – but the coastline was fantastic to see.

Here is one of the many fulmars that we spotted during our trip – rather cute sea birds that were very interested in our boat, and posed for photographs for quite a long time.

After heading much further out into the Atlantic Ocean – travelling for around 20 minutes or so, until the Cornish coast was very faint in the distance – our skipper slowed down and announced that a small pod of dolphins had been seen in the area we were in a few minutes ago.

We were all very eager to spot one for ourselves (obviously) – and luckily for us, the dolphins obliged!

A few dolphins were playing in the water around our boats, jumping out of the water and almost coming close enough to touch! They were hard to photograph, disappearing below the water again very quickly – and it was an absolutely incredible experience.

We had a fantastic morning with Padstow Sealife Safaris and we were so pleased to have spotted dolphins on our boat trip. We visited in July, so if you visit around the same time of year, you might see some too!

The two hour trip costs £39 per adult and is a brilliant way to see some wildlife, learn more about the local area and have an exhilarating boat ride.

If you’re visiting Cornwall and staying in or near Padstow, book a trip with Padstow Sealife Safaris – find out more here.

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