Guided boat tours of the beautiful Gower peninsula and its wildlife

A pod of dolphins joins us south of Worms Head, Gower

Common Dolphins off Worms Head - amazing!

June 2013, off Worms Head.

Taking a closer look at a beautiful spider crab

Summer 2004, from our lobster pot.

Common Dolphins

June, 2009 Camarthen Bay

Great shot of a puffin taking off from the water

June 2009, West of Worm's Head

Take in Gower's spectacular scenery from a unique perspective

The legendary tidal island of Worms Head is a firm favourite with our passengers

A tiddler from the lobster pot - one to throw back!

July 2011, secret location

Wonder at the incredible bird life around our shores

A spectacular gannet taking off from the water

Guided boat tours of the beautiful Gower peninsula and its marine life

Sunset at Oxwich point after a stunning day on the water

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We are excited to get back on the water and looking forward to a more normal season in 2021

N.B. All current voucher expiry dates have been extended until September 2021.

Guided, interactive boat trips exploring the beautiful Gower coast - the best way to experience amazing sea life and enjoy unique views of the stunning Gower peninsula.

Here at Gower Coast Adventures we share a love for the Gower coastline, it's wildlife, and it's history.

With 15 years experience of navigating these waters, we know every cave, cove and bay, along with their intriguing stories.
We know where the seals will be snoozing, the porpoises feeding, and the sea birds nesting.

Passengers boarding the boat at Oxwich

Our passion for our local marine species and habitats brings with it a detailed knowledge of Gower's wildlife from where to look for dolphins, to which cliffs to scan for perching peregrines, and also a deep desire to protect it.

On every trip we combine sensitive wildlife observation with the thrill of feeling the sea breeze on your face as we glide across the water, and hope to convey our enthusiasm for our peninsula home with all our passengers.

Come and join us on an unforgettable adventure!

Follow us on Instagram (see photos below), Facebook and Twitter for the latest trip and wildlife news!

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August 2019
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July 2017
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Rare leatherback turtle sighting!
We encountered a large leatherback turtle during one of our trips around Gower
Wednesday 28th August 2019

On the August bank holiday weekend we were incredibly amazed and priviledged to encounter a large leatherback turtle on one of our regular trips around the Gower coast.

Skipper Dave, guide Madi, and 12 passengers were on their way back from Worms Head and had headed a little further out to sea to search for porpoises or dolphins which we often see a little further offshore. Dave stopped the boat as he had spotted lots of big barrel jellyfish in the water, and whilst he and Madi were pointing them out to the passengers a dark shape appeared in the water nearby.

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Short-beaked Common Dolphins in Gower waters
Saturday 20th July 2019

Short-Beaked Common Dolphins –  by Wildlife Guide Madi (BA Hons, MSc)
www.madisonbowdenparry.com  

 

The Short-beaked Common Dolphin is one of two species of Common Dolphins. Their distribution stretches around the world, in temperate waters and tropical, and luckily their range extends to us here in Wales.

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Puffins
Here on the Gower coast
Monday 10th June 2019
A puffin sitting on the water

Today was the first day we’ve seen puffins at Worms Head this year. There were about 5 of them sitting on the water with the other auks, the guillemots and razorbills. 

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Fins galore: Cetacean survey for National Whale and Dolphin Watch
Guest blog by Chloe Robinson, Sea Watch Foundation Regional Coordinator for South Wales
Friday 10th August 2018

After what seemed like a mini-monsoon season last week, the sun has returned, and wind has dropped so what better excuse to get out on the open sea and look for some porpoises and dolphins?!

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A dolphin encounter worthy of a poem
Saturday 4th August 2018
common dolphins gower

June and July this year has given us some unforgettable encounters with common dolphins around Gower.

Our passengers and our crew always love to see these charismatic marine mammals playing around the boat, breaching into the air, bow riding, and splashing about.

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Octopus jellyfish & Spider crabs
We've seen a few 'firsts' of the season recently
Friday 25th May 2018
octopus jellyfish and spider crab

We've had a few wildlife 'firsts' for the 2018 season recently!

 

Our first octopus jellyfish of the year was seen on a trip a few weeks ago, and our passengers loved seeing our first spider crab from our lobster pot a few days ago.

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Gower's rich spring wildlife
What's our wildlife up to at this time of year
Tuesday 1st May 2018
guillemots at worms head gower boat trip

Spring in the UK is a great time for wildlife encounters, and the Gower peninsula is no exception. Birds are preparing to raise chicks; mammals are more active, taking advantage of the warmer weather and long days; and as the ocean starts to warm up the sea algae blooms, attracting fish and bigger sea creatures to the area.

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Seal pups in south Wales
Autumn brings the start of seal pupping season here in Wales and small white fluffy pups begin appearing along our coastlines
Friday 15th September 2017
Atlantic grey seal pup

Atlantic grey seals have their pups during autumn and winter. Here in Wales pups start appearing along our coastlines from September onwards.

 

Mother seals give birth to just one pup a year. They are born on land with white fluffy fur, and stay out of the water for the first few weeks of their lives.

 

Read on to find out more about these enigmatic creatures and what to do if you discover a seal in need of help.

 

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Our dolphins: wild and free as they should be
We've had fantastic dolphin sightings on our trips recently so it seemed apt that this next blog post explains more about these amazing animals and our joyful encounters with them.
Saturday 9th September 2017
common dolphin jumps alongside our boat on a trip to Worms Head Gower

It’s incredible how the presence of another species can make us humans so delighted and overwhelmed. But that’s exactly what dolphins do. It’s the most breath-taking feeling watching a dolphin swimming along next to you, looking into their eyes, and seeing them look back into yours, knowing there’s another intelligent being there.

 

We feel privileged that we get to encounter these spirited animals so often on our trips. Short-beaked common dolphins visit the Gower coast every year in the warmer months. Last year we saw them in every month from May to October. This year we got our first sightings in June and we’re still seeing them now. Sometimes we see small groups of 3 or 4 animals, other times we may encounter hundreds! The most common group size we see is around 20 individuals.

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Vote for us!
Nominate us in the 'Best Activity Or Attraction' category and help us win a Tourism Award
Monday 4th September 2017
Swansea Bay Tourism Awards

The Swansea Bay Tourism Awards are being held on 9th November this year and we are entering the category of 'Best Activity or Attraction'.  Winners are determined based on our own written application and on the number of nominations that we get from members of the public. So we really need your help to win! You can nominate us by clicking here.

 

We're really proud of our boat trips, our customer service, and all the other work we do here at Gower Coast Adventures so if you need any inspiration or encouragement for your nomination entry (it has to be less than 100 words) then scroll down to read what we've written for our application to the awards.

 

You've only got until 8th September before nominations close (that's this coming Friday!) so please do it soon, it only takes a few minutes! Thanks for all your help and support folks, we really appreciate it!

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A seal in the water at Worms Head

The coast and waters of the Gower Peninsula are home to a myriad of sea life, the highlight of any Gower boat trip.

You'll have the chance to encounter a variety of different marine mammals and sea birds, depending on the time of year that you choose to visit. Some of our species are resident here and are seen often, while others are spring or summer visitors. Our experienced crew will help you spot seals, harbour porpoises, common dolphins, and a number of different nesting and fishing sea birds.

We also often see lots of jellyfish species, and occasionally even sunfish! The tidal island of Worms Head, at the western tip of the Gower peninsula, is where we tend to see most of our wildlife.

Seals resting on the rocks at Worms Head

Atlantic grey seals

Seals are the most common marine mammal that we see on our trips and a firm favourite with our passengers. There is a resident colony at Worms Head so we see them throughout the season. At low tide they will haul out on to the rocks to rest and at high tide they are often seen snoozing in the water.

We recognize many of our individual seals as they all have unique fur patterns. We know some of them from as far back as 2004 and are still seeing them on our trips today.

A harbour porpoise, a small shy dolphin

Harbour porpoises

Porpoises are small, shy dolphins which inhabit the seas around Gower all year. The best time to see them is on very calm days and typically we will just see their small dorsal fin and the roll of their back as they take a few breaths at the surface.

As they are quiet and serene creatures that don't approach boats, when we spot one we often turn off the engine and drift nearby which affords us the best sightings of these beautiful mammals.

Dolphins seen near the coast of Gower

Common dolphins

Dolphins visit Gower in the warmer months of the year, usually June to August, but we have seen them as early as May and as late as October. They are very sociable and playful animals, often approaching our boat to swim alongside or bow ride, breaching high into the air, or slapping the water with their tails.

There's no best time of day to see dolphins, all sightings are by chance, but we always make every effort to spot them when we know they are in the area.

a gannet takes off from the surface of the water

Gannets

With a wingspan of nearly 2 metres, gannets are the UK's largest sea bird. They are spectacular to watch, adapted for a high-speed dive into the water to catch their fish prey.

When we see gannets we also scan the water below them for porpoises or dolphins which the birds frequently follow in order to snap up the fish which have been chased towards the surface.

a razorbill

Razorbills

These sea birds are similar to guillemots in their appearance and their nesting habits. They are darker in colour than guillemots and also have a white stripe on their bill which gives them their name. They too nest at Worms Head between April and July, before they leave the ledges to swim out to sea once more.

Despite being small, they are excellent flyers and often swim to depths of up to 120 metres to catch fish.

guillemots on the cliffs at Worms Head

Guillemots

Look up to the cliff ledges of Worms Head and you'll see these little penguin-like sea birds. They come here to lay their eggs between April and mid-July. They spend the rest of their lives at sea so we often see them on the water too.

Their strategy is safety in numbers so hundreds of them pack together on the cliffs, incubating their eggs, or gliding down to the sea to catch fish.

Kittiwakes nesting at Worms Head

Kittiwakes

These pretty sea birds are the most numerous gull globally, however most people haven't heard of them as they spend most of their time at sea and rarely venture inland.

Here, they nest at Worms Head and also on Mumbles pier. We frequently see little kittiwake chicks in the nests in the summer months. Kittiwakes can be noisy birds and are named after their distinctive 'kitti-wayke' call.

A fulmar on the water

Fulmars

Fulmars nest at various points along the south Gower coast and are seen gliding along the cliffs. Whilst they look similar to gulls, they are actually part of the petrel family of sea birds and are related to albatrosses.

The name 'fulmar' means 'foul gull' as they are famous for regurgitating their last meal over any predator which gets too close, so peregrines and other birds of prey know to avoid them.

We also see Manx shearwaters gliding across the sea surface, cormorants and shags perched on the rocks drying their feathers, terns migrating between their nesting and feeding grounds, turnstones looking for grubs amongst the rocks, and kestrels hovering over Worms Head searching for a meal.
Among our other occasional sightings are shelducks, skuas, little egrets, and scoters.

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