Seal Spotting at St Mary's Island
As well as being home to the iconic lighthouse, St Mary’s Island is also a local nature reserve. It provides a unique habitat for many species of coastal birds and an important haul-out site for Grey Seals. As well as an abundance of wildlife, the surrounding waters contain ship wrecks, islets, reefs and cliffs that are great to explore by kayak.
Highlights typically include: spotting seals
as they pop up around the kayaks and circumnavigating the lighthouse and island.
Price: £59 per person.
Suitable for: Adults and accompanied children ages 16+.
“Had a great time on the Saint Mary’s Lighthouse tour. Guide very welcoming and explained everything very clearly. We were lucky with the calm conditions. Really enjoyed seeing this iconic landmark from a different perspective. Saw a few seals which was a lovely bonus. Great few hours and would love to do it again.”
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FAQs
Where and when do I meet the Guide?
We have attached the arrival and end times of your tour onto the booking invoice as a handy reminder because we know you might be booking months in advance and so you can make plans for the rest of your day around this experience.
You’ll meet your guide at the Ocean View car park in Whitley Bay where you will get changed into your wetsuit. We recommend coming ready with your shorts or swimming costume on under your clothes as are there are no private changing facilities available.
What will I see and do?
Tours always start with a quick kayak skills refresher, so everyone has a chance to get their sea legs. After that we head north until we reach the rocky shores of the island. Keeping a safe distance so we minimise disturbance, we’ll normally see the seals swimming in the water around the kayaks and a variety of coastal
bird life on and around the island. If the tide permits we circumnavigate the island before heading back to the Brierdene. The tour typically lasts 2-2.5 hours and we paddle at
a relaxed pace.
How do you minimise environmental disturbance?
The sensitivity of the local environment is at the forefront of our mind from the design to the delivery of our kayak tours. We are extra cautious to minimise disturbance to the
seals and birds at St Mary’s Island. We always observe the SCA Guide to Good Environmental Practice.
Who is this tour suitable for?
This tour is suitable for adults and accompanied teens ages 16+. You should be comfortable around water and able to swim 25m. You should also be generally fit, healthy and able to undertake moderate exercise without difficulty.
What do you provide?
A professional and qualified adventure guide
Premium, UK manufactured sit-on kayaks from Tootega
Warm 5mm wetsuit and all required safety equipment
What do I need to bring?
Closed toe footwear that you don’t mind getting wet (eg. wetsuit boots or old trainers)
Swimwear for under your wetsuit
Towel, dry clothes and dry shoes for afterwards
On warm days, water for hydration and suncream to protect your skin.
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We all want our gifts to be remembered
and nothing is more memorable than an adventure experience. Our gift experience vouchers are customisable, delivered instantly to your inbox and valid for one year. The recipient can use them for this tour, or any other experience we provide.