Marine wildlife. Whale, shark and turtle watching and diving.

About 75% of the world is covered by water, of which only 3 percent is fresh water. On dry land wildlife exists within a very small band around the earth surface, but the great oceans and seas of the world AVERAGE over 2 miles deep, with their deepest point, the Marianas trench, being comfortably deep enough to swallow Mount Everest whole with a couple of thousand metres to spare (Humans have only reached the bottom of the Marianas trench once, compared with thousands of climbers who have reached the top of Everest.).

Five of the best seal-watching spots in Britain

Yet the number of known marine species stands at only around 30,000 at the moment, though this is increasing at the rate of roughly one every three days as new discoveries are made.

This compares with approximately 4500 species of mammals, 5500 of amphibians, 8000 reptiles and 10000 birds currently recognised by science. When you consider that there is every chance that the number of marine species will grow for many years to come, but there will be very few new discoveries of birds and mammals, and only slightly more reptiles and amphibians, then the seas, rivers and lakes of the world are the places to look if you want to discover a new species.

Diving

Diving is a long established, but fast growing sport that is increasingly throwing its net wider and wider. With hotspots in the Caribbean, the Red Sea and on the Great Barrier Reef, this high value sport can now be undertaken almost anywhere in places as diverse as Indonesia, the North Pole, Madagascar and the Amazon.

Click here for more news and articles about diving

Whale sharks
Aussie scientist Brad Norman has spent a career studying whale sharks, though still little is known about their habits, but you can help unravel the mystery.

Join an award winning project to photograph and log the world’s largest fish – The Whale shark. Read more about the whale and the project.

Watching Orca, Vancouver Island. © 2006 Wildlife Extra

Whale watching
Whale watching is now a well established and burgeoning industry, providing opportunities in almost every sea and ocean. Surprisingly there are only slightly more than 100 species of whales and dolphins, though they are spread far and wide. At least one third of these species are classified as endangered, with the Western Gray and Northern Right whales probably being the rarest. A recent UNEP (United National Environment Programme) report on wildlife tourism recognised the importance of tourism as a force for good in conservation.

Whale watch guidelines, Argentina.

No more than one boat per group of whales;
No drifting toward the animals with engines off;
Always approach whales from their side or back, never from in front;
Do not chase whales when they swim away from the boats;
Do not approach a breaching whale closer than 100 m;
Restrict time with each individual or group of whales to 15 minutes;
Leave the whales only when their location is certain;
Do not exceed 10 knots when returning from a trip.

Whale watch guidelines

However it is a fine line between responsible and sustainable tourism, to degrading the environment and contributing to species decline. Any decent whale watching industry should have strict and enforceable code of conduct. The following has been adopted by whale watching operators in Peninsula Valdes, Argentina, one of the finest whale watch areas in the world.

Shark diving
Shark diving and watching is becoming increasingly popular, with cage diving for great whites and boat trips off South Africa, boat trips to see the huge basking shark off the Isle of Man and diving with Whale sharks in the Seychelles all providing different experiences.

Turtle watching

Turtle watching is a fast growing sector of the tourism industry. If properly undertaken it can have huge benefits for turtle conservation. There are 8 species of sea turtle in the world, and all are threatened or endangered. The following is taken from a recent UNEP report on the benefits of wildlife tourism.

Projeto TAMAR, established by the Brazilian government in 1980, protects five species of turtles that are found around Brazil’s coasts. TAMAR’s conservation programme is based on a network of 22 stations along 1,100 km of coastline, as well as on three oceanic islands. The stations are located in the major nesting and feeding areas for sea turtles, and provide direct employment to 1,300 people, at least 80 percent of whom are fishermen and their relatives’ resident in villages around the stations. Visitor centres have been opened at the 10 most visited sites, and between them they receive one and a half million visitors each year. The most popular, at

Praia do Forte, receives over 500,000 visitors a year, approximately ninety-four per cent of whom are Brazilians; in 2003 this centre alone generated net revenues of $490,000 from sales and admissions.

A recent study of Leatherback turtles in Gabon, West Africa, led by Dr Brendan Godley of the University of Exeter, has revealed that 'It's thought that globally more than 50,000 leatherback turtles are incidentally caught by fisherman trawling for other species each year. Of these, thousands are thought to die as a result. Approximately 1.4 billion hooks are cast into the world's oceans as part of industrial long-line fishing, with 37% of this fishing effort in the Atlantic. A major hotspot is found off West Africa, the focus of this study.' Click here for further information.

Recent Marine & Diving news

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Apo Reef – A case study in coral reef conservation

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Diving with the Farne Island seals - Video

Although renowned as an early Christian settlement and home of St Aiden and St Cuthbert, the area also has a well-deserved reputation as a rich haven for sea life.

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Record numbers of Basking sharks seen off Cornwall.

Wildlife watchers in west Cornwall have been privileged by the large numbers of Basking sharks sighted over the last month (June-July 2006) or so. Without a doubt one of the most exciting spectacles and gatherings of nature it’s still possible to see on this ever more denuded planet of ours. Curiously it is the complete opposite to last year, when comparatively few were seen in this area, but a big increase was noted off the West coast of Scotland instead. One theory was that rising sea tempe

2006, a year of unusual marine strandings

After the huge coverage of the Bottlenose whale that swam up the Thames in January there have been a string of unusual marine strandings and deaths in 2006 around our shores. The Northern Bottlenose whale is a rare visitor to our UK waters, but not as unusual as the Yellow fin tuna that washed ashore recently in Burry Port Estuary in Wales. Another unusual visitor, a Sei whale, became stranded and died in Lough Larne in Northern Ireland, The first time for 90 years this species has stranded in I

Bottlenose dolphins on the Moray Firth, Scotland.

The dolphin population in the Moray Firth area is very special as they are the most northerly resident bottlenose dolphins in the world with over 130 animals currently recorded. These particular dolphins vary physically to their relations in warmer climates such as the Caribbean, Indian or Pacific oceans. They are a lot bigger and fatter (4m as opposed to 2.5m) - this is due to the large percentage of blubber they have in their bodies to insulate them from the colder water temperatures of the No

Sand eels, a key supply chain food, are disappearing from the North Sea.

In advance of the crucial pre-Christmas Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels to thrash out how many tonnes of fish the industry can catch next year, the European Commission’s annual proposals for industrial fisheries, such as sand eel and sprat, highlight that seabirds, whales and other marine animals may be finding it difficult to find the food they need to survive. Industrial fisheries pursue these important fish species - which make up the bottom of the food chain - not for human consumption

Planet Earth Live - What is the point?

BBC is considered the best in the world at making wildlife programmes, and rightly so. They have set the standard with pioneering techniques, the best presenters and innovation. Planet Earth Live has none of these qualities, and there appears to be little live about it either.

Eating shark fin soup makes you stupid

Shark fin soup is seen as a luxury and prestigious dish and is often served at weddings and banquets. Although it has no taste, it is desired for its texture - somewhat sinewy apparently. Shark fin soup was much prized by Chinese emperors, but as there were so few of these, it never threatened shark populations until many many more people became able to afford it.

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Winners of The UK Wildlife Photography Awards 2011

The Wildlife Extra UK Wildlife Photography Competition 2011 has been won by Peter Denness with his stunning image of a hare. We don't usually go for black and white images, but Peter's hare was just too good.

CATEGORY WINNERS

- Agnieszka Dymek - Bugs

- Peter Denness - Mammals

- Howard Booty - Birds

- Matthew Oxley - Reptile, Amphibian & Marine Life

- Martin Sothcott - Landscapes

- Lisa Clyma - Under 16s

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Vast turtle slaughter in Bangladesh

The Kali Puja Festival is a Hindu festival that has become a major concern to conservation of turtles, and it happens in the world's largest river delta. Hundreds of thousands of turtles are slaughtered in a totally unsustainable and uncontrolled fashion.

Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners 2012.

The winners of the internationally respected Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition 2011 have been announced. Young Wildlife Photographer of The Year - 10 Years and Under winner. Alien - By Hui Yu Kim (Malaysia)/ Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011.

The world's most threatened and healthiest sea turtle populations revealed

The report revealed the 12 healthiest sea turtle populations in the world, which are large and currently facing relatively low threats. Five species, such as the hawksbill turtle and the green turtle have populations among these dozen thriving habitats which include nesting sites and feeding areas in Australia, Mexico and Brazil. Other areas that harbour healthy turtle populations include the Southwest Indian Ocean, Micronesia and French Polynesia.

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Leatherback turtle seen off Scotland

During a routine cetacean research survey, researchers and volunteers from the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust were treated to an unusual encounter between Skye and Harris when they spotted a massive Leatherback turtle, measuring about 1.5 metres.

150 Olive Ridley turtles killed in a single fishing net

Some 150 Olive Ridley turtles died after being trapped in a single net in India.

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Great British Marine Animals - 3rd Edition

Many people think of the waters around Great Britain as cold, grey and fairly lifeless. This book will put you right (though noone can argue about the water temperature).
Read full review »

Outrage as Tesco still sells live turtles

Live turtles are still being sold in Tesco stores in China - much to the outrage of conservationists.

Severn Barrage abandoned

A barrage like the one proposed between Cardiff and Weston-super-Mare would not only destroy huge areas of estuary marsh and mudflats used by 69,000 birds each winter and block the migration routes of countless fish, but, as confirmed by this report, it would dramatically increase risk of flooding to residential properties.

The Book of Shells

We've all picked up a shell or two on the beach, but outside the very most common ones, we have no idea what we are handling. The glorious 652 page book will be able to answer that question for you, no matter where in the world you are.
Read full review »

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World’s biggest freshwater fish threatened by dams on Mekong

Wild populations of the iconic Mekong giant catfish will be driven to extinction if hydropower dams planned for the Mekong River go ahead, says a new report by WWF.

Tropical Fishes of the East Indies

These beautiful, elaborately detailed and brilliantly coloured drawings provide an extraordinary description of marine fish fauna of the East Indies and are proving useful to modern day scientists in comparisons with present-day scientific knowledge. From an artistic and historical viewpoint, these drawings are among the finest natural history illustrations ever made.

Seashore safaris

Best activity book of the year
Summer is here, we have warm weather, and the beach is beckoning. A swim, build a couple of sandcastles, a bit of beach cricket, but what to do next?

Click rockpooling to read more

Lost World - The marine realm of Aldabra & the Seychelles

One of the best books we have seen for a long time, with some extraordinary underwater images as well as some fantastic bird shots.
Read full review »

20 National Wildlife Refuges threatened by Louisiana oil spill

With as many as 20 National Wildlife refuges threatened by the oil spill, and rare and endangered species such as sea turtles, manatee, sea birds (including brown pelicans) and Gulf sturgeon all in danger, USFWS have launched a series of measures to try to mitigate the dire consequences of such a large spill in such an environmentally sensitive area.

Millions of sea turtles are killed as ‘collateral damage’ in the race for fish

Millions of sea turtles have become the unintended victims of a failure to properly manage the worlds' fisheries, with more and more of their habitats clogged with hooks and nets.

Chinese bulk carrier runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef – Oil leaking

A Chinese-registered coal carrier ran aground 38 nautical miles east of Great Keppel Island on the 3rd April. The vessel was in a restricted zone of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, approximately 13 nautical miles off its set course and well outside the authorised shipping corridor.

Thousands of seal pups die as sea ice fails in Canada

Thousands of harp seal pups are presumed dead in Canada's Gulf of St Lawrence and starving pups are being found abandoned on the beaches of Prince Edward Island, tragic victims of the worst ice conditions recorded in eastern Canada.

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UK wildlife photography competition 2010

The UK has some fantastic wildlife, and we want you to get out and photograph it. It costs nothing to enter, but there are 6 cameras, wildlife artwork, wildlife photography books and a £500 donation to a UK wildlife charity on offer. Entry is free.

Whale shark butchered for its fins in the Philippines

An 18-foot long Whale shark has been mutilated in the Philippines by having its fins cut off for the shark fin trade. The shark was left to die by the so called fishermen who butchered it.

2000 sea turtles rescued from unusually cold sea off Florida

The unusually long spell of cold weather in Florida has required a mass rescue of sea turtles throughout the state. More than 2,000 sea turtles have been rescued so far.

Record number of manatee deaths in Florida in 2009

There are thought to be around 3200 Manatees living in Florida, so this represents some 12.5% of the population - Clearly an unsustainable rate.

UK wildlife photography competition - 2009 - results

Successful wildlife and wilderness photography does not necessarily involve long flights and equally long immigration queues. The inaugural Wildlife Extra UK wildlife photography competition is not only a fabulous example of just how beautiful the British Isles are, but also that it does not need a fat pay cheque to seduce talented photographers into wanting their work displayed. There are no remote cameras involved (yes, that is a dig) and no ludicrous Photoshop sorcery either, just a litany of belting images.

Is eighty-year-old mistake leading to first species to be fished to extinction?

A species of common skate is to become the first marine fish species to be driven to extinction by commercial fishing, due to an error of species classification 80 years ago.

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Biodiversity loss shows no signs of slowing down - IUCN

The 2009 Red List, issued by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, shows more than one-third (36 percent) of the 47,677 species assessed are threatened with extinction.

Basking shark strands in Cornwall

A young basking shark, which stranded on a beach in west Cornwall in August, was the first of its kind in England to be examined by veterinary pathologists. At over four metres long, the fish was so huge it wouldn't fit on the examination table and was too heavy to be weighed on their scales.

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Western Australia oil spill a potential disaster for marine life

WWF has warned that an oil spill off Australia's North West coast may take a heavy toll on the region's globally significant wildlife. The oil & gas is spilling from a rig in the Timor Sea and it will take several weeks for the leak to be plugged.

Brutal Namibian seal hunt caught on film – Journalists attacked

Secret footage smuggled out of Namibia has revealed the brutal reality of the Namibian seal hunt - and the subsequent attack on British journalist Jim Wickens and South African cameraman Bart Smithers.

33,000 sharks, 2000 dolphins & 2000 turtles killed to boost beach tourism in South Africa

It is difficult to believe in this day in age, with all that we know about sharks' plummeting populations, their critical role in ocean ecosystems and the minimal risk they pose to humans, that the archaic and destructive practice of installing shark nets for "bather protection" still exists.

UK Seahorse tagging project at Studland Bay in Dorset

Since the discovery of Seahorses at Studland Bay, the site has proven to be internationally important and has thrown up some amazing surprises. The bay has a surprising concentration of Seahorses; with more than 40 in recorded in 2008. This density has made it a site of international importance as nowhere else in the British Isles, or indeed for that matter in the world; except the Rio Formosa in Portugal is there this concentration of Seahorses.

Vast reserve to protect remote Prince Edward Islands in the Southern Ocean

South Africa's is to establish one of the world's largest Marine Protected Area's (MPA) around its Prince Edward Islands. This is an achievement of global importance which will help protecting a suite of spectacular wildlife, including albatrosses, penguins and killer whales.

Lost and abandoned fishing nets, crab pots and marine debris killing marine wildlife and choking the oceans.

The total input of marine litter into the oceans per year has been estimated at approximately 6.4 million tonnes annually, of which nearly 5.6 million tonnes (88 percent) comes from merchant shipping.

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Rare Megamouth shark found in Philippines

So rare are these sharks (only 41 have ever been recorded) that each of them is designated with a number.

Another huge freshwater stingray landed on the Maeklong River in Thailand

The fish was estimated by scientists present at the capture to weigh an extraordinary 265+ kilograms.

The Encyclopaedia of Sharks

There are some weird and wonderful shapes and sizes. The Hammerhead we all know, but the extraordinary Goblin shark, with its hugely elongated nose (and even more unusually, with a liver that accounts for 25% of its bodyweight.), the prehistoric looking Frilled shark with trident teeth, to the tiny pygmy shark, which checks in at less than a foot long.
Read full review »

Biscay whale watch 2008

Biscay ORCA Big Whale Watch 2008 clocks up 9 cetacean species
Biscay whale watch 2008.
In two days we had encountered 9 species of cetacean, including rare beaked whales, leaping Bottlenose Dolphins, large tuna, the second largest whale on earth, and ghostly white Risso's Dolphins. Read more »

274 new marine species discovered off South Tasmania

Hundreds of new marine species and dozens of previously unknown undersea mountains south of Tasmania have been discovered.

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Thousands of seals shot in Scotland every year – Marine bill must act

Many people are unaware that thousands of seals are needlessly shot in Scotland every year.

Blue Marlin found on Welsh beach.

Remarkably, just a few weeks after a Swordfish was found on a beach in South Wales, a Blue Marlin has washed up onto another Welsh beach.

Swordfish found on South Wales Beach

A rare and endangered swordfish has been discovered dead on a South Wales beach.

Fifty new species discovered off Indonesia's Papua coast.

SEPTEMBER 2006. Dozens of new species of marine life, including epaulette sharks, ‘flasher’ wrasse and reef-building coral, have been discovered.

Lyme Bay Reefs devastated.

Devon Wildlife Trust has collected evidence that the Reefs in Lyme Bay have been trashed by some fishing techniques.

Many new species and new records of marine species discovered in Hawaiian Islands

The Census of Marine Life has discovered many new species, including crabs, corals, sea cucumbers, sea quirts, worms, sea stars, snails, and clams.

Amazing Specimen Of World's Largest Squid Caught In New Zealand

A Colossal squid, thought to be the largest largest invertebrate ever seen, has been caught by an NZ fishing boat.

100 new shark and ray species recognised from Australian waters

Australian biologists have finished an extraordinary 18-month long project which has described more than 100 new species of sharks and rays.

Manta Rays are two distinct species

Through genetic and morphological analysis she confirmed that there is indeed a second, and possibly a third, species of manta ray that exists across temperate, tropical and subtropical waters worldwide.

DEFRA announces protection for Lyme Bay Reefs - one of the UK’s top marine wildlife sites

One of the finest marine wildlife sites in the UK's is to be protected from damaging scallop-dredging, thanks to the introduction of a new 60sq mile exclusion zone in Lyme Bay.

New scientific study shows shark numbers in the Mediterranean have crashed by 99%

Deep Sea Survey of Antarctic Finds New Sea Life

Many weird and new species revelaed by Australian scientists conducting a deep sea survey.

Three new species of salamander discovered in Costa Rica forest

The salamanders, including a tiny dwarf salamander, were discovered on an expedition run by the Natural History Museum of London.

Very rare and unusual sea species discovered off Scotland's west coast.

One of the world's rarest coral-like structures has been discovered in Loch Teacuis in Morvern, Scotland.

More leatherback turtles forecast for UK.

Swansea University researchers believe that one of Britain’s oldest species is likely to become a more frequent visitor to UK and Ireland because the water is getting warmer.

The definitive field guide to the world's marine mammals.

10% off 'Whales, Dolphins and Seals', now £11.69.

Photos, illustrations, maps, hotspots and plenty of information, by far the best book in its field. Includes information on all whales, dolphins, seals, sea-lions, Polar bears, sea otters, dugong and manatees.

Click here to buy this book.

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Safari of the week

Marine wildlife. Whale, shark and turtle watching and diving.

Whale watch guidelines, Argentina.

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