The Original Wildlife Boat Trip around Bressay & Noss, Shetland Islands
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Tel: +44 (0)7595 540 224
Join us aboard The Noss Boat 'Seabird' with highly experienced skipper Brian & knowledgable guide Marie for the highlight of your holiday in Shetland with our hugely popular 4-Star boat tour around Bressay & Noss. Live commentary provided throughout the tour with our high quality PA system. On this amazing wildlife spectacular you get to enjoy close up views of Shetland's abundant Seabirds & Seals PLUS teeming sealife below with our ROV mini submarine - giving you the full experience of our widlife above & sealife below.
This amazing experience allows you to enjoy Shetland's plethora of seabirds and seals, as well as spectacular views, giving you fantastic opportunities to see and photograph Shetland's wildlife against the stunning backdrop of the Noss cliffs. You will get unbelievably close to the awe-inspiring sights and sounds of this extraordinary seabird metropolis, which is home to 25,000 Northern gannets, as well as thousands of other seabirds towering the cliffs of Noss National Nature Reserve(180m high). The team bring along fresh fish to give you a guaranteed opportunity to see gannets diving. Along the way, Brian & Marie will regale you with history and folk tales, and share their great knowledge of Lerwick's beautiful harbour, Bressay Lighthouse, the Orkneyman's Cave, the giant's leg, the geology of Bressay, local history and much more. When sea conditions allow the tour takes you right into the Orkneyman's Cave and we sail through the magnificent giant's leg. We stop off in a little bay for refreshments(toilet on-board). If you're lucky, you might even see porpoises, or the occassional whale, otter or dolphins - keep your fingers crossed and your eyes open. Every trip is unique and you will depart with many happy memories of Shetland.
Both born and bred in Shetland, Brian & Marie have a lifetime's experience and knowledge of the sea, nature and local heritage around them. They deliver fun, personal, informative and interesting tours to suit all interests and ages - always two crew in the interest of safety, passenger comfort and welfare. We look after your every need to ensure you are having a fabulous experience. They took over this well established business from previous owner in 2018 and all the reviews you read are since they took the helm - absolutely amazing.
Seabird is a 13.5m twin engine catamaran - a very stable, twin-hulled boat, with a spacious viewing platform as shown on homepage video. This allows you to enjoy fabulous 360° panoramic viewing in complete comfort, ideal for the best photographic opportunities. The Seabird offers an ideal solution whether you are heading out on a tour as an independent traveller, with your family and friends, or looking to organise a bespoke experience for a tour group or a professional film crew
We operate April to October with two daily tours 10am & 2pm, both 3-hours minimum. The timing of our tours gives plenty of opportunities for wildlife viewing & time to view the stunning scenery. Our tours are extremely popular so we do advise booking in advance and not leaving until your last day in Shetland as we do sometimes have to cancel due to the weather.
Seabirds-and-Seals offers you the ultimate wildlife experience with our two daily 3-hour trips around Bressay & Noss National Nature Reserve.
Special tour for those early risers & keen photographers, with our ‘Sunrise Photography’ tours to capture the early morning light at the back of Noss!
With our experienced Captain, Brian, and knowledgeable naturalist Marie, enjoyed breathtaking views of the Noss cliffs, seabird colonies, the coastline, and seals with the bonus of learning some local history and snagging some very special underwater views. On a cool and windy day on the water, the coffee/tea and biscuits served were a nice touch as well. Can't imagine a better way to see the area and wildlife - or better folks to guide us. The boat was comfortable and provided some protection from the elements as well!!
So I was visiting my friends in Lerwick and I had a few hours to spend so inspotted the seabird and seals boat, I approached Brian (owner) and asked if there was room for 1 more and there was. I was told to be at the pier for 2pm, I was and we set sail around 2.15pm, we had a safety brief from Marie and it was very clear but also relaxed. First stop was out to a shipwreck where they anchored and put down an underwater camera so we could see the sea life and the wreck, it was really amazing and you could all see clearly on the two television screens. We then proceeded to see the seals then out towards Noss, I don't want to spoil the trip for anyone but it was fantastic and the best £45 I have spent in a while, included were tea & biscuits as well, we were away from 3 and half hours, great company, great boat and overall fantastic experience, well done to you both.
We were so, so lucky...We started slowly with a fascinating camera exploring the sea life around an old wreck. Then we got serious, out into open water and the spectacularly rugged coasts of the islands of Bressay and Noss...The cliffs of Noss were one of the greatest natural sights I've ever experienced. With the sea hammering us and the captain keeping us steady maybe four feet from the rocks, we were at the base of 592-feet-high cliffs, with 25,000 birds above us, sitting/nesting on every speck of ledge, many diving beak-first at high speed to spear fish, the noise of the birds overwhelming. At one point I wondered what would happen if one bird noticed us and mused, "Fancy a change from fish today?" We were probably there half an hour, and it's a half hour that will live in our memories a long time. Lots still to see after that, including backing up into a cavern in a cliff, and anchoring in a cove for tea, coffee, and biscuits. What an incredible tour!
This tour was arranged by our cruise ship and it's a must do for anyone visiting Lerwick in Shetland Islands. We saw such beautiful birds and the two owners were so knowledgeable and friendly. Also rock formations and caves were beautiful. Loved the gingerbread cookies and coffee. Also the views from underwater camera were great!
A belated review from a visit to Shetland in May this year - we had an amazing trip with Brian and Marie round the cliffs of Noss and Bressay. They were both extremely knowledgeable and friendly, seemed to know everything about the wildlife we encountered on the tour, plenty of new things to discover even for someone who grew up in Shetland. we saw grey seals, gannets, great skuas and shags, we couldn't believe how many birds were nesting around the cliffs! The weather was nice enough for Brian to bring the boat right into the Orkneyman's Cave, as well as sending down the ROV to a small wreck at the North mooth of the harbour. would definitely consider taking the trip again, and recommend to both visitors and islanders alike.