As conservationists we believe that our trips can, and should be a force for good…

… but, we also know that wildlife tourism nearly always exerts pressure on the wildlife it seeks.

It’s uncomfortable right?! But we have to own it and take responsibility. We are a company that provides experiences based around exploration, wildlife and adventure. No two trips are ever the same and there is always a lot of learning to be done. We’ve challenged ourselves to some commitments, which we feel go some way to making our corner of the wildlife tourist industry more sustainable.

  • Own our impact

    We need to acknowledge the impacts our activities might have and do our best to mitigate them. Sounds straight forward but this is challenging when you’re pioneering new wildlife experiences. Not all impacts are immediately obvious. We work closely with various local local experts and encourage honest debriefs about safety and impact….what went right, what went wrong, near misses etc.

  • Share our boat

    We want our trips to contribute to the knowledge bank for the species we encounter. We collaborate with researchers, providing valuable boat time in hard to reach habitats. In the future we want to extend this to offering opportunities to young people from backgrounds that are underrepresented in conservation to spend time in this environment, learn skills, network and be inspired.

  • Share Skills

    Skills and techniques that we pick up should be shared to help our clients and the wider community to tread (water!) more lightly. We want everyone to explore and fall in love with what is under the waves. We also want to help everyone feel safer and calmer. Which is of course better for us and for the wildlife.

  • Share our Stories

    Share what we’re seeing. Not everyone will be able to, or want to get on our boat. We can still share the stories of what we see and why they’re under threat/worth protecting. Contribute to a wider awareness of what is there and why we should protect it. 

Encounter guidelines

Swimming with sharks

Pembrokeshire has long been associated with sharks. The Celtic Deep has historically attracted shark anglers from all over the country. We’ve been lucky enough to tap into the vast experience and knowledge of some of the best shark fishermen in the area and adapt their approach for a different experience that has minimal impact on the sharks and, we hope, maximum positive impact on you and the wider community in terms of our general perception of these creatures. 

 

Shark habituation and association

It's well documented that feeding sharks can cause issues, altering natural foraging behaviour. Creating, an association between humans and food that can be dangerous to human and/or sharks. Like many wild animals, sharks will be seduced by an easy meal and will change their natural behaviour if they are fed regularly and consistently at the same location and time of day. 

The process whereby a shark becomes dependent on regular feeding is called habituation. We want to make sure we are minimising the chance of this with the sharks we encounter. We use chum to draw the sharks to our boat. Chumming gives the sharks a scent trail to follow... a promise of a potential meal rather than a meal.  We use chum made from locally caught fish, bran and fish oil to create a long curtain of smell that in the right conditions can stretch for many miles.  Although small chunks of fish are thrown periodically to keep the interest of the sharks as they follow this trail towards us, we never carry fish into the water with us or hand-feed the sharks. 

Blue sharks are numerous and highly mobile, capable of travelling hundreds of miles a day. Due to this it is already highly unlikely that in an offshore setting we would encounter the same animals on any given day.  However, we look to further minimise any risk by varying the locations and by not keeping a set time schedule. 

Code of conduct for shark interactions:

  • Be aware of boat & surroundings

  • Stay on the line or within the designated swim area as briefed by your guide.

  • No touching

  • No chasing or splashing

  • No flash photography

  • Adhere to maximum number of people in the water as stipulated in your briefing

  • No feeding

  • No crowding

  • No obstruction

  • Rules will be enforced if broken and you will be asked to leave the water

@davidmillerartuk

Cetaceans

We’re freedivers and we're passionate about getting in the water to observe wildlife.  First and foremost though, we're conservationists. We are not here to push the limits of what are hard-won rules in the UK regarding whale and dolphin disturbance.

Whilst exploring near shore or transiting to the Deep, we have the excellent Pembrokeshire Marine Code to follow. During our time in the Celtic Deep our engine is off. Our goal is to set up a platform where wildlife comes to us rather than us pursuing wildlife. We drift with the currents in the hope that sharks will find us and other wildlife too: birds, tuna whales and dolphins have all come to the boat while we’ve been in the water.  We will not actively enter the water if cetaceans are within 100m of the vessel.  If they show up we will wait and enjoy them from the boat until they have left the vicinity. In some cases, dolphins in particular, will return and investigate us while we’re in the water.  If they seek us out while we’re in close proximity of our idle vessel, we remain passive, do not pursue the animals in any way and monitor their behaviour. The animals are visiting us on their terms and able to leave at any point. Throughout the day we use pole-cams and enter the water periodically to survey the area around the boat for sharks that may not be visible from the surface. 

Pic: @davidmillerartuk

Swimming with seals and seabirds

@davidmillerartuk

 

There are clear guidelines for swimming with seals. These have been developed in Lundy but apply to our Pembrokeshire colonies too. We adhere to these at all times to minimise our impact. 

Seabirds such as Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Gannets are spectacular swimmers and snorkeling with them is an opportunity to see these agile underwater predators through a different lens. 

We're acutely aware of the fine margins seabirds have to tread in order to survive. We're not about to compromise what is a crucial few months for them in the sanctuaries of Skomer , Skokholm and Grassholm. 

By keeping our numbers low, keeping our distance and following the guidance of wardens from these islands, we're excited to collaborate on creating a new code of conduct that will ensure we're providing a sustainable snorkelling experience.  

Seal Code of Conduct

  • If you observe any behaviour which might indicate stress, such as increased vocalisation, teeth bearing or rapid entry into the water please move away and allow the seal to recover.

  • Keep boat speed below 5 knots within 100m of the shoreline.

  • Whilst snorkelling or diving, please refrain from touching or feeding the seals.

  • Do not take toys into the water to play with the seals

  • Do not directly approach the seals on land or in the water or attempt to chase them, given time they will come to you.

  • Take plenty of pictures and feel free to send these onto the respective warden, but avoid using flash photography as this may scare the seals.