National Whale and Dolphin Watch is less than two weeks away!
Join us in New Quay for a week full of dolphin and whale themed activities!
You can find a list of the events taking place here: New Quay Events and more information on them below.
Saturday 29th July
· 12pm – 2pm Picnic on the pier – bring a picnic along to the pier and join Sea Watch keeping track of dolphins around the bay. Learn how to record environmental effort and sightings data and contribute to our data set for the dolphins of Cardigan Bay.
· 4pm – 6pm Dinner with a dolphin – bring along a packed dinner for more dolphin spotting fun. Meeting on New Quay pier, we will then ascend the cliff path to the dolphin observatory, a fifteen minute walk out of New Quay. Learn how to keep track of dolphins as the travel along the coast. Bring binoculars if you have them and warm clothes.
Sunday 30th July
· 3pm – 5pm Scavenger Hunt – taking place on Dolau beach, join our volunteers to learn about the different species of whale and dolphin found in the UK by searching for them hidden around the beach.
Monday 31st July
· 11am – 1pm Rockpool Safari – Follow a guided tour of the rocky shore by one of our volunteers and see how many different species you can spot. Can you name the different types of seaweed and shells by following our identification guides? Meet on the pier at 11 for a rockpool safety briefing before heading down to the beach to explore!
Tuesday 1st August
· 5pm – 6:30pm Beach Clean – Surfers Against Sewage representative Laura Truelove will be joining us at 5pm to clean up the beach and pier following an educational talk on how the marine environment is affected by litter and what we can do to help. Look out for Sea Watch volunteers wearing fluorescent gilets on the pier.
Wednesday 2nd August
· 1pm – 4pm Whale Art – Find our volunteers on the pier to complete our quiz and learn about the differences between the species of whale and dolphin and how their size varies, before heading to the Dolphin Hub where there will be a variety of whale arts and crafts taking place.
Thursday 3rd August
· 2pm – 4pm Beach Clean – This time from Quay West caravan park (meeting on the picnic benches outside reception). There will be a prize for the strangest find!
Friday 4th August
· 1pm-5pm Dolphin Olympics – The Olympics have returned to New Quay! You will find us on Dolau beach where you can take part in jellyfish volleyball, fin and jelly race and much more!
Saturday 5th August
· 2pm-4pm Sandcastle Competition on Dolau beach – A competition to see who can create the best sand castle or sculpture with a guest judge – bonus points for a marine theme. There will also be a competition to see who can make the most sandcastles in two minutes.
Sunday 6th August
· 2pm – 4pm School of Fish – How much do you know about what whales and dolphins eat? Fish stocks are constantly changing and competition between cetaceans and fishers is resulting in bycatch. Follow our treasure trail of facts to find out what you can do to help. Find our volunteers on the pier or in the Dolphin Hub who will start you off on the trail.
· 3pm – 3:30pm Daring Dolphin Rescue – Learn how to help rescue stranded and entangled marine animals and who to call if you come across one. Meeting on Dolau beach.