The end of July welcomes National Marine Week, which despite the name, is actually a two week celebration of our coastlines and the creatures that live there. It’s an opportunity to learn more about local marine life and how to conserve them for future generations, throughout National Marine Week, you’ll find a host of events taking place, including several chances to go rockpooling in Wembury, hosted by Devon Wildlife Trust.

Devon is actually a haven of marine life, with Lundy Island just off the coast of North Devon being a marine conservation area and places like the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth leading conservation work in the county. This National Marine Week, keep your eyes peeled and see if you can spot any of the following residents:

Grey Seals
These are the larger and more commonly seen of the seal species that live in the UK, apparently, the UK is home to around 40% of the world’s population of seals and if you see one, it is more likely to be one of these.

Harbour Seals
Also known as the common seal, these are actually the rarer of the seal species in the UK. They’re smaller than grey seals and have a more dog like appearance in their faces.

The best places to see seals in Devon

  • Lundy Island
  • Brixham Harbour
  • Berry Head Nature Reserve
  • Dartmouth Harbour
  • Slapton Sands
  • Exe Estuary
  • Hopes Nose, Torquay
  • Morte point, Woolacombe
  • Ilfracombe Harbour

 

Common Dolphin
Common dolphins are often seen in large groups and are often spotted off the South West Coast. You can identify them by their colouring, which is dark grey with white bellies, they also have a distinctive hourglass pattern on their side, including a yellow/cream area around their beaks.

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenoses are one of the bigger dolphins you’ll see in the Devon area. Like their cousins, they are very social and will happily swim alongside boats in groups, they’re also the one most often seen around Britain. Unlike the common dolphin, these are larger and are generally a darker grey on top and a light grey on the belly, with a shorter beak.

Risso’s Dolphin

If you see one of these you’ll be very lucky! These guys rarely travel around the South, but on occasion you might spot one! Unlike the other UK dolphins, Risso’s are stocky with large blunt heads and are much paler, becoming almost white as they reach adulthood. They look much more whale like than you might expect, so you’d be forgive if you didn’t recognise one!

The best places to see dolphins in Devon

  • Berry Head, Brixham
  • Labrador Bay
  • Ilfracombe Harbour
  • Valley of Rocks, Lynton
  • Prawle Point
  • Salcombe
  • Plymouth Sound
  • Lundy Island

 

Harbour Porpoise

Often mistaken for dolphins, porpoises are actually the most common marine animal you’ll find around Devon. They tend to appear close to shore in small groups but are quite shy and so will scurry away if they hear a boat or jet ski. They are small but round and have a small triangular dorsal fin, which is why many people mistake them for dolphins. They tend to be dark grey with rounded faces and no beak.

The best places to see porpoises in Devon

  • Lundy Island
  • Ilfracombe Harbour
  • Berry Head
  • Brixham Harbour

 

What you’ll find in rockpools

Long snouted sea horse

One of two seahorses in the UK, these are also known as the spiny seahorse because of their manes. They tend to live in shallow waters and can find themselves stuck in rockpools.

Short snouted sea horse
The other breed of seahorse found in the UK. As the name suggests, these ones have smaller noses and are a brownish colour.

Both these seahorses can be spotted in estuaries and rock pools around Devon, so keep an eye out if you are exploring the rock pools!

Blennies

Blennies are a common find in rockpools, they are a fun looking little fish with a happy expression but be careful – they can change colour so they may be there one minute and gone the next! The most commonly found in the south west is the Montagu Blenny, which has a fringed crest on its head.

Wrasse

These guys look like they might have escaped an aquarium or gotten very lost on their way somewhere tropical, the males in particular are very bright and colourful. Wrasse are one of the most beautiful fish that can be found in British waters, they also tend to live in the shallows and in rocky areas, so look out for them while visiting the North Devon coastline.

More unusual visitors

Basking Shark
Basking sharks are the second largest living shark but don’t worry, these guys eat plankton – not people! They are often seen around Devon’s shores in the summer time and can often chase the plankton further inland than they would like which means you can sometimes spot them from places like Torquay!

Minke Whale

From one of the largest to one of the smallest, these guys are the smallest species of whale and like dolphins is known to swim up to boats to investigate them. Unlike dolphins though, you’ll often see these ones on their own.

Leatherback turtles

These guys are the largest sea turtles and they occasionally make an appearance around Devon, they are one of the only turtle breeds to visit the UK, so if you can see one you’re having a very good day! They are large and black with white dots over their bodies, so are very distinctive!