Home > Travel Writing > Sea kayaking with Killer Whales

Sea Kayaking around the deserted islands of the Outer Hebrides, camping on uninhabited sandy beaches, watching the sun go down over the wild Atlantic through the Sound of Harris, would be wonderful enough. To paddle out among pods of porpoise and dolphin, minke whales and even migratory bands of killer whales, bobbing while they ‘breach’ [leap into] the air, crashing back into the water with an awesome splash, is the stuff of movies.

It doesn’t have to be though. Neil Johnson’s sea kayaking trips off North Uist offer just this. One does not need to be an expert paddler to join. Sea kayaks are much the same as regular river kayaks, only longer, thinner and faster. They have enough room for provisions for a week’s journey, and are strong enough to withstand quite high waves if the weather gets rough. Neil offers two basic types of sea kayak trip: the Beginner, for which basic paddling skills are necessary, and the Intermediate, which involves longer crossings between islands, and is aimed at those who have sea kayaked before.

If you have never held a paddle before, but like the sound of kayaking close to killer whales and other cetaceans, spend a weekend at a local canoe club [easily found in the phone book, or through your public library] learning the basic strokes and getting the feel of the kayak, then make your booking with Neil.

Once up at Lochmaddy on North Uist, in addition to taking in the ocean, the mountain islands, long sandy beaches, wildlife, seabirds and the great empty silence while crossing the sounds, you will learn how to read tides, weather systems and currents, and the caprice of the open sea.

At whatever level, you are likely to encounter cetaceans of various kinds. It is common to come across porpoises and dolphins lying asleep on the surface of the water, drifting so close you could touch them. Schools of minke whales (pronounced “minkey’), one of the smaller baleen whales, hunt for krill in the sea lochs. There are also the killer whales. Neil never tries to bring people up on these powerful creatures deliberately. “If it happens, it happens,” he says. “It’s just that it happens quite a lot off the Hebrides. We can easily find ourselves 30 yards or so from a breaching killer whale - though that is a bit close for comfort when he splashes back into the water. We let the whales dictate the meeting, rather than the trip leader.”

Is it safe, I asked? Neil smiles. “There are two types of killer whale, sedentary and migratory. Sedentary ones, who stay around the same territory all year, are generally thought to be pretty safe. The migratory bands are another story - a bit more piratical if you like. However we don’t approach either group closely enough to find out which is which. We stay out of their zone, and have never had an accident or bad incident with the pods around here.”

There are seals too, not just the herds lying up on the rocks of Harris and North Uist, but the much larger colony of the Monach Isles, whose 30,000 strong clan of grey seals makes it one of the largest in the world. The seals are always there while one paddles, popping up to look with their curious, almost human heads.

As for where to sleep and eat: the Beginner trips tend to be based from Neil’s bunkhouse at Lochmaddy, though he will do his best to get clients onto the longer stretches, camping out on the islands, as soon as possible. The Intermediate trips spend all nights but the first and last under canvas. Food and equipment are included in the general tariffs. Trips usually last a week. However, weekend, long weekend, or even half-day trips can be arranged.

Read more travel writing by Rupert Isaacson