Latest News

Lovely weather continues for St Davids

We've had a week of largely sunny weather with light winds and swells - perfect for getting out on the water. We're making the most of the weather and enjoying working off the beach at Whitesands. The stable weather has also enabled us to go offshore dolphin spotting. We've had some terrific runs out to Grassholm to check out the gannets and seals but for most people the highlight is the opportunity to see dolphins. We've been fortunate...read more

Bull seal checks out the humans

The weather is making life very difficult this week, with forecasts unusually difficult to read. Thus far we have just about managed to find the best weather windows for our trips but yesterday that meant light rain as opposed to no rain! Our intrepid passengers were determined to brave the (surprisingly warm but soggy) elements and we had a great trip. Ray Mears is right when he says that the key with bad weather is not to let it get into...read more

Impressive Gannets

Think you've had a busy week and need a day off? Check out what our Grassholm gannets have been doing recently! A team from Plymouth University has been studying the movements of 'non-breeding sub-adult' gannets for some years now. We took them out to Grassholm earlier this month and they successfully put trackers on 12 birds. Amazingly the trackers are still providing data. To see what the gannets have been doing please check out the project...read more

Fea's Petrel sighted off Grassholm, Pembrokeshire

Tim was taking a group of scientists and an RSPB warden out to Grassholm this evening as part of their gannet monitoring project. They were happily photographing shearwaters when one of them shouted 'Stop the boat!' Emergency? Fortunately no.  A Fea's Petrel came towards the boat and then flew alongside for a time. Apparently this may be a first for...read more

New video of jet boat close manoeuvring

Our Youtube page has seen some controversy over Shearwater's manoeuvrings. Is it easy? Tim makes it look that way but oddly enough put someone else on the same boat & she doesn't behave nearly so well... Jet boats can have a wicked sense of humour....read more

Smalls lighthouse history makes it to Edinburgh

The Plasticine Men theatre group are taking their play Keepers to Edinburgh: 'It's based on the true story of The Smalls Lighthouse where one keeper died and the other lost his mind. The two keepers were known to quarrel, and so when one died, his colleague feared he might be accused of murder. Too frightened to dispose of the dead man's body, he built a coffin and secured it to the outside of the lighthouse. As the weather conditions...read more

New seal pup on Ramsey Island

We have a new seal pup on the west side of Ramsey. Judging from the way the adults are behaving in that cove we may well see another pup soon. The forecast is changeable later this week, with variable swells and brisk winds but the pup is in a cove with a decent storm beach and boulder bank which will absorb the worst of any swell before it gets to the pup. We still have good numbers of kittiwakes and fulmars. We've been seeing quite a...read more

protected seals

For those who (like me) get rather upset at the notion of people shooting seals, it's worth remembering that seals are now protected and the only shooting anyone's likely to be doing is with cameras....read more

Seal research old-style

This rather surprising narrative is not from a 60s detective novel but The Seals and the Scientists, an account of seal research on Ramsey (mercifully not recent!): A sudden scuffle behind the rock against which Ronald was leaning spun us round as one, and in a flash the sound of scrabbling pebbles was drowned in the ear-splitting bark of the rifle as Syd fired, staggered back a step, and fired again. "Clean missed him,...read more

Puffin watching

We don't have puffins on Ramsey Island courtesy of rats which until recently inhabited the island. The RSPB managed to get rid of the rats and are hoping to reintroduce puffins to Ramsey. Ramsey is home to many shearwaters who live in burrows which would be suitable for puffins, often sharing the area with rabbits who are rather useful neighbours since they provide  a degree of protection. The RSPB has placed decoy puffins in strategic...read more

Pembrokeshire forecast great for dolphin watching offshore

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Paddlers enjoying the challenge of The Bitches, Ramsey Island

Last week we were hired to take some paddlers plus their kayaks out to Ramsey Island so that they could paddle on the Bitches reef while we took their students for a fun wildlife trip. They are very experienced paddlers and know that you can have too much of a good thing when it come to buckets of cold salt water so they gave themselves time to enjoy the challenge of the reef while we looked after their students and then they had a lift home. This...read more

Iolo's Wild Times on Grassholm

Iolo's Wild Times was on tv again this week revisiting places he'd filmed years ago. We took him and his crew out to Grassholm last summer with Dr Steve Votier, who has been researching gannets for years. It was a fascinating trip - good weather and a boat full of scientists - we learn a lot from this sort of work!  Wild Times is available on BBC i player and has some lovely footage. ...read more

Dogs don't always make the best crew

Diesel loves coming out on the boat but is particularly keen on being in the dinghy (rowed by his humans of course). Tim was rowing in yesterday (2 adults, a large dog and a lot of kit - it's amazing what you can fit in a dinghy) when we heard a strange whooshing sound, like air escaping from a tube... We wouldn't want to hear that sound on Shearwater but she has a solid aluminium hull and floats without tubes. The dinghy is hypalon - it...read more

5 foot conger eel at St Justinian

A 5ft conger eel was swimming around the slip at St Justinian yesterday. They tend to lurk around rocks under water rather than checking out slipways. I've never come across one and I don't want to! Tim had an interesting time when one joined him in a dingy years ago (standing on the tubes as the conger flailed around on the deck getting increasingly cheesed off at him). Apparently when they get their jaws stuck into something they can't...read more

Short video of tidal race over Bitches reef in Ramsey Sound

We've had a few days of wonderful sunshine, albeit a rather chilly northerly breeze yesterday. This clip shows the tide racing over the Bitches reef, a popular zone for experienced paddlers but also a beautiful spot to sit and watch the water go by. Tidal Race in Ramsey Sound video If you sit just out of the tide you get a great view of the waves...read more

Razorbill video

We have finally worked out how to take short videos with my camera. It's not award-winning stuff but it's a way of sharing what's happening around Ramsey with our passengers. The blog won't support anything but very short clips. To see more of what's happening please check out our Facebook...read more

Do you know what a guillemot sounds like?

The guillemot breeding ledges on the west side of Ramsey are busy at the moment, with hundreds of birds lined up to face the marauding gulls. We're also seeing quite a few guillemots rafting around the island (grouped together on the water, not engaging in extreme sports). Guillemots are rather funny to watch when they fly. Their short wings aren't that good in the air, particularly when it's windy. Quite often they have difficulty getting...read more

St Davids heat wave

It is so warm today that even the sheep can't be bothered to eat. They're just  lazing around in the grass idly watching passers-by. This must be the warmest day this year, with hazy blue sky and beautiful colours. It's the perfect day for  a boat trip so we're looking forward to getting out on the water this afternoon. The forecast is terrific all weekend too. See our St Davids Guide...read more

Ramsey wildlife update

The early pup on the west side of Ramsey is making the best of calm sea conditions and seems to be putting weight on nicely. His mother looks healthy and relaxed but is keeping a good eye on him. He really seems to be getting a good start to life. Porpoises haven't been much in evidence of late but we've had big tides and for some reason we never see as much of them on big tides. The auks have returned to their breeding ledges and...read more

Ramsey Bird Sighting Highlights March / April

Bird sighting highlights for March and April courtesy of Greg Morgan, RSPB Ramsey warden: Highlights included hoopoe (2+3/4), a female yellowhammer on 10/4 (4th record since RSPB records began), snow bunting (21/4 to end month), 5 ring ouzels through April, Cetti’s warbler (25/4), bullfinch (16/4), black redstart (7/4), 4 common redstarts in April, barn owl (16/4), grasshopper warbler (23+30/4), green sandpiper (12/4),...read more

Ramsey bird sighting updates

Bird updates courtesy of Greg Morgan, RSPB Ramsey warden: 7 pairs of chough confirmed as breeding. An 8th pair was settling down when a 3rd bird intervened and put everyone off! Only 2 pairs of lapwing made it back this year unfortunately, presumably not helped by the cold winter. There are 3 peregrine territories this and a pair of kestrel. 4 pairs of raven are on the verge of fledging young while the whitethroats...read more

New seal pup

Yesterday we saw a newly born seal pup on the west side of Ramsey. Afterbirth was still in evidence and it's very small so clearly a very recent arrival. Whilst it is bitterly cold in the northerly wind for humans at the moment what counts for seal pups is good calm seas. We've had some overfalls as a result of wind against tide but the underlying sea state is calm at the moment and likely to remain that way for the next crucial few days....read more

Dogs, seals and floating rope

This season has seen an unusual amount of rubbish in the water. Most of it is wood and therefore harmless (unless it hits someone's propellers!) although we do get the odd sizeable log floating around and we all have to be careful of those! Earlier this week we were enjoying a sunny (but chilly!) trip around the west side of Ramsey when we saw a young bull seal surrounded by netting. Diesel is demonstrating in the photo here just how easy...read more

How to build a jet boat

We're often asked about the boat (Shearwater). When we set up Venture Jet we intended to commission a new one but it would have taken 12-18 months and we really couldn't wait that long. Shearwater came up for sale (with her original solid sides) so we bought her for her Ocean Dynamics hull and rebuilt her from there. Jeremy...read more

St Davids continues to enjoy sunny weather

The settled high pressure is bad news for those of us wanting to travel by air and hoping the ash cloud will dissipate but it's terrific for boating. We're enjoying one of the warmest days of the year and calm seas - perfect for exploring Ramsey's caves.  The auks, perhaps confused by all the sunshine, haven't been much in evidence for the last couple of days but it's normal at this time of year for them to be coming and going, getting...read more

Porpoise rescue

Cardigan lifeboat volunteers managed to rescue a female porpoise trapped in nets near some cliffs last week. It can't have been an easy task but they managed to set her free and watch her take herself back out to sea. This isn't a photo of that particular lucky porpoise but it gives an idea of how beautiful they are. They're often overshadowed by the rather showier dolphins but they're fascinating in their own right....read more

Summer weather for St Davids

Summer has arrived! Forecast is for wall-to-wall sunshine & light winds for the next week. St Davids is lovely and peaceful, as if everyone is sleepy because of the sun. It's a great time to get out on the water....read more

Easter weather update

The weather has given us 2 days off. Tim & Laurie went out 'for a blast' yesterday & declared it 'foul'. They're tough enough to enjoy it come what may but for those who want a more civilised boating experience things are looking up. The rain's eased & the winds are dropping. Tomorrow looks fine & the rest of the week & weekend look really great - light winds and sunshine. For an up to date daily forecast check out our St...read more

Ramsey bird update

Update from Greg Morgan, warden: A cold month following on from a very cold winter has affected some species. Chough were a bit late to get going, more interested in feeding up after a tough few winter months than getting round to breeding. First nest building was on 22/3. By the end of the month 5 pairs had been confirmed with another...read more

Ramsey seal update

Update from Greg Morgan, Ramsey warden: Moulting grey seals can be readily seen around the island at this time of year. Up to 150 have been hauled out on the main beaches during March and good numbers should continue through April. Anyone approaching by boat should do so with care as they are very jumpy at this time of year and moulting is a very important...read more

our new website design

We've had very positive reactions to our revamped website. We're used to doing pretty much everything ourselves in this business but web design is a bit beyond us... Our new look website is courtesy of the skill of Damon Davies of Dotnetworks. Film companies etc come to us to solve their logistical problems at sea (we know how to do that!) but we're still learning when it comes...read more

Easter weather update

Gales and horizontal rain yesterday, gales and big swell this morning - it must be Easter!  The sea was downright angry this morning but just (very) grumpy this afternoon. The gales have died down but there's still plenty of swell to fight the wind. It's sunny so spectacular to watch - walkers are thoroughly enjoying the coastal path - it's just not much use if you're trying to work. Most of the fishing boats aren't in the...read more

St Davids Easter weather forecast

We had a real taste of spring last week. The dog gambolled like a puppy on the beach and the sun gleamed on the boat's yellow tubes as we continued to get her ready for the season. Then we looked at the forecast - and laughed - gales gusting up to 57 mph mid week and a stonking swell. At least we know where we are - safely ashore! The forecast for Easter weekend is looking more promising, though,...read more

coastal wildlife photography tips

I've just come across a coastal wildlife special in an online digital photography magazine. If you want tips on how to photograph wildlife or you simply want to enjoy seeing how it's done by the professionals then it's well worth a look. Janet Baxter is featured and gives some great practical advice. Janet knows a lot about the wildlife she photographs and her work is much...read more

Seal killing

Another grisly addition to the discussion on bull seals killing pups. While doing a seal survey on Skomer last year David Boyle  photographed a bull seal killing a pup on two separate occasions. Not only did he witness a bull apparently drowning a pup, he saw it take a huge chunk out of the newly moulted pup's neck. This is apparently the first time that this sort of behaviour has been photographed. If you want to check out the evidence there...read more

Seal pup relaxes at St Justinian

Seals constantly ignore the Marine Code and minimum distances from humans - fair enough - it's their water. This week a lovely fat pup of 5 weeks or so (therefore independent) was lazing right by the slip at St Justinian. He ignored us as we carried the dinghy down the slip (we clearly weren't interesting enough) but roused himself slightly to spit at the dog, who was waiting to jump into...read more

Bull seal kills pup?

The debate about seals killing other seals rumbles on. Interestingly (but not necessarily significantly) so far we've only heard of bull seals being accused of 'murderous' and 'cannabilistic' behaviour. The latest news is from the Skomer Island blog: 'The Seal pup that was born a few days ago was seen swimming up and down the coast of North Haven, looking for its Mum. It then struck out for...read more

Ramsey seal update

Ramsey's Atlantic grey seals are now well into their breeding season and we have pups dotted all the way around the island on storm beaches and rocky ledges. In addition to several days of glorious sunshine the sea has been unusually calm, which is great news for young pups. Last year saw a significant shift for some females giving birth earlier than usual. The seals do have some control (as far as we know a couple of days or so) over when...read more

Venture Jet review on TripAdvisor

Passengers often send us lovely emails (not to mention amusing photographs!) after their trips but understandably don't generally think to tell the world what they think of us. This may now change since we're on TripAdvisor. If you would like to see what's been said about us or to add your own comments please check out the TripAdvisor...read more

Global Nomads arrive in Mongolia

Finally the guys have arrived safely in Mongolia: 'We made it!  In Ulaan Baatuur, having a lot more stories to tell then when we entered Mongolia!  Lost many tyres, several convoys, a couple of other cars, but had the most amazing time...  I'm hanging around in UB a couple of days before driving back in a Land Crusier (it actually has acceleration!)  John and Laurie raced off this morning in our battered but proud Daewoo...read more

Do seals eat other seals?

Anyone who has see a seal's teeth knows that they are fearsome predators. Seals generally feed on fish, crabs, lobsters etc so we don't often see them actually eating unless they're fighting with a large fish on the surface. Over the years Tim and I have seen the odd seal eating octopus (looking rather like something out of the Alien movies - with the octopus wrapped around the seal's head it wasn't clear who was eating whom)...read more

Bull seal eating seal pup

The recent sighting of a seal eating a baby porpoise has understandably really got people talking.  I was interested to read the following in the Sea Trust blog. Please don't read on if you don't have a strong stomach! 'Reading Cliff's account of the Grey Seal eating the dead Porpoise off Strumble Head reminded me of...read more

Do seals eat porpoises?

It's easy to anthropomorphise seals as they snooze on rocks and loll around the boat but seals, like dogs, are predators and sometimes do things which humans rather struggle with. Some very interesting (not to mention gory) local news: 'Richard Davies commented on a seal below us eating "a big fish". We have seen them eat big congers, Wrasse, Pollock, rays and even once an octopus. I strained to make out exactly what kind of fish...read more

Global Nomads in Georgia

Our intrepid nomads survived the 'world's most expensive petrol' in Turkey then engaged with the traffic in Georgia: Laurie: 'Georgia: I’m still a little bit shell shocked by Georgia. It seems like a great, strange little country but one thing sticks out above all else. The driving. I’ve driven in a fair few countries with infamous automotive reputations such as Greece, Turkey (obviously) and Israel. Georgia...read more

Ramsey seal pup update

  It's been a challenging week with lots of rescheduling for the best weather windows and lots of monitoring of the weather sites! I think 'variable' is the term the forecasters are likely to use for the coming few days. We should see some sunshine but the winds are likely to be brisker than we would choose and there's a pesky swell to keep an eye on - great for the surfers! Tim spotted another Portuguese Man 'o War off the...read more

Filming with BBC Steve Backshall's 'Deadly 60s'

Last autumn we did some film work with the BBC for Steve Backshall's...read more

Portuguese Man o' War off Ramsey

It seems to be a year of firsts, earlier in the season spotting an otter on the east side of Ramsey and now a Portuguese Man o' War a few days ago. Maybe I will tick the other 2 on the list of  'I would like to see': killer whales and a leatherback turtle. (Tim) Apparently the lifeguards closed off the water because a Man o' War visited...read more

Grassholm gannet tracking project

Update from Greg Morgan, RSPB warden of Ramsey: 5 satellite trackers were put on non-breeding birds in June 09 by researchers from University of Plymouth in conjunction with RSPB. This type of work on non breeders has never been done before anywhere. These trackers send back several fixes a day which are then uploaded once a day onto...read more

Sunshine hits St Davids

We've had sunshine for 2 days now and the weather looks good and stable so we should see plenty of sunshine for the next few days. The winds have dropped but there are some lively gusts nonetheless. Surfers should be happy at the moment, with good surf at Newgale and Whitesands. The lifeguards sensibly closed Whitesands late yesterday afternoon because the surf jacked up surprisingly quickly. A large swell hit the back of the island but...read more

Global Nomads robbed

Our favourite Global Nomads have had a tough time.  Communication is limited but they've been robbed and seem to have been denied food and water. Everyone's very concerned for them. Their latest entry is brief but charateristically trying to be good humoured: 'we're alive but very poor and dirty after being robbed blind and starved by corrupt azeri cops and sailors. In convoy from now on.' They knew that their adventures would...read more

Global Nomads hit Turkey

News from our favourite Global Nomads: 'I'm writing this now because I am lying in a very seedy motel somewhere in northern Turkey, on the Black Sea coast, far away from where we planned to be because we failed to purchase / read the correct maps. Who would have thought the map in Lonley Planet couldn't be used to navigate across Turkey? Whatever, the straight...read more

Ramsey puffin heads off to Mongolia with the Global Nomads

The Global Nomads kindly took this photo of the Ramsey puffin they took along on their adventures in aid of Mercy Corps. They should have taken a shearwater out with them (they're phenomenal navigators) but the shearwater would have taken them back to Ramsey so perhaps they're better off with a puffin (looks like he's enjoying himself) and the sat navs on their mobiles. They seem to be in remarkably good humour given the size of the car...read more

New seal pups

There are a couple of new seal pups on the west side of Ramsey this week. We've been seeing them peeping out from behind the rocks on the beach and occasionally they're good enough to move so that we can see them more clearly. They're both very small so presumably 3 or 4 days old, although they seem to be getting bigger by the day. Seals' milk is very rich and pups pretty much triple their birth weight in the first 3 weeks or so. They do...read more

St Davids weather looking up

The forecast for this week a couple of days ago was downright scary, with the threat of gale force winds and a 4 metre swell. Fortunately the wind forecast has been downgraded and while it will be pretty lively at times the winds are no longer causing us to consider whether or not we should be sleeping on the boat to check she's OK! We will no doubt be facing another week of sunshine and showers but the heaviest of the showers are predicted...read more

Sunny St Davids!

We've had sunshine all day and the breeze has died down so we're working from Whitesands. The forecast for Saturday is terrific too (sunshine and light winds) but if the wind predictions for Sunday are accurate we may well have a day off from boating! The swell is due to pick up for sunday too so the surfers will be celebrating. Whitesands is well known as an excellent surfing beach. For surf forecasts check out...read more

Crew Training

Passengers often tell our crew that they have the best job in the world. The upsides are obvious but they do work hard and it's much tougher than it looks! Crew training can't all be done in the sunshine; they do sometimes have to train in the rain, or as was the case earlier this month, the driving rain. This photo does not do justice to the rain and I would have needed the waterproof camera case to take photos of the lads working at Whitesands! People...read more

St Davids weather

Looking at this week's forecast is pretty dispiriting. The Met Office is telling us with gloomy authority that the winds will scupper any plans for offshore trips for the next few days at least. Perhaps the only saving grace is that the forecast is clear on that score, although that's not great news for people who are on holiday just for this week. There's a bit of a swell forecast mid week - great news...read more

Dogs and boats

We're often asked if boat trips are suitable for dogs. If you were to ask Diesel he'd wag his tail, pick up his lifejacket and jump into the Landrover ready to go. Indeed the other morning Tim picked up one of Diesel's lifejackets to put on a passenger's dog later that day and Diesel leapt up looking so excited that we suffered a major guilt attack (dogs are good at doing that) and so I took him to the beach later. ...read more

New Venture Jet Crew

We are delighted to welcome Henry and Matthew as crew this season. Laurie's sailing boots are not easily filled (ask him for his list of achievements but amongst the masters etc lurks a Yachtmaster, RNLI training and a not unimpressive sailing career). Henry and Matthew come to us via surfing, kayaking and a general love of boats and the sea. We have done our best to put them off the sea but they seem to be coping admirably nonetheless! Forgive...read more

Auk breeding season coming to an end

Some of the guillemots were back on the ledges on the west cliffs of Ramsey yesterday and those who live on the east side are still there. They don't usually leave en masse so we'd love to know what took them away so suddenly from the west side earlier this week. Many of the razorbills have headed out to sea but we're still seeing some around the south east end of Ramsey and we still have some kittiwakes. It won't be long now before...read more

Guillemots leave Ramsey

The main guillemot breeding cliffs on the west of Ramsey were oddly quiet today. The birds had clearly decided en masse to leave last night.  Perhaps they didn't fancy the look of the strong northerly winds forecast tomorrow! It's normal for the guillemots to be there one day and gone the next but each year it's a bit of a surprise because we don't know when they'll decide to head out to sea. Guillemots spend most of their...read more

St Davids weather

The weather this week has been particularly difficult to interpret. We use a number of forecasting sites to try to get a picture of likely wind direction and strength, swell predictions (crucial) and rainfall. This, together with the tide (strength and direction) and current sea state gives a picture of what's likely to happen. It's like piecing together bits from a jigsaw except that the pieces can change...read more

St Justinian drilling platform moves

The drill platform needs to be moved around St Justinian in order to test drill in the right places. Conditions were excellent for the first couple of days when we assisted the tug to manoeuvre the platform. I should have taken photos when the rain was hammering down! ...read more

Laurie goes to Mongolia

We were delighted to welcome Laurie back from his Masters degree at Oxford University to do some crewing. He doesn't have much time to spare for us because he's about to head off to Mongolia on a charity run, The Mongol Rally. The lads describe their enterprise with characteristic flair and humour on their webpage, Global Nomads. The...read more

Dolphin watching with the dog

I seem to be writing a lot about dolphins at the moment given that I spend so much of my time telling people that we can't guarantee anything other than sea. I guess there must be a lot of cetaceans out there - if anything I'm surprised at how often we see them (of course sometimes we don't!) It's not often that I get to be out on the boat just for fun but this week I found myself with time just to relax so headed out south west of Ramsey...read more

Fantastic porpoise video footage

We've just had a look at the videos on the SOS Dolfijn website. They show how the team work with porpoises and how they ultimately release them. It's fascinating to see them swim but we still can't get over how relaxed the porpoises seem to be and how they interact with the team. The videos are available from their homepage by clicking on the SOS Dolfijn...read more

Porpoise behaviour

It was great to be able to find out a bit more about porpoise behaviour from the SOS Dolfijn guys. We learned that while they are shy they're friendly, even playful with humans at the centre, much more gentle than dolphins. When rescued from stranding they apparently relax and co-operate with their rescuers pretty quickly. As their strength improves they naturally become more independent and impatient to...read more

SOS Dolfijn (porpoise & dolphin rescue centre)

Last week a couple of porpoise experts from SOS Dolfijn, a rehabilitation and research centre for stranded porpoises and dolphins in the Netherlands, came out on one of our passenger trips. Most people desperately want to see dolphins and so our rather lovely local porpoises can be overlooked but these guys really wanted to see the porpoises. ...read more

RNLI preparing for new boathouse at St Justinian, St Davids

There's a new kid in town, referred to as the 'jack-up'. Norwest Holst, an engineering company, set up its rig yesterday. No sooner was the platform in position than they were preparing to drill - they're not slackers! The 'jack-up' or platform is supported by 4 huge hydraulically operated legs (which give it its alien appearance) and which also allow it to be 'walked' on the ocean floor - all very cool to watch! ...read more

Dolphin sightings on offshore trips

Last week we took some scientists out to Grassholm to do some gannet monitoring and came across some common dolphins en route. Not only were they bow-riding, they were swimming nose to the stern, even under the jet stream, pretty much touching the boat. Whenever wildlife comes up really close to the boat I am grateful that we have no propellers. I am not aware of any damage done to wildlife in this area by propellers but it is fantastic to know...read more

Recent dolphin 'superpod' sighting off The Smalls

My heart sinks a little when the media refer to Pembrokeshire as 'The Dolphin Coast' and eagerly report sightings of hundreds or even thousands of dolphins. Such sightings do occur and they are really exciting (and therefore newsworthy) but precisely because they do not occur daily. We are fortunate to see cetaceans often en route to Grassholm and The Smalls but I often speak to people who are under the impression that boat companies can...read more

Fishing off Ramsey Island

We went fishing for mackerel off Ramsey Sound this week. I confess I'm a bit of a girl when it comes to fishing. I'll drive the boat or hold a line but I do my best to avoid having to actually go near the fish. Ray Mears would despair... I have learned how to despatch fish humanely should the need arise but frankly if there's someone else who's prepared to do it then I'm grateful. ...read more

Jellyfish Project

There's a new project in town - EcoJel. They're tagging barrel jellyfish in an effort to find out more about their movements, how long they live etc. They also have a really useful jellyfish identification guide to download. We've been seeing common jellyfish (which are often known as moon jellyfish due to their purple rings) , compass...read more

Ramsey Puffin update

We had a lovely offshore trip to the Smalls Lighthouse this week. We saw some dolphins north of Grassholm and lots of seals on Grassholm and The Smalls but also plenty of puffins. We would expect to see them off Skomer and well out to sea but we seem to be coming across more and more of them west of Ramsey. It's clearly too early to see if the RSPB puffin project is working yet but...read more

Otter spotted off Bitches reef, Ramsey Island, St Davids

We've just had a message from the boat that they've spotted an otter swimming around the rocks of the Bitches reef - another first in 27 years of Tim working around the island. There's a particularly awkward gap (even by Ramsey's standards) next to 'the middle Bitch' as the rock is known that only Tim drives through. Just as he was negotiating the rocks underwater to drive through the gap the otter popped up so he had to reverse back through...read more

Ramsey Island Puffin Project

Edited highlights from an email from RSPB Ramsey warden Greg Morgan, explaining the mystery of the plastic puffins: The RSPB are deploying 150 plastic decoy puffins around the island in a bid to lure the real thing back to Ramsey. The species was last recorded breeding here in 1894. Sometime prior to this date, brown rats first arrived on Ramsey, probably...read more

Great Northern Diver spotted offshore

A first for me in 27 years. Tim Great Northern Diver info....read more

Weather forecast sites for St Davids, Pembrokeshire

Weather forecast web links for St Davids, Pembrokeshire. As a boat operator (Venture Jet) we use a range of forecast sites but the following are some of the most user friendly and accurate in our experience. We select either Pembroke or Milford Haven as the closest options but our weather is so localised that it's not uncommon for the weather to be different in different parts of the St Davids area, or indeed to change...read more

Ocean Dynamics Jet Boat Reunion - 'the experience of a lifetime' is back!

Calling former Ocean Dynamics (original Thousand Islands) jet boat skippers and crew (you know who you are!) There’s a vicious rumour going around that we’re all not as young as we used to be. Our combined age is … let’s not go there. Since all we ever do when we see each other is talk about the good old days of jet boating, we thought it high time to actually get together on the boat and talk shamelessly...read more

Bank Holiday Gannet Rescue

Yesterday Tim came across an adult gannet off the west coast of Ramsey floundering in the water and looking rather distressed. He came alongside to investigate and found its wing and one leg largely immobilised by rope and fishing line. The more it struggled the more entangled it became. Fortunately (for the gannet if not Tim) it had plenty of energy and didn't seem to have been caught for long. Gannets need to be handled with considerable...read more

Another early seal pup

We spotted another seal pup earlier this week. The weather continues to be kind so the pup's chances of survival are fair. The sea is a major cause of pup mortality - about 30% drown in their first week. When they're born they can swim but they need to put on weight, gain strength and hone their skills before venturing very far from land. A pup born to an experienced mother in a good safe cove has a good chance of surviving if the sea doesn't...read more

Passenger Jet Boat Incident off St Justinian, St Davids - not our company

The BBC and others reported yesterday that ‘Five people have been injured, one seriously, after their boat landed heavily after coming off a wave off the Pembrokeshire coast.’ We would like to make it clear that this refers to another company with a very different boat (it’s a hard boat, not a RIB). We don’t know what happened but our thoughts are very much...read more

Ramsey wildlife update: seabirds returning to breeding sites

The auks are here ... well almost. The razorbills (see above) and guillemots are coming in in good numbers to check out their breeding ledges and meet up with their partners whom they won't have seen...read more

New seal pup on Ramsey Island

The new season began with rain and strong winds but this weekend is unseasonably warm and sunny. This week's forecast for Marseille in the south of France is frequent heavy showers and temperatures which will send the locals into despair (I used to live out there - they see cool days and rain as minor disasters). Better still the wildlife on Ramsey is doing really well. We spotted our first seal pup of the season last week. Seal pups have...read more

Easter weather forecast

We had a wonderful taste of spring last week. The dog gambolled along the beach like a puppy, the boat's yellow tubes gleamed in the sun as we continued to get her ready for the season. Then we checked the forecast - and laughed - gales gusting up to 57mph mid week and a stonking swell. At least we know where we are - safely ashore! Easter weekend itself looks rather promising though, with much lighter winds and more than a hint...read more

coastal wildlife photography tips

I've just come across a coastal wildlife special in an online digital photography magazine. If you want tips on how to photograph wildlife or you simply want to enjoy seeing how it's done by the professionals then it's well worth a look. Janet Baxter is featured and gives some great practical advice. Janet knows a lot about the wildlife she photographs and her work is much...read more

Seal killing

Another grisly addition to the discussion on bull seals killing pups. While doing a seal survey on Skomer last year David Boyle  photographed a bull seal killing a pup on two separate occasions. Not only did he witness a bull apparently drowning a pup, he saw it take a huge chunk out of the newly moulted pup's neck. This is apparently the first time that this sort of behaviour has been photographed. If you want to check out the evidence there...read more

Interested in seasonal work?

We sometimes have seasonal job vacancies. If you're interested in work on or off the boat please email us at info@venturejet.co.uk with a brief cv. Training is provided as appropriate. Please note: if you work with us you'll probably get wet at some point! If you'd like to see us in action to get an idea of what we do please check out our videos. You can see what our passengers say about us on Trip...read more

Seal pup relaxes at St Justinian

Seals constantly ignore the Marine Code and minimum distances from humans - fair enough - it's their water. This week a lovely fat pup of 5 weeks or so (therefore independent) was lazing right by the slip at St Justinian. He ignored us as we carried the dinghy down the slip (we clearly weren't interesting enough) but roused himself slightly to spit at the dog, who was waiting to jump into...read more

Bull seal kills pup?

The debate about seals killing other seals rumbles on. Interestingly (but not necessarily significantly) so far we've only heard of bull seals being accused of murderous and cannabilistic behaviour. The latest news is from the Skomer Island blog: 'The Seal pup that was born a few days ago was seen swimming up and down the coast of North Haven, looking for its Mum. It then struck out for the middle...read more

Venture Jet review on TripAdvisor

Passengers often send us lovely emails (not to mention amusing photographs!) after their trips but understandably don't generally think to tell the world what they think of us. This may now change since we're on TripAdvisor. If you would like to see what's been said about us or to add your own comments please check out the TripAdvisor...read more

Global Nomads arrive in Mongolia

Finally the guys have arrived safely in Mongolia: ' We made it! In Ulaan Baatuur, having a lot more stories to tell then when we entered Mongolia! Lost many tyres, several convoys, a couple of other cars, but had the most amazing time...I'm hanging around in UB a couple of days before driving back in a Land Crusier (it actually has acceleration!) John and Laurie raced off this morning in our battered but proud Daewoo to try and get through Russia...read more

Bull seal eating seal pup

The recent sighting of a seal eating a baby porpoise has understandably really got people talking. I was interested to read the following in the Sea Trust blog. Please don't read on if you don't have a strong stomach! 'Reading Cliff's account of the Grey Seal eating the dead Porpoise off Strumble Head reminded me of an incident...read more

Do seals eat other seals?

Anyone who has seen a seal's teeth knows that they are fearsome predators. Seals generally feed on fish, crabs, lobsters etc so we don't often see them actually eating unless they're fighting with a large fish on the surface. Over the years Tim and I have seen the odd seal eating octopus (one yearling looking rather like something out of the Alien movies - with the octopus wrapped around the seal's head it wasn't clear who was eating whom) and...read more

Do seals eat porpoises?

Its easy to anthropomorphise seals as they snooze on rocks and loll around the boat but seals, like dogs, are predators and sometimes do things which humans rather struggle with. Some very interesting (not to mention gory) news from the Sea Trust blog: 'Richard Davies commented on a seal below us eating "a big fish". We have seen them eat big congers, Wrasse, Pollock,...read more

Global Nomads in Georgia

Our intrepid nomads survived the worlds most expensive petrol in Turkey then engaged with the traffic in Georgia: 'I'm still a little bit shell shocked by Georgia. It seems like a great, strange little country but one thing sticks out above all else. The driving. I've driven in a fair few countries with infamous automotive reputations such as Greece, Turkey (obviously) and Israel. Georgia makes them, along with most forms of...read more

Ramsey seal update

Ramsey's Atlantic grey seals are now well into their breeding season and we have pups dotted all the way around the island on storm beaches and rocky ledges. In addition to several days of glorious sunshine the sea has been unusually calm, which is great news for young pups. Last year saw a significant shift for some females giving birth earlier than usual. The seals do have some control (as far as we know a couple of days or so) over when they...read more

Ramsey seal pup update

Its been a challenging week with lots of rescheduling for the best weather windows and lots of monitoring of the weather sites! I think variable is the term the forecasters are likely to use for the coming few days. We should see some sunshine but the winds are likely to be brisker than we would choose and theres a pesky swell to keep an eye on - great for the surfers! Tim spotted another Portuguese Man o War off the north end of Ramsey this week...read more

Filming with BBC Steve Backshalls Deadly 60s

Last autumn we did some film work with the BBC for Steve Backshall's...read more

Grassholm gannet tracking project

Update from Greg Morgan, RSPB warden of Ramsey: 5 satellite trackers were put on non-breeding birds in June 09 by researchers from University of Plymouth in conjunction with RSPB. This type of work on non breeders has never been done before anywhere. These trackers send back several fixes a day which are then uploaded once a day onto the Sea Turtle...read more

Portuguese Man o War off Ramsey

It seems to be a year of firsts, earlier in the season spotting an otter on the east side of Ramsey and now a Portuguese Man o War a few days ago. Maybe I will tick the other 2 on the list of things I would like to see: killer whales and a leatherback turtle. (Tim) Apparently the lifeguards closed off the water because a Man o War visited Whitesands...read more

Global Nomads robbed

Our favourite Global Nomads have had a tough time. Communication is limited but they've been robbed and seem to have been denied food and water. Everyone's very concerned for them. Their latest entry is brief but charateristically trying to be good humoured: 'we're alive but very poor and dirty after being robbed blind and starved by corrupt azeri cops and sailors. In convoy from now on.' They knew that their adventures would be risky but they're...read more

Global Nomads hit Turkey

News from our favourite Global Nomads: ' I'm writing this now because I am lying in a very seedy motel somewhere in northern Turkey, on the Black Sea coast, far away from where we planned to be because we failed to purchase / read the correct maps. Who would have thought the map in Lonley Planet couldnt be used to navigate across Turkey? Whatever, the straight road is...read more

Ramsey puffin heads off to Mongolia with the Global Nomads

The Global Nomads kindly took this photo of the Ramsey puffin they took along on their adventures in aid of Mercy Corps. They should have...read more

New seal pups

There are a couple of new seal pups on the west side of Ramsey this week. We've been seeing them peeping out from behind the rocks on the beach and occasionally they're good enough to move so that we can see them more clearly. They're both very small so presumably 3 or 4 days old, although they seem to be getting bigger by the day. Seals' milk is very rich and pups pretty much triple their birth weight in the first 3 weeks or so. They do look...read more

Sunshine hits St Davids

We've had sunshine for 2 days now and the weather looks good and stable so we should see plenty of sunshine for the next few days. The winds have dropped but there are some lively gusts nonetheless. Surfers should be happy at the moment, with good surf at Newgale and Whitesands. The lifeguards sensibly closed Whitesands late yesterday afternoon because the surf jacked up surprisingly quickly. A large swell hit the back of the island but has largely...read more

St Davids weather looking up

The forecast for this week a couple of days ago was downright scary, with the threat of gale force winds and a 4 metre swell. Fortunately the wind forecast has been downgraded and while it will be pretty lively at times the winds are no longer causing us to consider whether or not we should be sleeping on the boat to check she's ok! We will no doubt be facing another week of sunshine and showers but the heaviest of the showers are predicted to...read more

Sunny St Davids!

Weve had sunshine all day and the breeze has died down so were working from Whitesands. The forecast for Saturday is terrific too (sunshine and light winds) but if the wind predictions for Sunday are accurate we may well have a day off from boating! The swell is due to pick up for sunday too so the surfers will be celebrating. Whitesands is well known as an excellent surfing beach. For surf forecasts check out ...read more

St Davids weather

Looking at this weeks forecast is pretty dispiriting. The Met Office is telling us with gloomy authority that the winds will scupper any plans for offshore trips for the next few days at least. Perhaps the only saving grace is that the forecast is clear on that score, although that's not great news for people who are on holiday just for this week. There's a bit of a swell forecast mid week - great news...read more

Auk breeding season coming to an end

Some of the guillemots were back on the ledges on the west cliffs of Ramsey yesterday and those who live on the east side are still there. They don't usually leave en masse so we'd love to know what took them away so suddenly from the west side earlier this week. Many of the razorbills have headed out to sea but we're still seeing some around the south east end of Ramsey and we still have some kittiwakes. It won't be long now before the ledges...read more

Guillemots leave Ramsey

The main guillemot breeding cliffs on the west of Ramsey were oddly quiet today. The birds had clearly decided en masse to leave last night. Perhaps they didn't fancy the look of the strong northerly winds forecast tomorrow! It's normal for the guillemots to be there one day and gone the next but each year it's a bit of a surprise because we don't know when they'll decide to head out to sea. Guillemots spend most of their lives out at sea only...read more

Crew Training

Passengers often tell our crew that they have the best job in the world. The upsides are obvious but they do work hard and it's much...read more

New Venture Jet Crew

We are delighted to welcome Henry and Matthew as crew this season. Laurie's sailing boots are not easily filled (ask him for his...read more

Laurie goes to Mongolia

We were delighted to welcome Laurie back from his Masters degree at Oxford University to do some crewing. He doesn't have much time to spare for us because he's about to head off to Mongolia on a charity run, The Mongol Rally. The lads describe their enterprise with characteristic flair and humour on their webpage, Global Nomads. The plan...read more

St Davids weather

The weather this week has been particularly difficult to interpret. We use a number of forecasting sites to try to get a picture of likely wind direction and strength, swell predictions (crucial) and rainfall. This, together with the tide (strength and direction) and current sea state gives a picture of what's likely to happen. Its like piecing together bits from a jigsaw except that the pieces can change...read more

Dogs and boats

We're often asked if boat trips are suitable for dogs. If you were to ask Diesel he'd wag his tail, pick up his lifejacket and jump into the Land rover ready to go. Indeed the other morning Tim picked up one of Diesel's lifejackets to put on a passenger's dog later that day and Diesel leapt up looking so excited that we suffered a major guilt attack (dogs are good at doing that) and so I took him to the beach later. ...read more

Fantastic porpoise video footage

We've just had a look at the videos on the SOS Dolfijn website. They show how the team work with porpoises and how they ultimately release them. It's fascinating to see them swim but we still can't get over how relaxed the porpoises seem to be and how they interact with the team. The videos are available from their homepage by clicking on the SOS Dolfijn TV button...read more

Porpoise behaviour

It was great to be able to find out a bit more about porpoise behaviour from the SOS Dolfijn guys. We learned that while they are shy theyre friendly, even playful with humans at the centre, much more gentle than dolphins. When rescued from stranding they apparently relax and co-operate with their rescuers pretty quickly. As their strength improves they naturally become more independent and impatient to get back...read more

SOS Dolfijn (porpoise & dolphin rescue centre)

Last week a couple of porpoise experts from SOS Dolfijn, a rehabilitation and research centre for stranded porpoises and dolphins in the Netherlands, came out on one of our passenger trips. Most people desperately want to see dolphins and so our rather lovely local porpoises can be overlooked but these guys really wanted to see the porpoises. ...read more

St Justinian drilling platform moves

The drill platform needs to be moved around St Justinian in order to test drill in the right places....read more

RNLI preparing for new boathouse at St Justinian, St Davids

There's a new kid in town, referred to as the jack-up. Norwest Holst, an engineering company, set up its rig yesterday. No sooner was the platform in position than they were preparing to drill - they're not slackers! The jack-up or platform is supported by 4 huge hydraulically operated legs (which give it its alien appearance) and which also allow it to be walked on the ocean floor - all very cool to watch! ...read more

Dolphin watching with the dog

I seem to be writing a lot about dolphins at the moment given that I spend so much of my time telling people that we can't guarantee anything other than sea. I guess there must be a lot of cetaceans out there - if anything I'm surprised at how often we see them (of course sometimes we don't!) It's not often that I get to be out on the boat just for fun but this week I found myself with time just to relax so headed out south west of Ramsey with...read more

Dolphin sightings on offshore trips

Last week we took some scientists out to Grassholm to do some gannet monitoring and came across some common dolphins en route. Not only were they bow-riding, they were swimming nose to the stern, even under the jet stream, pretty much touching the boat. Whenever wildlife comes up really close to the boat I am grateful that we have no propellers. I am not aware of any damage done to wildlife in this area by propellers but it is fantastic to know...read more

Recent dolphin superpod sighting off The Smalls

My heart sinks a little when the media refer to Pembrokeshire as The Dolphin Coast and eagerly report sightings of hundreds or even thousands of dolphins. Such sightings do occur and they are really exciting (and therefore newsworthy) but precisely because they do not occur daily. We are fortunate to see cetaceans often en route to Grassholm and The Smalls but I often speak to people who are under the impression that boat companies can pretty...read more

Fishing off Ramsey Island

We went fishing for mackerel off Ramsey Sound this week. I confess I'm a bit of a girl when it comes to fishing. I'll drive the boat or hold a line but I do my best to avoid having to...read more

Jellyfish Project

There's a new project in town - EcoJel. They're tagging barrel jellyfish in an effort to find out more about their movements, how long they live etc. They also have a really useful jellyfish identification guide to download. We've been seeing common jellyfish (which are often known as moon jellyfish due to their purple rings), compass jellyfish and...read more

Ramsey Puffin update

We had a lovely offshore trip to the Smalls Lighthouse this week. We saw some dolphins north of Grassholm and lots of seals on Grassholm and The Smalls but also plenty of puffins. We would expect to see them off Skomer and well out to sea but we seem to be coming across more and more of them west of Ramsey. It's clearly too early to see if the RSPB puffin project is working yet but...read more

St Davids Guide

Passengers are understandably always asking us at Venture Jet about the weather forecast. These are our suggestions for user friendly and accurate weather forecasting sites. For updates on...read more

Otter spotted off Bitches reef, Ramsey Island, St Davids

Weve just had a message from the boat that theyve spotted an otter swimming around the rocks of the Bitches reef - another first in 27 years of Tim working around the island. Theres a particularly awkward gap (even by Ramseys standards) next to the middle Bitch as the rock is known that only Tim drives through. Just as he was negotiating the rocks underwater to drive through the gap the otter popped up so he had to reverse back through - not bad...read more

Ramsey Island Puffin Project

Edited highlights from an email from RSPB Ramsey warden Greg Morgan, explaining the mystery of the plastic puffins: The RSPB are deploying 150 plastic decoy puffins around the island in a bid to lure the real thing back to Ramsey. The species was last recorded breeding here in 1894. Sometime prior to this date, brown rats first arrived on Ramsey, probably via shipwrecks....read more

Great Northern Diver spotted offshore

A first for me in 27 years. Tim Great Northern Diver info....read more

Weather forecast sites for St Davids, Pembrokeshire

Weather forecast web links for St Davids, Pembrokeshire. As a boat operator (Venture Jet) we use a range of forecast sites but the following are some of the most user friendly and accurate in our experience. We select either Pembroke or Milford Haven as the closest options but our weather is so localised that it's not uncommon for the weather to be different in different parts of the St Davids area, or indeed to change in...read more

Ocean Dynamics Jet Boat Reunion - 'the experience of a lifetime' is back!

Calling former Ocean Dynamics (original Thousand Islands) jet boat skippers and crew (you know who you are!) There's a vicious rumour going around that we're all not as young as we used to be. Our combined age is...let's not go there. Since all we ever do when we see each other is talk about the good old days of jet boating, we thought it high time to actually get together on the boat and talk shamelessly about how it was tougher and better...read more

Bank Holiday Gannet Rescue

Yesterday Tim came across an adult gannet off the west coast of Ramsey floundering in the water and looking rather distressed. He came alongside to investigate and found its wing and one leg largely immobilised by rope and fishing line. The more it struggled the more entangled it became. Fortunately (for the gannet if not Tim) it had plenty of energy and didn't seem to have been caught for long. Gannets need to be handled with considerable caution:...read more

Another early seal pup

We spotted another seal pup earlier this week. The weather continues to be kind so the pups chances of survival are fair. The sea is a major cause of pup mortality - about 30% drown in their first week. When they're born they can swim but they need to put on weight, gain strength and hone their skills before venturing very far from land. A pup born to an experienced mother in a good safe cove has a good chance of surviving if the sea doesn't get...read more

Places to stay in the St Davids area

The places listed here have been recommended by our passengers and friends. If you're looking for a genuinely unique holiday experience: Technically yurts and tipis may be a form of camping but camping wasn't this luxurious when I was a child! Yurts and tipis are an experience in themselves. They don't just look good, they feel great: adventure in comfort! Trellyn and Ty...read more

Passenger Jet Boat Incident off St Justinian, St Davids - not our company

The BBC and others reported yesterday that 'Five people have been injured, one seriously, after their boat landed heavily after coming off a wave off the Pembrokeshire coast.' We would like to make it clear that this refers to another company with a very different boat (it's a hard boat, not a RIB). We don't know what happened but our thoughts are very much with all those involved. We...read more

Ramsey wildlife update: seabirds returning to breeding sites

The auks are here ... well almost. The razorbills (see above) and guillemots are coming in in good numbers to check out their breeding ledges and meet up with their partners whom they won't have seen since...read more

New seal pup on Ramsey Island

The new season began with rain and strong winds but this weekend is unseasonably warm and sunny. This weeks forecast for Marseille in the south of France is frequent heavy showers and temperatures which will send the locals into despair (I used to live out there - they see cool days and rain as minor disasters). Better still the wildlife on Ramsey is doing really well. We spotted our first seal pup of the season last week. Seal pups have been...read more

Top 5 things to do St Davids Pembrokeshire

Here's my insider's guide to the best outdoor activities around St Davids. This is a personal list of the things we love to do most (but don't always have time to do!) in no particular order: Coasteering It sounds mad - don a wetsuit, old trainers and helmet, scramble and swim around our rocky coastline and if you're up for it, jump dramatically into the sea. It's awesome fun if someone's done all the hard work...read more

Ramsey Jet Boat Trip Blog

Our blog was set up to let people know what's happening around the St Davids coastline and to give updates on local and visiting wildlife around Ramsey and the offshore islands, Grassholm and The Smalls. We welcome comments and suggestions for what should be included; feel free to comment on the blog or if you prefer email us at info@venturejet.co.uk Catch us on...read more