You can swim or snorkel with Atlantic puffins around Skomer Island and Skokholm Island in Pembrokeshire, Wales, specifically through specialized guided tours offered by operators like Celtic Deep. The best time for this experience is between April and July, when the birds are breeding.
Where is the best place to see puffins in the world?
You can find puffins in many northern climes during the summer months, places like Maine in the United States, Scotland, the Faroe Islands, but the best place to spot a puffin is Iceland. Iceland is visited by 10 million puffins each summer!
Pembrokeshire's islands host globally significant colonies for many species of seabirds and Atlantic grey seals. Our island trips offer small groups of snorkellers the chance to encounter two of our most charismatic species in their element; puffins and grey seals.
puffins can be seen from late April to early August. The best time is June to late July when they are feeding the young. Evening is often when most are ashore. There are numerous good places to see puffins, but most breed on small uninhabited islands away from rats. Boat trips go to some of these places.
Next to Skomer is Skokholm Island that is also a favourite with seabirds including razorbills, guillemots, manx shearwaters and a strong colony of puffins. Both islands are owned and run by the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales. Other puffin destinations include Lundy Island in Devon and Spyway in Dorset.
With nearly 350,000 breeding pairs of Manx Shearwaters, over 40,000 Puffins, thousands of Guillemots, Razorbills and Kittiwakes and hundreds of Fulmars, Skomer is an internationally important seabird island.
🥹 Overall Puffins have quite a placid temperament and are highly sociable. They don't often show any fear towards humans, in fact, they seem pretty curious about us. However, touching a puffin is actually harmful to them as their feathers have special properties that deflect water.
Puffins live at sea and are well adapted to this lifestyle. They are excellent swimmers, using their wings to essentially 'fly' underwater while using their feet to control direction. They hunt a variety of small fish including herring, hake, capelin and sand lance.
With spectacular scenery and an array of wildlife it's easy to see why we take thousands of passengers each year to view this beautiful island. Located at the NE entrance of the Menai Strait this little island hosts an abundance of wildlife including Atlantic grey seals, resident coastal birds and visiting sea birds.
1. St Kilda (National Trust for Scotland) Remote, rugged, and wild, the extremely isolated island of St Kilda is the UK's only dual UNESCO World Heritage Site. Found far off the West coast of the Outer Hebrides, it holds the UK's largest puffin colony, with a staggering 130,000 estimated breeding pairs!
Skomer and Skokholm's accommodation is open from the start of April to end of September 2026. On Skomer, changeover is on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays. On Skokholm, changeover days are on Mondays and Fridays, meaning you can stay for a minimum of 3 or 4 nights.
At the height of the breeding season from May–August, St Kilda is home to a scarcely comprehendible one million seabirds, the largest colony in northwest Europe, which includes the UK's largest puffin colony.
The Celtic Deep, a 100-meter deep depression in the seafloor 30 miles off Pembrokeshire's coast, is home to some of the UK's most awe-inspiring marine life. It was here that in 2018, Richard Rees led a group of friends (some more convinced than others) offshore, out of sight of land.
Every year, local Icelanders set out to help. Eva Berglind Guðmundsdóttir, 8; Jón Bjarki Eiríksson, 12; Íris Dröfn Guðmundsdóttir, 11; and Anton Ingi Eiríksson, 14 throw four baby puffins off a cliff in Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland.
The boat has a nice indoor area but we always recommend dressing warmly and weather appropriately. Wearing warm and comfy layers as well as flat bottom shoes so you can easily walk around the boat. It will always feel somewhat colder out on the water then on land.
🐧🌊 Fun fact: Puffins may look a bit clumsy on land, but they're incredible in the water! These beautiful birds are able to swim just as well as they fly. They can fly at 88km/h and dive down 60m underwater to catch fish. They are like little underwater “flying” torpedoes.
The Cliffs of Moher puffin is a member of the Auk family which winters at sea and returns to shore for the nesting season from late May to mid July. The best time for you to see Puffins in Ireland along the length of the Cliffs is between May and June.
Fitzroy Island. Green Island is generally better for swimming and snorkelling, whereas Fitzroy Island is better for hiking and adventure. However, both tropical islands off the coast of Cairns are absolutely stunning and have plenty to offer travellers!
Anglesey is home to an array of must-visit historical landmarks that offer a glimpse into the island's rich past. Beaumaris Castle, a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site, stands as one of the most impressive medieval fortresses in the UK. Beaumaris Gaol provides a haunting look into Victorian prison life.
You might have heard about the 80:20 rule where 20% of things get you 80% of the results. In swimming I find that is usually body position. If you want to improve your swimming a lot of times the 20% of things that you can do comes down to body position.
Touching a puffin is actually very harmful to them, as their feathers have special properties that deflect water. Please always be respectful towards the birds. Touching and feeding them is the worst thing you can do. Furthermore, approaching them too closely around the edges of cliffs is very dangerous.
𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝟑 𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬 🏆🐧💨 🥇Gentoo Penguin- up to 22.4 mph! These agile swimmers navigate the icy waters of the Southern Hemisphere with incredible precision. 🥈Emperor Penguin- up to 9.3 mph!
Dugongs, also known as sea cows, are a rare marine mammal found in shallow coastal waters around the northern coast of Australia. Arguably one of the most unique marine animals in the world, these docile creatures are known for their friendly and gentle nature, making them a favourite amongst divers and snorkelers.
Soaked in salt water, smoked with wood chips and dried sheep dung, then boiled for two hours in a sweet malt beverage before being refrigerated and finally served, bone-in and cold, alongside a packet of butter, smoked puffin tastes briny and a bit fishy and musky-sweet in the manner of mesquite barbecue.
Macaws are the showstoppers of the parrot family — large, colorful, and full of personality. Despite their size, they're incredibly gentle and loyal to their human companions.
