Kintra Boat Tours

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Family-run wildlife boat tours from Ballycastle harbour. Cruise the Causeway Coast and circle Rathlin Island with a crew who knows every cave, cliff and colony.
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Puffins in season, seals, seabirds and lighthouses. Book online. 🐧 Kintra Boat Tours is a family-run wildlife tour company sailing from Ballycastle harbour on Northern Ireland's Causeway Coast. Our crew take you out to Rathlin Island and
along the North Antrim cliffs in search of puffins (April to mid-August), seals, seabird colonies, sea caves and all three Rathlin lighthouses, including the famous upside-down
West Light. Wildlife is wild, so we never promise a sighting. Our skipper know the best spots and we always do our best to find it, and even on a quiet day the cliffs, caves and coastline
put on a show. Bring your binoculars. 🐧

Tours run in season, weather permitting.Layers and flat shoes recommended, toilets onboard, and there is a tour for everyone from toddlers to grandparents and your pet as well! Book online at kintraboattours.co.uk to be sure of a seat, or at the Ballycastle Visitor Centre.

31/10/2026

Kintra season recap, August part 5 of 5: the dolphins of early August ⚓

Early August gave us the encounter of the season. The dolphins came in for one bow ride after another, and one pod stayed with us all the way past Carrick-a-Rede, over 40 minutes on the bow. In James's words: insane.

Photos and clips by our crew (camera)

27/10/2026

Beak facts and quiz, part fifteen! ⚓
The last one of the season, and it goes to the one that looks almost prehistoric.

Meet the CORMORANT. Big, black and upright on the rocks, with a white cheek and a heavy hooked bill. Three facts first and then two questions. Enjoy! 🪶

You met the s**g in September. On card four they stand side by side: the tall one on the left is the cormorant.

A little deeper dive for the curious ones: the brown one with the pale front is a young bird. And good news for once, the cormorant is on the UK Green List.

Wildlife being wildlife, every trip is its own lucky dip 🎲

That is a wrap on beak facts and quiz for 2026. Fifteen parts and a lot of very good guesses in the comments. Thank you for guessing along!

Big thanks to our onboard photographer James 📷
Facts from the RSPB, Ulster Wildlife and Etymonline 🤓

See you back on board next season! Follow along for the winter 🌊

24/10/2026

Kintra season recap, August part 4 of 5: the seals ⚓

Two highlights with the seals this August. The kissing seals, which you have seen from us already, and the ledge right below the lighthouse. The seals kept hauling out there, so they were easy to spot from the boat, and on the days with a calm spell we could get really close for a proper look and some lovely photos.

Photos and clips by our crew (camera)

20/10/2026

Beak facts and quiz, part fourteen! ⚓
No beak this week, but the biggest mouth on the coast.

Meet the BASKING SHARK. One of you asked for it in the comments, so here it is. Three facts first and then two questions. Enjoy! 🦈

A little deeper dive for the curious ones: basking sharks are summer visitors, and most Northern Irish sightings are logged on the north coast between Malin Head and Runkerry Head. They are protected here under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order. If a boat meets one, the rule is simple: slow down to six knots and keep 100 metres away.

Wildlife being wildlife, we cannot promise you one 🎲 These pictures were taken by other people in other waters, and we thank them:
📷 Green Fire Productions and Hermés from Perth / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
📷 Greg Skomal, NOAA Fisheries, and Kristin Campbell, NOAA
📷 rossbeane, Antony Stanley and Calum McRoberts / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0

Facts from the Natural History Museum, the Shark Trust and Ulster Wildlife 🤓

More beak facts and quiz next Tuesday! Follow along 🌊

17/10/2026

Kintra season recap, August part 3 of 5: the seabirds ⚓

The best thing to watch in August were the pufflings. They had started coming off the cliff and we kept spotting them bobbing on the water, sometimes near their parents and sometimes alone. No bright beak yet, just a dark grey face and a much smaller bill than the adults. And they turned out to be the last puffins of our summer. The adults had already flown off, but a few pufflings were still scooting around and gave our guests a lovely surprise.

Photos and clips by our crew (camera)

13/10/2026

Beak facts and quiz, part thirteen! ⚓
This week a gull with better manners than most.

Meet the KITTIWAKE. All summer the cliffs of Rathlin are loud with them. By now they have left for the open Atlantic. Three facts first and then two questions. Enjoy! 🪶

Spot the ones with the black collar? Those are this year's young birds.

A little deeper dive for the curious ones: the kittiwake is on the UK Red List. Its numbers have fallen sharply, perhaps because there are fewer sandeels to eat.

Wildlife being wildlife, every trip is its own lucky dip 🎲

Which creature of the Causeway Coast should we cover next? Tell us in the comments!

Big thanks to our onboard photographer James 📷
Facts from the RSPB, Ulster Wildlife and the BTO 🤓

More beak facts and quiz next Tuesday! Follow along 🌊

11/10/2026

How was the season 2026? We asked Charles! ⚓

Before we tied Selkie up for the winter we grabbed our skipper for a couple of questions. His favourite moment of the year? The minke whale right underneath the boat! 🐋
And what he is looking forward to most? Seeing you all coming back, and the birds coming back with you. Sound on and let Charles tell you himself!

We are back on the water Easter week, and Easter is early, so that means March. A short winter break for us!

Thank you to everyone who came aboard this year. Enjoy the winter and we will see you back on board Selkie next season 🧡

While we are away, have a look at our new website 👉 https://kintraboattours.co.uk/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=reel&utm_campaign=last-sailing-2026

06/10/2026

Beak facts and quiz, part twelve! ⚓
This week no beak at all, but the best whiskers in the harbour.

Meet the OTTER. You might know ours as Steve. The crew named him, and he turns up in Ballycastle harbour whenever it suits him. Three facts first and then two questions. Enjoy! 🦦

A little deeper dive for the curious ones: otters on the coast are mostly out in daylight, while otters on rivers come out at night. And they are protected at all times in Northern Ireland.

Wildlife being wildlife, he keeps his own hours 🎲 If you spot him, watch from the pier, give him space and never feed him.

Which creature of the Causeway Coast should we cover next? Tell us in the comments!

Big thanks to our onboard photographer James 📷
Facts from Ulster Wildlife, NatureScot and Northern Ireland's Priority Species 🤓

More beak facts and quiz next Tuesday! Follow along 🌊

04/10/2026

The September raffle has been drawn! 🎟️

Two tickets came out of the hat: 435 wins a Kintra beanie, and 521 wins a rubber puffin! 🐧

Have a look through your pockets and your camera roll! It might be you! Send us a picture of your winning ticket in a DM or an email and we will post your prize out to you, wherever you are in the world.
That was the last draw of our 2026 season. Thank you to everyone who sailed with us this year!

We are on our winter break now. See you next season!

29/09/2026

Beak facts and quiz, part eleven! ⚓
This week the best beak of the whole series.

Meet the OYSTERCATCHER. Black and white, pink legs and that long orange bill, out on the rocks at low tide and along the shore, usually shouting at us. Three facts first and then two questions. Enjoy! 🪶

A little deeper dive for the curious ones: she is on the amber list in the UK and Near Threatened worldwide. And the oldest one ever known was 43 years old, with a ringed bird in the UK still going at 41.

Wildlife being wildlife, every trip is its own lucky dip 🎲

Which creature of the Causeway Coast should we cover next? Tell us in the comments!

Big thanks to our onboard photographer James 📷
Facts from the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts and the BTO 🤓

Beak facts and quizzes will continue in October, every Tuesday! Follow along 🌊

Address

BAYVIEW Road
Ballycastle
BT546BT

Website

http://www.Kintraboattours.co.uk/

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