It has been a busy autumn for marine life off the island with the likes of tuna, fin whales and plenty of dolphins spotted from the coastline.

Plenty of dolphins have been spotted and, after a slow start, an encouraging number of whales were also recorded, almost exclusively off the east coast.

The wildlife charity Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch has provided a round-up of sightings from September to November.

Posting on social media, the charity said: ‘September saw the return of our winter-visiting bottlenose dolphins, with a report of 15 individuals off Maughold on September 28. This pod continued to be seen all through the autumn, with a further 10 sightings in October and four so far in November.

‘These sightings have all been off the east coast between Bulgham bay and Port Soderick, with most sightings occurring off Laxey, many within the Laxey Bay Marine Nature Reserve. This pod contains around 50 individuals with at least 10 calves/juveniles.’

There was also encouraging news with whale populations after a disappointing summer.

The charity said: ‘Autumn usually sees the return of minke whales to the east coast. After a very quiet summer for this species (only two reported all year), we did see our first east-coast minke on October 10.

‘Since then, a further 11 sightings have been reported with the most recent being on November 17. Interestingly, all 12 sightings have occurred within a very small coastal area, between the northern end of Laxey bay and Douglas head.’

There have also been some rarer visitors to our shores.

The charity said: ‘Unusual sightings during this season included two fin whales off Port Cornaa on October 22. These huge whales are distinctive due to their tall.

‘Another species of interest was an Atlantic bluefin tuna on October 12, the second sighting of this species in 2025. Tuna are protected by law in Manx waters.

‘In Manx waters, autumn sightings directly correlate with the herring spawning season.’