A UK explorer has listed the Isle of Man in her top five British islands for spotting whales and dolphins.

Lisa Drewe, who is chair of trustees for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) said that the island’s coastal waters are ’rich in marine life’.

She praised the island in her blog ’Love Islands - my top five British islands for spotting whales and dolphins’.

Lisa, who lives in Wiltshire and the Isle of Skye, has dedicated her life to exploring islands around Britain.

She’s made it her mission to walk, run, bike, swim or kayak around as many of the 6,000 islands as possible. So far, she has completed 150.

It was after a cycling trip in the Isle of Man that she had her first ever sighting of Risso’s Dolphins.

She wrote: ’Just south of Douglas Head along a quiet track at the edge of the cliffs a mother and calf were swimming gently below.

’At first I was confused, the bulbous shape of her almost white head was initially hard to identify, but after watching for 30 minutes or so I was in no doubt.’

The explorer described Kallow Point in Port St Mary as ’a real hotspot for harbour porpoises’.

She said Laxey and Bulgham Bay were good areas in winter to see minke whales.

The east coast is a good place to see bottlenose dolphins and she said common dolphins can be seen from the whole island coastline.

Black Isle, in Scotland, Isle of Lewis, the Isles of Scilly, off Cornwall, and Ynys Lochtyn in Cardigan Bay, Wales, were other islands voted by her.

View her blog here: https://uk.whales.org/2019/08/02/love-islands-my-top-five-british-islands-for-spotting-whales-and-dolphins/

The conservation enthusiast founded islandeering.com - which gives guides on British islands from her trips - and has published a book about her endeavours.

She has coined the term ’islanding’ and is sharing her experiences to inspire other people to take on the challenge and tell their stories.

Find out more here: www.islandeering.com