WE ARE THRILLED TO BE LEADING THE WAY INTO 2024 WITH THE HIGHEST GREEN TOURISM “GOLD” AWARD ACCOLADE! 🍃 🥇 FEB 22nd.
What a fabulous boost to our 9th year in business as the premier Shetland NOSS BOAT wildlife & photography boat tour experience. We are delighted to share with our many followers & supporters that 3 weeks ago, we are awarded the highest accolade of “GOLD” standard by Green Tourism – a boat visitor attraction 1st for the isles. The Green Tourism programme is acknowledged worldwide as an indicator of good environmentally friendly practices. They promote a greener, cleaner environment for people, places & our planet.
As a small, family business on Shetland run by two passionate naturalists & conservationists, we have helped pave the way for other local businesses on Shetland & beyond to follow & have shown our deep commitment to the environment. All a step in the right direction to a greener, more sustainable future.
“Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat, have done an excellent job of achieving a Gold Green Tourism Award after their initial Silver in 2023. They have a good sustainability section on their website which explains their efforts to be a more sustainable tour business to their customers and encourages them to participate. Their genuine pleasure in running and promoting a sustainable wildlife tour business in the area where they operate is evident throughout the assessment. The enthusiasm, professionalism and community involvement, both at a social level and in the wildlife watching community, runs through the whole business”.
⭐️ Experiences – Outstanding knowledge of local area and wildlife and how to enjoy it responsibly.
⭐️ Biodiversity – Excellent commitment to promoting, protecting, and preserving and educating visitors in biodiversity on and off site.
⭐️ Health & Wellbeing- An exceptional result, a reflection of how they take pride in delivering the best customer care.
⭐️ Food & Drink, Shetland Seabirds Tours has shown fantastic commitment to promoting locally and sustainably and ethically, produced food.
⭐️ Destination – Excellent promotion of the natural heritage, events, and local projects in the destination area and how to enjoy it in a sustainable manner.”
THANK YOU ALL. We look forward to continuing our green journey & excellent customer service into 2024 & beyond. We can’t wait to share our new 2024 developments with you within the next month before we start our #nossboat tours again in April ❤️ 💚

Green Tourism promotes greener ways for businesses and organisations to operate, by offering our members advice on:

  • Reducing energy use
  • Saving water
  • Efficient & eco-friendly waste disposal
  • Ethical buying
  • Staying local & seasonal
  • Minimising food miles
  • Promoting biodiversity
  • Adopting a smart, sustainable outlook from top to bottom

People

We champion investment and improvement in local communities. When businesses devote some time and energy to contribute to local people, it becomes part of investing in a truly sustainable and ethical mindset. By encouraging staff and individuals to play their part in a business’s green journey, they will feel respected and valued; as well as ensuring a happy and eco-aware workforce.

Places

Living and operating sustainably is a process that involves promoting and caring for the natural environment, helping conserve the local area and its economy and supporting local suppliers of ethically-produced, seasonally-grown food and drink. We encourage our members to actively introduce guests or consumers to genuine experiences, both in the great outdoors and those involving arts, craft and culture.

Planet

We are committed to a low carbon future and finding new ways to reduce our industry’s footprint. We aim to inform and inspire our participating businesses about the circular economy, ecological and cultural diversity and ensuring efficient use of our planet’s resources. We work with selected partners and affiliates to strengthen our offer as one of the world’s leading eco-friendly accreditation organisations.

 

 

We are delighted to announce that we have yet again won an award, this time in the Travel & Hospitality Awards 2024…… WILDLIFE TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR – SCOTLAND 2024

 

Blog Post Extracts from Promote Shetland

 

We are surprised & thrilled to have been shortlisted as finalists in this year’s Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards in the “BEST VISITOR ATTRACTION EXPERIENCE” category. We could receive no greater accolade to be nominated in this highly regarded Scottish tourism award and are delighted for the other Shetland-based companies who have also made it into the 2022 shortlist in other categories, Garth’s Croft Bressay in the Food Tourism Award, Wild Skies Shetland in the Working Together Toursim Award & No 88 Ltd in the Best Eatery Experience.
THANK YOU to all our passengers, followers, friends, family & supporters who have helped make Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat, a strong, successful, leading wildlife & photography tourism attraction on the Isles. We are now enjoying the last month or so of our 7th year in business and our busiest year to date. We are already working on new plans for the 2023 season. Rebecca & Phil x

HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS TOURISM AWARDS SHORTLIST IS REVEALED!

THE shortlist for the Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards (HITA) 2022 has been announced.

The return of the Awards this year, sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, saw a record number of entries.

BEST VISITOR ATTRACTION EXPERIENCE

Sponsored by Port of Cromarty Firth Authority

Highland Wildlife Park

Loch Ness by Jacobite

Shetland Seabird Tours ‒ The Noss Boat 

 

The judging panel was delighted with the strong field of submissions, particularly after such a challenging two years for the sector.

Chair of the judging panel, Calum Ross, Loch Melfort Hotel, near Oban, said: “Not only did we have a record number of entries for the Awards’ return this year but the standard of submissions was exceptional. We had an incredibly strong field this year which is all the more remarkable given the huge challenges and disruption to our industry over the past two years.

“It is fantastic to see so much resilience and work that went into each entry and so many businesses that took the time to apply. Of course, that made our job of shortlisting the entries all the more difficult!”

HITA chairman Laurence Young added: “After two long years, it’s exciting to be able to bring the Awards back. Everyone can now look forward to a wonderful Awards night where we can celebrate the achievements of our sector and recognise the dedication, professionalism and excellence shown right across the Highlands and Islands.”

https://www.shetlandseabirdtours.com/booking/

BOOKING NOW BEING TAKEN FOR 2023

 

 

www.henleyspiers.com

Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat, are delighted to see the photographic side of our business develop so well over the last few years alongside our regular, popular scheduled tours. Since we started our boat tours back in 2016, we have collaborated & enjoyed working with some amazing names in the photographic and film industry, honing out skills to be able to offer a professional, knowledgeable boat platform to help others achieve outstanding results. We have regularly collaborated with the incredible underwater photographer, ecologist and Shetland resident Richard Shucksmith who has brought some outstanding photographers aboard bespoke workshops and tours all catering for different styles and requirements from amateur to professional. In our first of many showcase posts, our first highlights the latest photographic successes of the awesome Henley Spiers, who we welcomed aboard last year for the first time and who will be joining us again in 2022. Henley recently won 1st and 3rd places in the UPY 2021 British Waters Wide Angle category, see below. Henley has also written a fabulous illustrated article on his Shetland experiences last year in this months COAST magazine.

Gannet Success: 

With the @upycontest results just released and now whizzing their way across news outlets worldwide (no joke), I’m glad to report that a couple of my frames made the final collection. Not having left British waters in 2021, it’s great to see a couple of my favourite marine moments appreciated by the judges, picking up 1st and 3rd place in the British Waters Wide Angle category.

The category winner is entitled ‘Gannet Storm’ and as an extra bonus it’s also the cover shot for the UPY 2022 Yearbook:

“A northern gannet swims in an artistic hail of bubbles created by diving seabirds. 40,000 gannets visit the nearby cliffs annually to lay and care for a single egg, fishing for food nearby. Hitting the frigid water faster than an Olympic diver, these incredible birds have evolved airsacs in the head and chest to survive these repeated heavy impacts. From underwater, the sound was thunderous as streamlined, white torpedos pierced the surface. I wanted to create a novel image of these handsome seabirds and resolved to try and capture their movement through a slow exposure. The speed of the gannets led to innumerable failures but in this frame we retain strong eye contact with the gannet, even as the scene is artistically softened. With great thanks to @richardshucksmith , without whom this encounter with the gannets would not have been possible.”

Here’s what judge @alexmustard1 says: “That eye and this moment. A powerful picture. Diving gannets have won this category before, but we’ve never had a portrait like this, that reveals both the personality of this predator and the energy of the action.”

You can read all about Henley’s successful trip to Shetland in 2021 in this months COAST magazine!


ABOUT

Henley Spiers, half British and half French, is a renowned photographer, writer, and trip leader who has fast become one of the most highly decorated underwater shooters in the world.

Starting his professional career in diving as an instructor, working in the Philippines, Indonesia and Saint Lucia, he later fell in love with underwater imagery and made the transition to full-time photographer.

Since then, Henley has amassed a prolific series of award-winning images, including two category wins in the Underwater Photographer of the Year, winning first prize in the Black & White category of Nature Photographer of the Year, and winner of the Ocean Geographic David Doubilet portfolio award.

Henley’s photography has been published in the likes of The Sunday Times, Der Spiegel, and Sierra Magazine, and frequently graces magazine covers.

As an accomplished (and bilingual) writer, Henley’s words often accompany his images, and he is a regular contributor to DIVER magazine (UK), EZ Dive magazine (Taiwan), Plongez magazine (France), and Hakai magazine (Canada). Readers enjoy Henley’s conversational writing style, delivering insight without pretension and usually with a touch of humour. Notably, he has also written for Asian Diver, Outdoor Photography Magazine, bioGraphic, and Black + White Photography magazine.

In 2019, Henley co-authored Black is the New Blue Vol. II, showcasing blackwater diving. His latest book, the Guide to Cebu, co-written with wife and frequent collaborator, Jade, showcases the very best of diving in their former home. Available in the Philippines, the international launch for Guide to Cebu has been delayed due to the current pandemic.

Henley also leads trips to see incredible underwater wildlife encounters, specialising in small-group adventures to rarely seen locations and events. Sought-after as a teacher, Henley’s coaching on these trips has seen a number of attendees go on to become award-winning photographers in their own right.

Although he would be the first to admit that he can still do more to help, Henley has so far enjoyed collaborating in the field of ocean conservation with Blue Marine, Mission Blue, Bertarelli Foundation, Marine Conservation Society, Devon Wildlife Trust, Cornwall Wildlife trust, and Thunnus UK.

In 2019, Henley was honoured to be invited by Blancpain to the Edition Fifty Fathoms Ocean Commitment programme, joining a select group of the world’s foremost underwater photographers.

 

 

Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat gains professional WiSe Award Accreditation  – March 2022.  We are leading the way as a major boat-based tourist attraction in Shetland, on how to behave & operate responsibly & safely around the marine wildlife rich environment here on Shetland. We are delighted to be the first to have this accreditation for the start of the 2022 season, having been aware of WiSe for many years. Its main aim of minimising disturbance to marine wildlife is also fundamental to our own company ethos and branding, having two professional ecologists at its core.

“All commercial operators trained and accredited under the WiSe Scheme have an opportunity to lead the public, through demonstrating the example of best practice in the field and ensuring that all commercial operations are sustainable. In doing so you will be helping the long-term future of our precious marine life, for the benefit of future generations”.

www.wisescheme.org

The UK’s national training scheme for minimising disturbance to marine wildlife

The waters around the UK are home to a fantastic variety of marine wildlife, whether visible from the shore or from a boat. However, these wild animals are vulnerable to disturbance if not encountered in a manner that respects their wild nature.

The WiSe Scheme is about watching marine wildlife the wildlife-safe way.

Our aim is to promote responsible wildlife-watching, through training, accreditation and raising awareness. The WiSe Scheme is a simple modular training course aimed primarily at wildlife cruise operators, dive and service boats, yacht skippers and sea kayakers, plus people participating in coasteering, stand-up paddle boarding and wild swimming. These groups of people are most likely to come into contact with marine wildlife, as they are likely out on the water on a regular basis. We also seek to educate the general public who are keen to minimise their impact whilst out on or near the water.

“We enhance people’s understanding on how to avoid disturbing wildlife”…….

THE No.1 NOSS BOAT  – IT’S OFFICIAL – BEST IN SCOTLAND – COME & JOIN US & SEE WHY!  BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR THE 2022 SEASON….

WOW! 🏆 thank you such! Another award to end the year with……

Shetland Seabird Tours has just been named Scotland’s: ‘Best Wildlife & Photography Boat Tour Company 2021’ at the SME News Scottish Enterprise Awards! What an incredible end to an exceptional Noss Boat season! Thank you so much to all our passengers, followers & supporters! We can’t wait to get back out on the water showcasing Shetland’s rich marine life & supporting Shetland’s tourism industry in 2022 x

 

 

Scotland’s Best Wildlife & Photography Boat Tour Company’ article in local SHETLAND TIMES – December 2021.

Capturing Ecology 2021

Overall Winning Image by Rebecca Nason of Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat

The winning images and an additional eight highly commended images, taken by international ecologists and students, celebrate the diversity of ecology, capturing flora and fauna from across the planet. Subjects range from a blood red snail feeding on dead man’s fingers (a fungus found in the rainforests of India) to a rare sighting of the ‘fairy of the Valencian forests’, a recently discovered cave-dwelling bug in Spain.

The winning images from this year’s will be displayed in our immersive virtual exhibition, which is sponsored by Wiley.

Overall winner: Kumlien’s Gull and Friends, Rebecca Nason.

Overall winner: Kumlien’s Gull & Friends, Rebecca Nason/ShetlandSeabird Tours:

On her winning image, Rebecca Nason – an ecologist and photographer living in Britain’s most northerly harbour town of Lerwick, Shetland – said: “In April 2021, I came across a scarce Kumlien’s Gull as I fed bread to a growing number of Herring Gull sheltering from a Spring storm. A beautiful gull, these birds breed in the Arctic regions of Canada & winter from Labrador west across the Great Lakes.

“When the Kumlien’s gull approached to a good distance to allow for closer full frame shots. I started photographing the eye detail, noting a gorgeous granite coloured iris with dark speckled plumage detail around the eye. It was only when I got home I realised that the speckled patterns were in fact lice clustered around the eye, the Kumlien’s Gull hadn’t travelled alone!

“I am thrilled to win such a prestigious photography competition after entering for the first time this year. I have had a very symbiotic relationship between ecology work & bird photography in my career, so for both to come together in this way to win a competition with a gull image taken on my local patch, is just the icing on the cake.”

THE SHETLAND TIMES: Pg 2: Friday 29th October 2021

MORE LINKS:

BBC NEWS – ‘CAPTURING ECOLOGY’ PHOTOGRAPHY WINNER 2021

DIGITAL CAMERA WORLD NEWS 

SCIENCE FOCUS NEWS

RARE BIRD ALERT – CAPTURING ECOLOGY WINNER

We were amazed to find Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat  – named & recommended in The Week magazine this summer as part of being recognised as 1 of the top 10 UK boat tours 2021 in The Guardian. Thank you to all the readers for recommending us, it means a huge amount to receive such positive, honest feedback from so many! We remain Shetland’s premier Noss Boat, the only boat run by naturalists & the longest running Noss Boat tour company. We are so delighted to showcase one of Europe’s finest wildlife spectacles with so many tourists & locals alike since we started business in 2016. If you haven’t already, as one of our original business slogans suggest: Come & experience a real gannet’s eye view – with The Noss Boat…… © SST 2016-2021

We look forward to welcoming you aboard……

We were thrilled to find out in July that we were named as 1 of the top 10 best boat tours in the UK published in The Guardian & voted for my readers. Please click on the link below to see the article.

https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2021/jul/08/10-great-uk-boat-trips-scotland-cornall-london-chosen-by-readers