We are thrilled to have The Noss Boat sponsored by Opticron again this season, who, since the Spring, have embellished our new Noss Boat upholstered seating with a pair of their wonderful binoculars in every front pocket, so that every one of our thousands of passengers we welcome aboard each year, has the opportunity to ‘get close & personal’ with Shetland’s marine wildlife. We understand that not everyone is an ornithologist or keen naturalist with their own binoculars to hand, so we are delighted to give everyone aboard, young, old, experienced or novice, the opportunity to handle & use these lightweight, clear, bright & sharp optics to heighten their Noss Boat wildlife boat experience with us. Opticron have supported us since our first season – Do check them & their range of optics out!
THANK YOU OPTICRON – Phil & Rebecca SST
Adventurer II WP 8×32
Adventurer II WP roof prism binoculars offer the first-time and casual user of optics terrific quality and value for money. Suitable for all types of general and wildlife observation, the models deliver bright, clear images with full field of view for spectacle wearers. Nitrogen waterproof and finished in quality textured rubber armour, the binoculars are well balanced in the hand and incorporate BAK4 roof prisms and fully multi-coated lenses. A great choice for anyone wanting a sturdy and reliable binocular with sound handling and a high standard of fit and finish.
Features
- Roof prism design finished in textured rubber armour
- Nitrogen waterproof construction
- Fully multi-coated optical system
- Long eye relief eyepieces for spectacle wearers
- Twist-type retractable eyecups
- Wide band focusing
- Tripod adapter socket
Sea Watching
The study of sea-going creatures requires patience and sometimes a good deal of luck! When that special moment occurs – a whale breaching or a pod of dolphins appears ship-side – make sure you have the right equipment to get a close up view.
Birdwatching
Opticron products have been chosen to meet the needs of birdwatchers of all abilities and types. See their website for their range and choice based on your budget or basic specification requirements.
“Founded in the UK in 1970, Opticron is a family-owned business with over forty years experience in consumer optics. In that time we have met and exceeded the demands of tens of thousands of enthusiasts and occasional users looking for a pair of high quality affordable binoculars, a telescope or an accessory to help them pursue their pastime, hobby or obsession!
We continue to specialise in delivering the best solution to wildlife enthusiasts irrespective of age, budget or experience. We aim to provide the very best mix of quality, choice and value backed up with customer service worth the name.
The company’s maxim “smaller, lighter, brighter, sharper” is the driving force behind the compact and lightweight equipment on offer. Designed and engineered to meet the varied demands of often highly discriminating customers who really use their equipment, we also try to offer a wide range of individual models and model variants to ensure people get to own the very best instrument suited to them.
Quality and value are two factors critical to the success of our business. Both have been developed and are maintained in partnership with a small number of trusted manufacturers. The benefits of these relationships are best seen in the optical performance of the equipment, the prices and guarantees offered and the value for money which we believe is second to none.
Innovation is a key part of our philosophy – bringing new and better solutions to our customers as they demand more and different things from their equipment. One of the first companies outside Europe’s ‘big three’ to launch an internally focused, 2m close focus roof prism binocular in 1995, we were a forerunner in the development of the Travelscope (a high quality interchangeable eyepiece spottingscope that meant larger scopes could be left at home), and we offer the widest range of quality full-size field monoculars of any company in the business” Opticron About Us – Website
Passengers and staff were treated to the most spectacular marine mammal encounter imaginable on Saturday mornings Noss Boat tour when en-route to Noss, Shetland Seabird Tours bespoke wildlife boat found themselves surrounded on all sides by a fabulous group of over 70 White-beaked Dolphins, playing in the surf, riding the bow of the boat, and on occasion, leaping and breaching right out of the water in Noss Sound.
“It was an unforgettable experience, having never seen such a large, playful, showy group of Dolphin, you just didn’t know where to look or where to point the camera next!” SST Passenger
After making sure delighted passengers, including the owners 7 year old daughter Ayda were getting super views & photo opportunities, Rebecca, who is a professional bird photographer & new OM SYSTEM Ambassador, took a series of shots of one mid-distance, boisterous animal which was surfacing regularly as if on a pogo stick!
She says ” I had taken numerous shots of dolphins as they surfaced in small groups all over the place, but find it a lot harder photographing cetaceans than birds and was struggling to connect with such brief surface encounters, which are all to often gone just after they are seen with no time to raise the camera, fully engage & press the shutter! I noticed a few animals leaping right out of the water a little further away and decided to concentrate on these as they were visible for a few seconds longer out of the water whilst fully breaching. I could hardly believe my eyes when I looked at the back of the camera & realised that I had caught this stunningly beautiful marine mammal in full breach & that it was sharp! These images were only possible due to the awesome mirrorless OM SYSTEM gear I converted to during lockdown, the autofocus is just super fast, so I didn’t miss the moment!
Cetaceans are being observed from Shetland Seabird Tours – The Noss Boat with increasing regularity, and this year has been exceptional with numerous sightings including the biggest ever counts we’ve had of Minke Whale, Basking Shark & Rissos Dolphin, also magical Orca encounters & daily Harbour Porpoise observations. All this on top of the dramatic wildlife spectacles surrounding the seabird city of Noss, with it’s awe-inspiring cliffs heaving with birdlife, and over 25,000 northern gannets in full breeding mode, surely one of Europe’s finest wildlife encounters by boat.
Owners, Rebecca & Phil are still buzzing from their weekend boat experience, with tours soon winding down for another season. “It has been our best year to date in both numbers of passengers & wildlife encounters, & we are fired up to see what the 2023 season brings. We have several varied contracts now into late autumn including working with the National Oceanography Centre survey team’s Boaty McBoatface project off Bressay. And as finalists in this year’s coveted Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards, in the Best Visitor Attraction Experience” category, we are looking forward to joining the other Shetland category finalists for the awards ceremony in November in Inverness before we get back to finishing some new business developments in 2023″. Rebecca & Phil
All images taken using OM SYSTEM:
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.”
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BOOKING NOW BEING TAKEN FOR 2023