Training Courses

Training Courses

Here is a list of our courses etc.

Begin your learning Start your journey with ORCA today

Key: Marine Mammal Surveyor Course - 24th February 2024 ORCA OceanWatchers Course

ORCA OceanWatchers Course

The ORCA OceanWatchers courses are hosted on the e-learning platform, Moodle. This allows you to work through the course content in your own time.

You will have 2 weeks to work through the materials, before finishing with a live zoom session with the course tutor.

During this course, you will be introduced to these incredible animals and you will learn how to identify over 25 different species of whale, dolphin and porpoise, plus learn the skills to be able to survey for these animals from land or at sea.

This course is aimed at adults (16 years and older), and the covers the following topics:

Introduction to whales, dolphins and porpoises
How to identify whales, dolphins and porpoises that we see in UK and wider North Atlantic waters
Learning about the survey methodology behind whale, dolphin and porpoise surveys from land and at sea
Collecting data on whales, dolphins and porpoises using the ORCA OceanWatchers app

Course places are £60, and you will need to be a member of ORCA to take part in OceanWatchers surveys.

2024 OceanWatchers course dates coming soon!

Find out more

Marine Mammal Surveyor Training Course

All you need is a passion for whales and dolphins, a reasonable level of fitness, and to take an ORCA Marine Mammal Surveyor course, which will teach you everything you need to know to become a citizen scientist.

These one-day online courses are interactive and will give you all of the skills you need to identify and record whales, dolphins and porpoises during offshore surveys.

You will learn about the species encountered most frequently in European waters, how to interpret their behaviour, as well as understanding ORCA’s distance sampling survey protocol and preparing you for travelling at sea.

Find out more