Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre
The Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre was originally established in 1996 as a non-profit organisation dedicated to conserving Cardigan Bay’s marine wildlife through education and research. Based in a heritage building in the heart of New Quay, overlooking the beautiful beach and harbour, the centre has become the focus for marine research in the area.
Our visitor centre is primarily manned by our fantastic team of volunteers who assist us with all aspects of our work. We rely on donations and profits from our small gift shop to keep us open and running. We deliver much of the Trust's Marine Conservation work as well as hosting our Marine Conservation Team staff and volunteers.
Our Visitor Centre will be open for the 2025 season from the 3rd April 2025 until 2nd November 2025.
Plan your visit
The Visitor Centre
Newly refurbished in early 2020 our visitor centre is full of interpretative displays showcasing the huge variety of marine wildlife found in Cardigan Bay.
Manned by volunteers, our visitor centre is free to enter and is open 9am-5pm, Monday-Saturday, until the end of October.
The exhibits provide information on different themes such as the dolphins, seals and sea birds which can be spotted locally, the geology of the area and important issues surrounding pollution and sustainable fishing.
Our marine conservation staff and volunteers are on hand to answer any of your questions and tell you all about the marine wildlife in the area, including the Cardigan Bay Big 3, bottlenose dolphins, harbour porpoise and Atlantic grey seals as well as our marine conservation work in Cardigan Bay and Wales.
Enjoy a bit of shopping? Our gift shop is bursting with marine wildlife goodies and local crafts for you to take home as a souvenir. Or why not hire one of our ‘Borrow Bags’ and explore the local rock-pools? Each kit contains all the equipment and information you’ll need to discover more about our coastal wildlife.
How to find us
Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre is located on the slipway just off Glanmor Terrace (the main road down into New Quay) next to the RNLI lifeboat station, so if in doubt, head towards the sea and from there, look out for our sign with the CBMWC logo at the top of our slipway directing you to the centre. Here you can also book onto a boat trip with our colleagues at Dolphin Survey Boat Trips.
How to get here
Car
New Quay is off the A487 (the main coast road between Cardigan in the south and Aberystwyth in the north) on the A486 (from Synod Inn) or the B4342 (from Llanarth).
Train
The nearest train station is Aberystwyth. Plan your route.
Parking
There are no car park facilities at Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre but there are several public car parks in New Quay which are signposted from the roads leading into town and they cost approximately £4 a day.
Dolphin watch LIVE!
Watch bottlenose dolphins from your own home daily from 5 am to 11 pm.
Cardigan Bay is a haven for marine wildlife and is known for being a hotspot for sightings of bottlenose dolphins as well as being the mid-point of the Wales coast path. Bottlenose dolphins visit New Quay harbour regularly throughout the year, with increased activity from April through until November.
