Paddleboarding on the tranquil waters of St Martin’s is like gliding on glass. If you time it right, you can paddle out to the sandbanks and stand, quite literally, in the middle of the ocean. St Martin’s Watersports, right by the ferry port, also hires out kayaks and a giant, four-person paddleboard.

Scilly is a twitcher’s paradise, but the abundance of seals (many of which swim over from the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek) are also a huge pull. The trip leaving St Mary’s for the Eastern Isles is particularly good for seals. After disembarking in St Martin’s you can spend the rest of the day pottering around the island before catching the boat back again, all included in your ticket price. If you’re lucky, you may even see dolphins.

Don a snorkel and take to the water to join the grey seals around St Martin’s. The seals are so playful that it isn’t uncommon to have one nibble at your flipper as you swim along. A trip with Scilly Seal Snorkelling lasts roughly three hours and masks, fins, wetsuits and snorkels are all provided.

With only two clubs, the Isles of Scilly Football League is officially the smallest in the world. Every year the Garrison Gunners and the Woolpack Wanderers battle it out, playing a total of 17 games each Sunday between November and March. They’re often short of players, so don’t be surprised if you’re recruited from the sidelines to join the match.

During the annual World Pilot Gig Championships on the first May bank holiday weekend, the Scillies transform from a sleepy little archipelago into a sea of colour as thousands of people descend upon the islands to watch the gig rowing. So many gigs are now involved in the first race (around 130) that the start line is more than a mile long. If you can’t make it for the championships, watch inter-island gig races throughout the summer: women race on Wednesdays and men on Fridays.