WHALEWATCHING

Faireachán míolta móra

The Dingle Peninsula is a renowned whale-watching spot that offers fantastic opportunities for the keen observer. A diverse range of cetaceans from Ireland's smallest, the harbour porpoise, up to some of the biggest, the baleen whales, can be seen at different times of the year.

Common Dolphin Common Dolphin

Slea Head is the perfect vantage point offering good elevation and a great panorama over a number of different marine habitats. Porpoise can often be seen foraging for fish close in to the cliffs on a calm day as well as out in the Blasket Sound. Our most abundant whale, the minke, can also be seen relatively close in, along with the highly active common dolphin. The squid-eating risso's dolphin are to be found around the outer islands and the bottlenose dolphin can turn up anywhere at any time! In all eight species of whale and dolphin are regularly recorded along with other marine mega fauna like the basking shark, often seen in early summer surface-feeding on the plankton blooms. Late summer, early autumn is when the activity is peaking and the ante is upped with the possibility of the large whales appearing. These sixty-foot giants are following the large shoals of fish on which they filter-feed, down the coast. Scan the horizon for the twenty foot tall blow of a fin whale or the tail fluke of a diving humpback.

Minke Whale Minke Whale

So grab your binoculars and scope if you have them and head to a good safe lookout point. Scan for anomalies on the surface of a calm sea and also diving gannets, or other feeding seabirds. With your appetite whetted you might also want to follow up a shore watch with a boat trip on one of the dedicated wildlife tours. Happy hunting.

For the latest sightings and additional info check out the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group website at www.iwdg.ie.

Text and photographs kindly provided by Nick Massett ©2011


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marinepic4 (17K) 		Blasket Island Eco Marine Tour

Whale watching and bird watching in Dingle Bay

We offer an Eco Marine Adventure Tour, departing from the pier in Ventry village. There will be a morning tour at 10am (approx 2.5hrs) and an afternoon tour leaving at 1pm (approx 3.5 hrs).

This boat trip brings you on an unforgettable tour around the Blasket Island Archipelago with its remote islands. You have the possibility of catching glimpses of whales and dolphins, basking sharks and seals as well as observing our abundant marine bird life, comprising puffins, gannets, kittiwakes, fulmars, choughs and many more.
 
Blasket Island Eco Marine Tours
Ventry, Dingle
Co. Kerry
Phone +353 (0)86 335 3805, (0)87 231 6131

e-mail : info@marinetours.ie
Website: www.marinetours.ie