Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Marine Wildlife
Midsummer Night Cruise on Shannon Estuary Postponed
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt has postponed its midsummer night cruise on the Shannon Estuary for a second time due to poor weather. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, the nighttime cruise to raise funds for the Irish Whale and Dolphin…
Marine Mammal Sightings Needed for Irish 'Atlas' of Species
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Spotters of marine mammals such as whales and dolpins are among the country's wildlife enthusiasts being called to help compile an Atlas of Mammals in Ireland. According to The Irish Times, more than 5,000 sightings have been…
Worst June Weather on Record Brings Down Whale and Dolphin Sighting Numbers
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Ten different cetacean species were accounted for among 143 sightings validated by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) for the month of June. "It’s tempting to overinterpret sightings from a single month’s snapshot," said IWDG sightings…
Irish Sea Could Have Own Barrier Reef if UK Acts on Marine Wildlife Zones
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Blackpool could have its own 'Great Barrier Reef' if proposals to set up Marine Conservations Zones in the Irish Sea get the green light, as the Blackpool Gazette reports. Earlier this month the Lancashire Wildlife Trust launched…
Birdwatch Ireland: Dalkey Island Evening Viewings
#MARINE WILDLIFE – The South Dublin Branch of BirdWatch Ireland is organising outdoor meetings over the summer which include watching terns and other species during July at Coliemore Harbour, Dalkey, writes Jehan Ashmore. The first meeting is Tuesday 3rd July…
Midsummer Night Cruise on Shannon Estuary Next Weekend
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Dolphinwatch Carrigaholt, in collaboration with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), is offering a special midsummer night cruise in the Shannon Estuary as a fundraiser for the IWDG. The cruise will depart Castle Pier in Carrigaholt,…
New Hostel Will Attract More Visitors to Clare Island
#ISLAND NEWS - The Junior Minister for Tourism was on hand at the official opening of the Go Explore Hostel and Praeger Education Centre on Clare Island last weekend, as the Mayo News reports. “This new venture will spearhead Clare…
Rare Breaching Minke Whale in Irish Sea Snapped by RIB Skipper
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Experts at the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) have been puzzled by a rare photo of a minke whale breaching in the Irish Sea, as the Larne Times reports. Minke whales are a regular visitor to…
'Swing in Activity' in Illegal Seal Killings Says Dingle Sanctuary
#MARINE WILDLIFE - The recent horrific reports of seal killings are but part of a "swing in activity" over the past few months, as TheJournal.ie reports. Gardaí continue to investigate the shocking incident in Dingle two weeks ago, where the…
Unusual Marine Wildlife Finds Off West Coast
#MARINE WILDLIFE - There were some strange goings-on off Connemara last week as fishermen caught two very surprising marine wildlife finds, The Irish Times reports. On the Aran Islands prawn grounds, skipper Colin Reynolds of the Fragrant Cloud caught an…
Seal Cull Needed on West Coast Says FG Councillor
#MARINE WILDLIFE - RTÉ News reports that a Fine Gael councillor for Co Galway has called for a seal cull along the West coast. Cllr Seosamh Ó Laoi told RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta that the increase in the seal population…
Killer Whales Surround Anglers in Lough Swilly
#MARINE WILDLIFE - The video above shows the moment when an angling boat was surrounded by a pod of killer whales at the mouth of Lough Swilly in Co Donegal. Sea angler Kevin Doherty, whose boat was treated to the…
Fishermen Condemn Illegal Killing of Baby Seals
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Fishermen have condemned the appalling killing of two baby seals whose heads were nailed to signs outside a wildlife sanctuary in Dingle last week. As previously reported on Afloat.ie, staff at the Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary…
Happy Outcome for Mayo's Stranded Minke Whale
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Conor McGuire and friends were taken by surprise when they came across a stranded minke whale in Clew Bay, Co Mayo - but thankfully this whale of a tale had a happy outcome. As the Irish Whale…
Call to Extend Ireland's Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary Across Europe
#MARINE WILDLIFE - The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) has called for the extension of Ireland's pioneering whale and dolphin sanctuary throughout European coastal waters. As the Clare Herald reports, the move comes on the 21st anniversary of the…
Seal Heads Sicken Staff at Dingle Wildlife Sanctuary
#MARINE WILDLIFE - Staff at the Dingle Wildlife and Seal Sanctuary were subject this morning to the gruesome sight of two baby seal heads nailed to signs outside the facility. According to the Irish Independent, the grisly scene was accompanied…

Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!