This year’s Whale Watch Ireland has been brought forward from its usual August date to coincide with National Biodiversity Week.
The nationwide whale watch organised by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) takes place this Saturday 18 May between 5pm and 7pm.
Now in its 22nd year, the annual event comprises free and guided whale watches at local headlands and vantage points around the island of Ireland.
The land-based watches provide IWDG researchers, citizen scientists and marine wildlife enthusiasts with a unique overview of cetacean activity in Ireland’s waters from the smallest dolphins and porpoise to the biggest humpback whales.
“We’re also hoping that in bringing it forward to early, rather than late summer, the odds of our delivering this event in more suitable weather will improve, as late August has done us very few favours in recent years,” the charity’s sightings officer Pádraig Whooley says.
While there are of course no guarantees of sightings, given reasonable weather you have a good chance of seeing some of the marine species that can be viewed locally.
For details on the 11 organised whale watching events, and how to make the most of the experience, see the IWDG website HERE.