HUMPBACK WHALES HAVE returned to Irish waters as they migrate north for the summer and those on board a sea safari boat were treated to an up-close display of their jumping prowess yesterday afternoon off the coast of Dingle, Co Kerry. 

The Dingle Sea Safari company posted photographs of the whales breaching the sea surface in Dingle Bay on social media, describing it as a rare sighting. 

Jimmy Flannery, director of Dingle Sea Safari, told The Journal that getting such a good look at the whales is not something that happens on every trip. 

Dingle Sea Safari Dingle Sea Safari

“You can never tell what you’re going to come across,” Flannery said, adding that the company’s tours at this time of year usually features seals, puffins and common dolphins. 

The whales were sighted by local fishermen who tipped off the safari boat captains in a local whatsapp group, Flannery explained. 

“And once that happens, then everybody just keeps a closer eye and maybe heads closer to where they might be,” he said.

A humpback whale's tail breaks the surface of the water.

Flannery wanted to stress that his company does not operate whale watching tours and that this kind of interaction is not an everyday occurrence, saying “the whales are just an added bonus when they’re there”.

“We don’t go looking for them in particular, but when they’re there, we do try and get to them.”

The humpbacks are back in Dingle Bay 🐳 🤩

It’s very rare to see them and it’s amazing to have them back again this year! Clips captured onboard this evening! @discoverirl @DiscoverKerry_ @IrishTimes @irishexaminer @radiokerrynews @NuachtBnG @rtenews @RTERadio1 pic.twitter.com/91FNFARUy1

— Dingle Sea Safari ~ Daingean Uí Chúis (@DingleSea) July 14, 2024

Flannery himself had predicted the whales might be there due to the conditions the day before, mentioning it to his fellow skipper Seán Collins. 

“I said, I have a feeling that the humpbacks are going to be there tomorrow. It was just one of those days. There was a lot of lot of feed the water and conditions were right, the weather was right. And sure enough, they showed up.”

The tail of a humpback whale disappears back into the water. Dingle Sea Safari Dingle Sea Safari

“You need a combination of things to come together and yesterday was just one of those ideal days,” he said.

“It’s funny because last year, we didn’t see as much of the humpbacks,” said Flannery, noting that it wasn’t until September last year that they were spotted. 

At this time of year, humpback whales can be found anywhere between Cape Verde off the west coast of Africa and Norway as they follow the schools of sprat and other small fish on which they feed.