I’d spoken to Susanne the day before and I was patiently waiting her text. I got it at around 09:30 on Sunday morning. There was going to be a sailing at 1 pm and P and I had a place on board. All we had to do was get to their offices in Carrigaholt for 12:30 and dress warmly.
It was a beautiful day in Kilkee. People were beginning to chip and head for walks along the beach and cliffs or settle into a bit of breakfast in the local hotels. It felt warm enough, but I knew that if I’m told to “dress warmly” on a boat that the temperature at sea was going to be a lot cooler.
Two fleeces, a waterproof jacket and a pair of lined trousers later we arrived in Carrigaholt ready to cast off. Other enthusiastic would-be dolphin spotters arrived and it was clear that Susanne and Geoff’s reputation for delivering a great day out had spread. We were in the company of a few Irish along with visitors from UK, US and Poland (I think); all looking forward to a 2 hour cruise out of Carrigaholt, passing Kilcredaun, Loop Head and on to the Atlantic.
Susanne and Geoff Magee founded Dolphinwatch in 1992 and are passionate about dolphins and their natural habitats. You can read more about them here.
My sea legs aren’t the best so I was pleased to hear Susanne say that winds were light, there was no swell and the sea was smooth. In fact my understanding was that they weren’t going to sail the next day as the weather forecast predicted stronger winds. I suppose it seems a little strange that I’d head out on a boat, into the Atlantic (barely) if I’m not comfortable on water. But what else could I do if I wanted to see dolphins and the wonderful views of Loop Head from the sea.
P has no trouble being on a boat and loves it all the more if it’s a bit rocky!
So at about 1 pm we cast off and left Carrigaholt. We passed Kilcredaun Lighthouse, Loop Head Lighthouse, the Diarmuid and Grainne rock and on the way we saw plenty of sea birds, but no dolphins.
We saw two daredevil anglers casting very long lines into the sea, a colony of guillemots standing to attention as we sailed by and a herd of a rare breed of goat clinging to the cliffs. But still we saw no dolphins.
I asked Susanne if finding the dolphins was down to luck and she explained that although luck played a part it was mainly down to science and experience. Reports of sightings from other boats helped too but Carrigaholt Dolphinwatch have a 95% success rate in finding and spotting dolphins. The previous day they had hardly left the pier and they spotted 10 dolphins having fun swimming nearby.
Apart from searching for the main attraction, Geoff filled us in on local stories and legends:
- Diarmuid and Grainne’s Rock: Cuchulain jumped from the mainland to this crag, to escape the attentions of a witch called Mal. The isolated fragment of cliff on which Cuchulain sought refuge is called Diarmuid and Grainne’s rock. It seems odd that it is called after Diarmuid and Grainne when the legend is about Cuchulain but that’s just the way it is.
- Kilcredaun Church: Saint Credaun was baptised by Saint Senen of Scattery Island in the Shannon Estuary. He is reputedly buried in the ruins of his church in the townland of Kilcredaun near Carrigaholt.
- Kilcredaun Battlement: example of artillery fortifications, built to guard against a French invasion.
We were supposed to be at sea for 2 hours. But Susanne and Geoff are dedicated and don’t like to take people out and not find their goal. Having searched all along Loop Head and over near Ballybunion sands on the Kerry side of the estuary we had no luck and were making our way back to Carrigaholt. As we were passing Kilcredaun a shout went up and there, feeding in the current, was a lone bottlenose dolphin. It was after 4pm and we’d finally found our quarry.
I tried to get a good picture, but as he was feeding and chasing food, that proved hard. I’ve decided to call this dolphin Finn (it seemed appropriate!), and I hope to see him again along with his buddies the next time I go out with Dolphinwatch.
We arrived back at around 5 pm after nearly 4 hours at sea. It was fantastic and I’d have no hesitation recommending the trip. Just dress warmly, and remember that dolphins don’t always turn up when you want them to. But if they are to be found at all then the odds are that Susanne and Geoff will find them.
You can get more details on Carrigaholt Dolphinwatch here.
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