Whale Watch West Cork Report

Posted on 03 January 2010

We got off to an early start with tours running from as early as the middle of April. Following reports and sightings of Minke Whales from the land we made forays out to The Fastnet Rock and Lighthouse and as far east as The Galley Head. Rewarded with some excellent Minke Whale sightings and early Harbour Porpoise groups we anticipated a good season. With fair weather through May and June we continued to have regular sightings of Minke Whales, Harbour Porpoise and Bottlenose Dolphins. We experienced some of the most unique sightings of feeding Minke Whales we have ever had during late June south of Sherkin Island – a mother and calf vertical lunge feeding not more than 20 yards from the cliffs with shearwaters, assorted gulls and gannets milling overhead as we drifted on the tide, engines off.

Highlights of the year…

•    Lone Bottlenose Dolphin in Baltimore Harbour
•    Remarkable encounters with Harbour Porpoises
•    Amazing Minke Whale watching off south Sherkin Island
•    Unique Sunfish encounters late in season
•    Big concentrations of Basking Sharks
•    Common Dolphin bonanza further west than usual
Note: Full articles can be found online.

Gift vouchers continue to be in great demand…
The popularity of whale and dolphin watching gift vouchers continues to grow, especially around the holiday periods.  We also provide vouchers for The Wildlife Film School and any of the courses run during 2010.

New initiative for 2010 – The Wildlife Film School.
Following on from the great success of our dedicated wildlife photographic boat trips to obtain digital images of the birds, seals, whales and dolphins off the West Cork coast, WWWC have created The Wildlife Film School. This has been set up to meet the huge increase in interest in wildlife photography and runs residential and non residential courses, workshops and master classes covering all aspects of wildlife photography and wildlife film making. From digital wildlife photography and wildlife film editing using Final Cut Pro to wildlife sound recording and camera operation, The Wildlife Film School courses cater for both beginners and those with more experience. Unique to our courses is an assessment of how you can make money from your digital photographic or film making skills by selling images or footage through a variety of outlets.

Operational changes in 2009…
At the start of the year we changed our departure port from Reen Pier to Baltimore. This was because the pier at Reen is getting more decrepit each year and the facilities offered by the shops, pubs and restaurants in the village of Baltimore improve our customer service enormously. One big plus for Baltimore is that we are able to board passengers down steps rather than a narrow, increasingly rickety ladder. This move has proved a great success with our customers and the many businesses in Baltimore have extended us a warm welcome. We will continue to operate from Baltimore during the 2010 season.

The Marketing Cooperative Explore Baltimore…
For the second year running Whale Watch West Cork has been part of the marketing cooperative Explore Baltimore. Just fewer than 100 companies are part of this unique, independent initiative, which seeks to promote Baltimore and the Islands as a premier activity holiday destination. On a practical note it means I have a number of preferred accommodation and other activity providers who frequently offer special promotional deals that I can pass onto my customers.

Filming for Ecoeye…
During February the environmental current affairs programme, Ecoeye, with Duncan Stewart, featured Whale Watch West Cork following their evaluation of environmentally aware eco tourism businesses in West Cork. Filming for this programme took place during the preceding four months and whale footage taken by Nic and his team during filming assignments was used on the programme. Whale Watch West Cork was delighted to be associated with this prestigious national TV programme which we feel has established us as Ireland’s premier Marine Wildlife Watching Operation.

www.whalewatchwestcork.com
Tel: +353 (0)86 120 0027