Massive creature makes rare appearance in Ireland. ‘Magic’ moment may be the new norm

Moira Ritter
Fri, June 23, 2023 

Darren Craig, IWDG


James Garvey was recently in Donegal Bay, Ireland, when he had a “breathtaking” experience: a humpback whale that put on a 30-minute show.

“I don’t know the odds of winning the lottery but this was the same thing for a whale lover — a nature lover’s lottery win,” Garvey, who works with Rossnowlagh Surf School, told BBC.

“It was magic,” Rossnowlagh Surf School wrote in a June 21 Facebook post.

“Somebody wake me, I’m dreaming,” the school said in another Facebook post about the whale.

When the boat spotted the whale, known as HBIRL24, it was with about 10 to 14 Minke whales and hundreds of dolphins during a feeding frenzy, according to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. It was spotted a second time later that day.

Witnesses reported that the whale was breaching, fluke slapping and bubble netting — a feeding strategy that whales use, according to the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

“Every time you meet a whale it’s just an incredible experience,” Garvey told BBC. “It’s breathtaking every time, given their size, but it’s just breathtaking anyway, and how curious they are about people.”
Range expansion: a new trend

For the past 25 years, humpback whales in Ireland have kept almost exclusively to southwest waters, especially two hot spots in West Cork and Kerry. Now, experts have noticed a “complete shift” as humpbacks are moving north.

Since June 1, there have been 11 validated sightings of humpbacks, and they have all been in Northwest Ireland, according to a June 17 news release from the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. Most of the sightings have been in Donegal Bay and Broadhaven Bay.

HBIRL24 has been documented in Ireland by experts for the past 11 years, with at least 45 sightings or captures since 2013, the group said.

In Broadhaven Bay, the group said its experts have verified sightings of a second humpback, known as HBIRL67, or Queen Medb. She has been documented in Ireland more than 45 times since 2016.

Between May 21 and June 13, there were eight confirmed sightings of Queen Medb in the area, the group said.

The group believes the trend north could be growing evidence of “range expansion” among the Irish cohort of humpbacks.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for whale watch enthusiasts living on the west and northwest to observe these magnificent mammals from both land vantage points or boats on your own local patch,” the group said in its news release. “That long trip down to West Cork or Kerry to see them, may soon become a thing of the past.”