We went on a whale watching boat today with nic of whale watching west cork. Nic has been on the water for many years, yet his enthusiasm and professionalism never wain. Iwc invites ireland based whale watch operator, nic slocum. Nic slocum whale watching operator west cork ireland. Nic slocum divides his time between west cork, ireland and other iconic whale watching destinations around the world. The pod of three orca killer whales which attracted thousands of spectators to cork harbour over the past fortnight was believed to be heading back out to atlantic waters yesterday. Nic slocum owns and runs whale watch west cork and is based in baltimore, west cork. Video footage taken by nic slocum of whale watch west cork. Feb 11, 2008 nic is talking to my 10yearold son jacob, who has just found the strange skull of a sea creature washed up on the shingle shores of castlehaven harbour in south west cork. Apr 16, 2015 if youd like to join us looking for whales and dolphins off the coast of west cork. Following his leading a six month expedition to west africa, a year in the planning and for which nic received fellowship of the royal geographical society, he returned to complete a phd at the university of surrey whilst seconded to a medical research institute in west sussex.
First humpback whales 3 of the 2018 irish whale watch. Nic slocum stands at the helm of the voyager, lifts a pair of binoculars to his eyes and scans the sea. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected. Whale watch west cork boat tour agency baltimore, ireland. Humpback whales feeding off west cork, ireland amonst fin whales. Wca partner nic slocum from whale watch west cork in ireland offered the following definition, which effectively captures what we believe responsible whale watching is all about. Whale watching tours with nic slocum on board voyager. They seek to impart knowledge on the marine mammals and other wildlife they encounter and on the wider issues of marine conservation through informed commentary with special emphasis on the current threats facing these unique animals and their fragile. Nov 05, 2016 inchydoney island is an ideal getaway on irelands southern coast. Twelves species were recorded in recent years in the unpolluted waters off west cork. Our trips are a minimum of 4 hours duration, often longer. Whale watchers on nic slocum s vessel voyager on a whale watching and sight seeing trip off cape clear west cork ireland. Traditionally a tourist destination, the area is marketed to tourists for its rugged peninsulas such as the remote beara peninsula, sheeps head and mizen head peninsulas, beaches such as inchydoney, owenahincha and barleycove, and towns and villages such as skibbereen, clonakilty, kinsale and rosscarbery. Whales worldwide unique whale and dolphin encounters.
A regular video diary of events and sightings of whales, dolphins and other marine life as we go through the seasons, including comments from voyagers crew. The first of its kind in europe, this paved the way for whale watching in ireland to become a prime activity for the many visitors to this country. Each month will see a new film uploaded, starting in january 2017. The importance of responsible whale watching world cetacean. Whale watch west cork is proud to be an ambassador for the wild atlantic way and is dedicated to pr. Play a round or go whale watching with nic slocum and his crew from whale watch west cork. Ive taken many tours and trips over the years but i must congratulate whale watch west cork, nic slocum and wendy for the magnificent experience i had recently. Slocum s on board commentaries have become legendary. It is fast and stable and has all round excellent visibility, ideal for.
Whale watching with nomah and his drone at baltimore. Back in 1991, irelands biologically diverse waters were declared a whale and dolphin sanctuary, the first of its kind in europe. Blasket princess captain whales galore best whale watching skipper in ireland the best time in ireland to watch whales, dolphins, puffins and basking shark april to september. However we saw plenty seals, birds and shortbeaked atlantic dolphins. A whale of a time for all the family off the coast of west. Old it may be, this headland is one of the wild atlantic ways most iconic vistas and a daring location for a golf course. We provide dedicated whale watching trips out of reen pier, near union hall, west cork, subject to weather conditions and demand novembermarch. Whale watching holiday to ireland whales worldwide. Whale watchers on nic slocums vessel voyager on a whale watching and sight. Director at whale watch west cork whales worldwide. Responsible tourism award winner whale watch west cork runs responsible whale and dolphin watching tours led by zoologist and conservationist dr nic slocum. While whale watching of the coast of west cork with nic slocum of whale watch west cork we didnt find any whales. Whales worldwide offer small group whale and dolphin watching expeditions with iconic cetacean species in some of the most stunningly beautiful locations aro. Sep 12, 2007 minke and fin whales off the west cork coast, ireland on 11th september 2007.
Whale watch west cork who operate from baltimore harbour, is one of the best in the business and is west cork s only dedicated responsible whale watching operator. Since that time according to the irish whale and dolphin group, 25 species have been recorded, ranging in size from the small harbour porpoise to the giant fin whale. We also saw short beck dolphins which swam in the pressure wave of the front of the boat and then saw grey seals checking us out. Whale watch west cork baltimore 2020 all you need to. Top spots to go whale watching in west cork are dursey island. Whale watching and marine wildlife tours in west cork aboard the holly jo with irelands most experienced whale watching skipper, colin barnes. We offer a 3 4 hour whale watching trip from the harbour of courtmacsherry, west cork. Sep 28, 2009 as well as being the voyagers skipper, slocum is a zoologist and founder of whale watch west cork, an organisation dedicated to the conservation of marine wildlife with a special focus on whales. This one was one of the last, glowing in the afternoon light in late september. Humpback whales feed in the waters of the southwest on a variety of small shoaling fish and may be seen just a few kilometers offshore.
His love of the water and the creatures that inhabit it is infectious and his onboard commentaries have become legendary. A whale of a time in west cork ireland vacations with. If you find yourself on the west coast of ireland for a weekend, make sure to go whale watching. Inchydoney island is an ideal getaway on irelands southern coast. Baltimore, baltimore, ireland while whale watching of. Its peak cetacean watching season down in west cork whale watching guide and zoologist nic slocum says fin whales, minke whales, common and bottlenose dolphins, and harbour porpoises have all been spotted during boat trips over the past ten days. Bow riding common dolphins in west cork with cork whale watch.
Fin whales feeding off rabbit island west cork ireland. Iarthar chorcai is a region in county cork, ireland. Nic slocum runs a brilliant trip which shows the beautiful coast of west cork from a stunning perspective. Whale watch west cork has some stunning imagery of the marine environment on their facebook page and has a large and varied community of fans from all over the world. Whale watching in the north atlantic is weather dependent and we cant run trips every day. Whale watch west cork s boat, voyager is a wellequipped, twinengine catamaran, built specifically for whale and dolphin watching tours off west cork and is licensed to carry 12 passengers. First 3 humpback whales of the 2018 irish whale watch season off dursey island west cork ireland march 25th 2018 year on year for the last five years it just seems that humpback whales are coming to irish waters earlier in the season march, april, may and also exiting irish waters earlier than in previous seasons september, october obviously in response to the availability of food. We provide dedicated, yearround whale watching trips out of reen pier, near union hall, west cork, subject to weather conditions. The baltimore beacon at baltimore, county cork ireland stock image. When we leave courtmacsherry harbour which is a designated sac for birds habitat, we venture either west to the seven heads or east to hole open bay onto the old head of kinsale depending on where our latest sightings have been. For details of colin barness whale watching trips in west cork check out the website. A zoologist by training nic obtained his bsc from the university of nottingham. Take to the seas and get up close and personal to some of the largest sea creatures on the planet there are some fabulous opperators of whale and dolphin watchng tours in the area.
I just wanted to say that the quality of your site is exceptional. Alongside with local partners like marine zoologist nic slocum from whale watch west cork and matt jevon south west technical diving, kinsale. Nic is no stranger to adventure and leading groups to remote places on earth. May 03, 2011 with worldclass whale watching available off the coast of the irish republic, its an experience thats more accessible than you might think. A trip out with nic and brendan whale watching traveller. Baltimore, ireland may 11, 20 prlog dr nic slocum, managing director of whale watch west cork and chairman of the steering committee of the planet whale responsible whale watching partnership, has been invited to attend the iwc whale watch operators workshop on 24th26th may in brisbane, australia. Nic slocum and whale watch west cork take no responsibility for the. If you climb aboard with the wonderful nic slocum of whale watch west cork, you. The best place in ireland to watch whales, dolphins, puffins and basking shark west kerry blasket islands eco marine tours from ventry harbour log of whale watching tour boat m. Drive from kerry to cork wild atlantic way irish ferries. You are permitted to print and download extracts from this site provided they are not. Responsible whale and dolphin watching may be encapsulated in three things, in this order of importance.
Ireland baltimore west cork whale and dolphin boat trip duration. Nic slocum and whale watch west cork were founder members of the responsible whale watching initiative which was later assimilated into the world cetacean alliance. Whale watch west cork baltimore all you need to know. Whale watching in west cork, ireland with colin barnes cork. Join facebook to connect with nic slocum and others you may know.
Whale and dolphin watching aboard voyager and liscannor star along the spectacular coast of southwest ireland and around the islands of roaringwater bay with marine zoologist nic slocum and one of west cork s most experienced wildlife skippers, brendan collins. Nic slocum states that the secret to their facebook success is that they put up videos and engaging photos of what theyre doing and seeing on a regular basis. Venue details baltimore west cork west cork holidays. Humpback whales off west cork photo by p whooley, iwdg. Apr 29, 2019 baleen whales commonly seen off the south coast include fin whales and minke whales, which makes whale watching in west cork some of the best whale watching in europe. Hes also pretty knowledgeable about seals, dolphins, and even moby dick. Whale watching schedule and booking with cork whale watch. The best place in ireland to watch whales, dolphins, basking. Dec 03, 2012 the boat in the background jerry smyths wave chieftain of aquaventures dive centre in baltimore offers a real sense of scale and if you look closely youll see that all of the whale watchers on the wave chieftain are looking the wrong way. They were the first company in ireland to create a detailed code of conduct for boat based whale and dolphin watching right down to the species level. Nic slocum has been operating whale watching trips out of baltimore harbour for years were not doing the full, fourhour trip because we have to be back at our west cork hotel in the. Whale watch west cork baltimore updated april 2020 top. Experience the very best of west cork s marine wildlife with skipper colin barnes, irelands foremost whale watch skipper, aboard the. The trip is safe, well run and we saw hump backs and minke whales.
More than 24 species of whale and dolphin have been spotted off the coast of west cork. Its fair to say that nic slocum of whale watch west cork knows about whales. Key to my experience is the positive and engaging attitude nic brings to the day trip. It was a great day we saw several minki whales a couple of which cam right by the boat a few meters away. All tours depart from baltimore, harbour, west cork on board voyager daily between april and november sea conditions permitting. He is the director of whale watch west cork which runs boat based tours to watch and photograph whales and dolphins off the coast of southwest ireland. Whale watch west cork west cork hotel hotels in west cork. Whale and dolphin watching in west cork whale watching. Nic does not take out angling or diving groups making whale watch west cork the only dedicated whale and dolphin watch operator in west cork.
Following his leading a six month expedition to west africa, a year in the planning and for which nic received fellowship of the royal geographical society, he returned to complete a phd at the. Allow nic slocum from whale watch west cork to regale you with tales of the teeming life swimming beneath your feet. Whale watch west cork tours are led by zoologist nic slocum, west corks most qualified operator, aboard voyager our purpose built twin engine catamaran. Slocum lists some of his favourite encounters on his blog. Whale watch west cork is dedicated to providing their customers with a safe, comfortable and educational whale and dolphin watching experience. Aug 10, 2018 the ghost fishing foundation was contacted and wants to interrupt this vicious circle. Wild west cork is a series of films, produced by chris oconnor, which highlights some of the the regions extraordinary wildlife and offers an insightful and educational experience under the guidance of marine expert and whale watch operator, dr nic slocum. A stop on cape clear is included too, an unexpected bonus.
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