Porpoise turns up in harbour during whale watching event
TO CELEBRATE the 17th anniversary of the declaration of Irish waters as a whale and dolphin sanctuary, 50 nature spotters went to Bray Head last Sunday for a Whale Watch event, and managed to spot a Harbour Porpoise about 200 metres off the coast.
The Harbour Porpoise is one of the smallest ocean mammals, which stays close to coastal areas and as such is the most familiar porpoise to whale watchers.
‘It was there for around 20 minutes and everyone got a good look at it,’ said marine biologist John Brophy, who led the watch.
The weather was a huge improvement on the previous year, when only a handful of people donned their wet gear and braved the coastline, without managing to spot anything at all of interest in the water.
Irish waters are renowned for offering the best land based whale watching opportunities in Europe, with 24 species having been recorded to date.
Organisers also say that the events give people the opportunity to see stunning coastal scenery and a variety of marine wildlife.
Other points along the coast to have had whale watching groups descend on them with their binoculars and cameras last Sunday afternoon included Howth Head, Hook Head in Wexford and Ardmore in Waterford
