Basking sharks out in force in Irish waters

A wildlife enthusiast has told of his close encounter with a pod of around 50 basking sharks off the west coast of Ireland.

Stephen Dunbar, who won a photography award for his impressive pictures of the 67th humpback whale spotted in Irish waters last year, came across the amazing creatures in Donegal Bay after unsuccessful searches in Achill and Inishbofin.

The gifted snapper travels the length and breadth of Ireland, North and South, to photograph our amazing wildlife.

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He has also pictured dolphins, puffins and Irish wildlife like foxes, hares and badgers.

Speaking about his latest expedition, he said: “I have never seen them in that number - there were at least 50.

“Anywhere you looked you were seeing a basking shark and they were constantly feeding.

Basking shark in Donegal Bay
(Image: Stephen Dunbar)

“Quite a few of the sharks came quite close.

“They are very distinctive,” he added. “The dorsal fin is really big on a basking shark and they have a tail fin and you can see their nose sticking up.

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“Under the right conditions, if you have a really clear day, no swell and little wind - anything that touches the surface will stand out pretty quickly.

“The two fins are very distinctive when you see them and when the sun was shining it was literally reflecting off the dorsal fin.”

Basking sharks are the world’s second biggest shark and can grow to 12 metres in length.

They face a high threat of extinction and were the first marine animal protected in Irish waters following a petition by children.

Instead of sharp teeth to feast on marine life, the gentle giants instead use their mouths and large ‘gill rakers’ to catch microscopic zooplankton.

Stephen added: “They are massive. The numbers the last few weeks have been pretty impressive.”

How basking sharks feed
(Image: Stephen Dunbar)

The 35-year-old says he went out with a Mullaghmore crew who knew to stay well away from the sharks while they were feeding to try and picture them.

He says getting too close can scare them off and potentially cause harm and advises anyone hoping to spot them to follow guidelines from the Irish Basking Shark Group.

“They are coming here to feed so it’s important not to disturb them,” he added.

The huge fish from above
(Image: Stephen Dunbar)

IBSG says you should stay at least 4 metres from any shark, don’t try to touch them, avoid flash photography and reduce speed in areas where they could be to 6 knots and switch engines to neutral within 50m of them.

If they close their mouths and swim away, that shows you have disturbed them.

Anyone who spots a basking shark is urged to report it to baskingshark.ie.

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