I’m coming to Cork and heard it’s a good place to whale watch, what can I expect to see?

Good choice, the coastal waters off southwest Ireland are among the best places in Europe to whale watch, and the area is home to lots of different species of marine life. Much different fish and marine mammals come to West Cork to feed, with the plentiful seas providing rich sustenance for whales, dolphins and seals in particular. 

Summer is a great time to visit as the weather is at its best, but you can find a variety of marine life right through the year. Cork Whale Watch and Whale Watch West Cork both provide great information on the kinds of animals you may see while out on a whale watching tour. 

In the summer, you can expect to see common dolphins, Atlantic sunfish and maybe even a basking shark! Dolphins move inshore during the summer months so they are common between June and September.  

If you're looking for the famous humpback whale, come and visit in the summer, autumn and winter (sightings are said to peak in November), when the humpback comes to feed. You may also see other kinds of whales such as minke (from May to October) and fin whales (sightings peak October to November in West Cork).  

A great resource for finding more about whales around Ireland is the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group. They have documented 24 different species of whales and dolphins found in Irish Waters and you can find information such as their behavior, where and when around Ireland’s shores they congregate and even a guide to identifying them. Finding a whale watching tour is the best way to see these majestic creatures up close, but with a pair of binoculars and a keen eye, you may be able to see them from the coast.  

The IWDG along with Cork Whale Watch and Whale Watch West Cork also provide helpful information on the conservation of our whale friends. Irish waters were declared a whale and dolphin sanctuary in 1991 and it was the first of its kind in Europe.  

Do any community members have whale watching stories or tips for finding whales? Post below!

As Roman has pointed out, West Cork offers some of the best whale-watching in Europe, and on a good day can rival anywhere in the world. Whales, dolphins, basking sharks and other marine wildlife are among the highlights on our Ireland's Wildlife Tours.


In terms of species, there are five cetacean species we see regularly off the West Cork coast -- from smallest to largest they are the harbour porpoise, short-beaked common dolphin, minke whale, humpback whale and fin whale (affectionately referred to as the West Cork Big 5) if you're exceptionally lucky you may even see all five on one trip -- as happened for the lucky guests on our last Discover Wildlife Weekend in July.

We occasionally see bottlenose dolphins and Risso's dolphins too.

From spring through early summer basking sharks are another big draw -- these enormous fish arrive in April, peak in late May/early June and usually disappear by early-to-mid July.

While October/November was always considered peak season for large whales (humpbacks and fin whales) humpbacks, in particular, seem to be arriving earlier each year -- this year we had our first humpbacks off the West Cork coast in April, and there were consistent sightings right up to the end of July -- things have gone quiet at the moment, but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the season pans out.

We always use Cork Whale Watch for the marine wildlife element of our wildlife weekends, holidays and tours.

You'll find features with information about how to watch whales and dolphins in Ireland and how to watch basking sharks in Ireland on the Ireland's Wildlife website.

I hope you enjoy your stay in Cork, and that you get to experience some of our incredible marine wildlife while you are here.

All the best,

Calvin!
Calvin Jones
Founder and Managing Partner, Ireland's Wildlife Tours