The first sighting of the species in northwestern waters in nearly 25 years was a humpback whale by the name of Spot off the coast of County Donegal.
The mammoth marine mammal, also known as HBIRL24, was discovered in Donegal Bay.
The "majestic" animal breached on Tuesday, as reported by James Garvey of Rossnowlagh Surf School.
No one onboard, according to him, would ever forget that "phenomenal day.".
Generally speaking, seeing a humpback whale in Donegal Bay is pretty uncommon, but for one to put on such an amazing performance only 30 minutes from Rossnowlagh is just unbelievable, according to Mr. Garvey.
"We witnessed an enormous variety of whale behavior, including four enormous breaches, bubble-netting, and fluke-slapping. ".
Whales occasionally feed on the surface using bubble nets. .
The whale was recognized as HBIRL24 from photographs of its fluke, or tail fin. .
In the past 11 years, he has been photographed more than 45 times, making him somewhat of a celebrity among whale watchers. .
He is thought to have been first observed in 2013 while still a calf with his mother.
Since the beginning of June 2023, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group reported 11 verified sightings of humpback whales in Donegal and Mayo. .
However, none of those have been in West Cork or Kerry, the area's well-known hotspots. .
The group claimed that in recent weeks there had been a "complete shift" from the Irish south-west to the north-west.
Whales haven't moved around in nearly 25 years, so this is a rare occurrence.
The group claimed that more and more whale and dolphin species were being discovered in Irish waters.
