A mother and calf, a race against tide and a community coming together 💙🐬 This morning, our emergency hotline received the kind of call we always dread: two common dolphins, a mother and calf, stranded on mud in Kinsale, Co. Cork. Mud is always a serious concern at live strandings. Conditions vary from sandy or
Wojtek was an independent Polish researcher and a deeply dedicated expert on beaked whales (Ziphiidae). For many years, he untiringly managed the Beaked Whales World Stranding Database, collaborating with marine mammal scientists and institutions across the globe. Whenever we had a beaked whale stranding, Wojtek was the person I would first send it to. I
On Saturday 17th Oct 2026, Sebastian Szumlański was at Fintra, Donegal Bay and observed what he thought was a pale dolphin close to shore in shallow, brackish water, in an area known locally as the Secret Waterfall. He launched his drone to capture the event and yesterday he showed the video to a friend who
And we’re back – what a special week in South Donegal. This year, IWDG Education took on a bold and ambitious challenge: What if instead of bringing whales and dolphins into the classroom, we brought the class to the whales and dolphins? A habitat swap if you will, that doesn’t just highlight the concept of
The loss of the fabulous venue at Myross Woods House in Leap, was the final nail in the coffin for our residential weekend whale watching courses which IWDG has delivered in West Cork since 2022. But there was only time in it, as our starting these courses coincided with our large whales departing the Southwest
An adult True’s beaked whale and her calf live stranded near Camp, Co. Kerry, on the evening of 28 September. A walker first spotted them alive at the shoreline near high tide and raised the alert locally. People from the community came together and tried to help the whales back into the water, but sadly
Any time spent at sea looking for whales and dolphins is exciting, and this survey was no different. This July, I headed out with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) on the RV Corystes, as the marine mammal observer on their oceanography survey. The AFBI team were sampling at CTD stations (sampling conductivity, temperature, and
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group have been running their flagship education event ‘Floating Classroom’ since 2019, engaging coastal communities and promoting ocean literacy in local schools with workshops on Ireland’s cetaceans, their place in the ecosystem and the role of marine biologists in their conservation. While typically facilitated onboard RV Celtic Mist, 2026 saw
From Sanctuary to Society: IWDG at CommOCEAN 2026 The 7th CommOCEAN conference took place on 2–3 September, with an icebreaker reception on 1 September. This year’s theme was “Communication for and within the UN Ocean Decade: Setting Sails for 2030.” For me, the conference was particularly meaningful as I was not only attending to learn
Atlantic Whale Deal this, Atlantic Whale Deal that… You may have heard the name of this project a handful of times if you have been keeping up with our blogs and ezines. For almost three years now the IWDG has been joining research vessels on the Atlantic Ocean for this project, but what is the