Common Dolphins
April – October
- Up to 2.7 m in length
- Corral fish into bait balls at the surface while feeding
- Diet: Mackerel, herring and squid
Wildlife
Wildlife at Blasket Island
Some of the Marine Life that can be spotted on our tours.
Bottlenose Dolphin
April – October
- Approx 2.5 – 3.8 m in length
- Very active and interactive. Can be aggressive towards smaller porpoises and stun prey by surface rushing
- Diet: Salmon, blue whiting, whiting and pollock
Humpback Whales
July, September, October
- Approx 14 – 17 m in length.
- Black in colour with elongated white flippers.
- They regularly breach, perform flipper slapping at the surface or tail-fluking prior to deep dives.
- Diet: Sprat, herring and krill
Minke Whale
April – October
- Approx 8.5 – 10 m in length
- Distinct feature is a white arm band that wraps around each flipper.
- Wary of boats, but curious and approach vessels while spy hopping.
- Diet: Sprat, sand eel and herring.
Basking Sharks
Late April – June
- Second largest fish in the world after the whale shark
- They have more teeth than any other shark & filter feeds on plankton
- Can filter up to 1,500,000 litres of water per hour
Gannet
- Found along all Irish Coasts
- Large white bird approx 1 m in length. Plunge dive for fish of up to 40 m.
- Little Skelligs (Kerry) hosts the largest Gannet colony in Ireland with up to 26,000 nests
Puffin
March to August
- Nests in burrows or cracks in steep cliffs. Utilizes rabbit burrows and will evict rabbits. Usually nests in areas that are safe from mammalian predators, prefers off- shore islands
- Winters far out to sea and not often seen outside the breeding season
- Diet: Fish and crustaceans
Grey Seals
The Great Blasket Island is home to one of the largest seal colonies on the West Atlantic Coast.
They are protected under Irish law, with key pupping grounds on the west coast – breeding period between September to December.
Grey Seals are skilled divers, reaching depths of 70 meters for up to 30 minutes, feeding on fish, squid, and octopus. Males, known as Bulls, can reach up to 2.5 meters in length and weigh up to 300 kg.
Risso Dolphins
Approx 3.2 meters long & have a bulbous head with no beak. Their color changes from dark grey to pale or even white with age due to extensive social scarring, while feeding primarily on squid, octopus, and cuttlefish.
Sharks and Dolphins
Basking sharks, the second largest fish after whale sharks, are filter feeders with more teeth than any other shark. They frequent Dingle Bay and the Blasket Islands from late April to June, filter feeding up to 1.5 million litres of water per hour to feed on plankton.
Common dolphins, reaching up to 2.7 meters in length, feed on mackerel, herring, and squid by corralling fish into bait balls at the surface from April to October.
Bottlenose dolphins, measuring 2.5 to 3.8 meters, are active and interactive, sometimes aggressive towards smaller porpoises, and feed on salmon, blue whiting, whiting, and pollock from April to October.
Risso’s dolphins, around 3.2 meters long, have a bulbous head with no beak, and their color changes from dark grey to pale or even white with age due to extensive social scarring, while feeding primarily on squid, octopus, and cuttlefish.
Minke whales, 8.5 to 10 meters long, have a distinctive white band around each flipper, are generally wary of boats but sometimes approach them while spy hopping, and feed on sprat, sand eels, and herring from spring to winter.
Humpback whales, 14 to 17 meters long and black with elongated white flippers, often breach, flipper slap, and tail-fluke before deep dives, feeding on sprat, herring, and krill in July, September, and October.
Seals and Birds
Grey seals, one of the largest seal colonies on West Atlantic Coast, with males reaching 2.5 meters and 300 kg, have horse-like faces and spotted grey coats, breed between September and December, feeding on fish, squid, and octopus; they are protected under Irish law, with key pupping grounds on the west coast, and are skilled divers, reaching depths of 70 meters for up to 30 minutes.
Puffins, active from March to August, nest in burrows or cliff cracks on offshore islands safe from predators, sometimes evicting rabbits, and spend winters far out at sea; they feed on fish and crustaceans.
Arctic terns, present on Irish coasts from March to September and wintering off South Africa, are concentrated in Co. Wexford, Co. Kerry, Co. Mayo, and Co. Donegal, feeding on marine fish, crustaceans, and insects.
Gannets, large white birds approximately 1 meter long, are found along all Irish coasts, plunge diving for fish at depths of up to 40 meters, with the largest colony in Ireland located at Little Skelligs in Kerry, hosting up to 26,000 nests.
Guillemots, Irish residents that winter at sea near their breeding nests and are often confused with razorbills, feed on small fish and invertebrates caught by surface diving, and come ashore to nest in large colonies on cliffs from May onwards.
Shags, medium-sized dark seabirds found along the Irish coast, feed on small fish taken just below the surface and nest on ledges, in caves, or under boulders.
Cormorants, large dark seabirds often seen drying their wings, primarily feed on fish and breed in colonies mostly along the Irish coast, with some nesting inland.
Razorbills, black and white seabirds often mistaken for guillemots, primarily feed on small fish and some invertebrates caught by surface diving, and winter at sea.
Storm petrels, summer visitors from April to August, have straight bills with hooked tips and tube-shaped nostrils for salt excretion, feeding on small fish, plankton, and crustaceans; they breed in colonies on islands off the west coast, with the largest populations in Co. Kerry, particularly on Inishtooskert in the Blasket Archipelago.
Quick Book Tickets
Quick book our Premium Tour, Mini Premium Tour or Direct Fast Ferry Transfer here.
Join us on this amazing island
The Great Blasket Island Experience explores the best Dingle has to offer. A place known rich in wildlife, history nature and literary heritage, we offer unique eco tours and unforgettable overnight stays.
So happy I had the opportunity to take this tour! It is worth every penny. The Blaskets are unlike anything I have visited before. Lovely to hike or lounge around there is so much to take in! The boat ride with Billy is excellent; you get to learn about the surrounding area, wildlife and much more! Not to mention we saw dolphins and seals and puffins galore! Would highly recommend this experience.
Leah K
Absolutely brilliant trip. We were well looked after and informed with Billy and Chris, lots of interesting views and wildlife on the journey. We took lunch packed, enjoyed a walk on the island and took in the views. Grey seal colony on the island was a highlight & playful dolphins on the return! Don't hesitate to book
Nadia K
This trip has got it all ; stunning scenery , sea caves , geology , history, a rewarding hike , plenty of sea life with pods of dolphins, minke whales , seals , even some puffins and engaging well informed guides who work hard to share their knowledge and make it a wonderful day . Highly recommend the Great Blasket Experience. Magical !
Sarah O'She
Folks, if you do one thing in Dingle. This would be it! Billy is amazing! We spent seven hours on this tour. Saw tons of dolphins. A basking shark and whales on our way out to Blasket Island. We were afforded many, many photo ops all day long. Blasket Island was amazing! Seals, beautiful scenery and solitude! Just wonderful. Don't book with anyone but Billy! Tremendous value for the money. Highly recommend!
Earlofham
Spent a magical night on Blasket Island. Swam, went on a long hike, enjoyed to OPW free tour of the village, watched the seals, read by the fireplace. Billy, Alice and Chris could not have been more efficient and friendly in making arrangements, communicating with us, juggling the weather, and getting us to and from the island. Everyone involved was great and their love for the island shone through. A unique and incredible experience in a very special place.
Jim J
The Great Blasket Island is almost heaven on earth. The views are breathtaking, the hikes are gorgeous and the accommodations are comfortable if spare. Billy and his crew provide great hospitality and numerous people whom I’ve taken here have told me that words could not possibly do this place justice. If you are up for a higher degree of adventure then this is the best place to visit in all of Western Ireland. The eco tour of the Blasket Islands is equally unforgettable.
Perry Marshall
Our weekend on Blascaod Mór was most enjoyable. Alice and Billy were helpful and so pleasant from the start. We stayed in Peig Sayers house and the accommodation was simple but of a very high standard. Beds were comfortable and clean. I would highly recommend a trip and well worth staying over. We’ll be back.
Maura O
Amazing rustic stay, free of electricity, but still enough modern conveniences like toilets and water/stove to make it glamping level. :) We hiked all over the island, watched a beautiful sunset, slept like babies, and got to admire the seal colony on the beach in the morning. Can't wait to go back!
Clint P
ONE OF MY BEST LIFETIMES EXPERIENCES This is a very unique, wonderful experience which we truly enjoyed.
Pat M
Absolutely brilliant day. Amazing value, the seafaring skills of Billy were outstanding and the knowledge of Alice and her dad was brilliant. Great trip over and went into a cave and crags. Great day on the island and on the way back got to see whales as well as dolphins. And Wolfie the dog was a joy. Cannot recommend this trip highly enough. Worth twice as much or more.
Sean Mc