Kerry boatmen work together to move dead humpback whale in Brandon area

There was an unusual sight on the northern side of the west Kerry peninsula yesterday after boatmen moved a dead humpback whale floating between Brandon and the Maharees.

Boatman Philip Fitzgibbon explained that he was carrying out a sea-safari tour on Monday, and as the tour group was headed to Murphy’s Bar in Brandon for a cup of tea, an unusual request came in.

“As I was about to tie up, I was asked was there any chance I’d give one of the lads a hand moving a whale,” he told The Kerryman. Philip initially thought the request might have been a joke but then saw the whale for himself.

“We had a bit of trouble trying to lasso the whale around the tail, so we took either side of the same rope, slid it from the front, backwards towards the tail, the fluke. We lassoed the tail then and we towed it over to the moorings to save it from being beached. I would imagine some of the local fishermen will sink it and let nature take its course…it’s better for nature to return it back to the food chain.”

Castlegregory-based Splash Sports may be best known for its water-sports offerings, but it also provides sea safari tours from Scraggane Pier, taking in locations such as the Maharees islands and Sauce Creek. As well as including caves, cliffs, and monastic settlements, tours are often treated to a wide range of sea birds and marine life, but humpback whales are relatively rare in these parts.

“On the sea safaris, we do come across other types of whale, and there’s a resident pod of dolphins out there, we come across them all the time,” Philip said. “But it’s rare we’d get humpbacks there.

“I’ve come across other animals, including basking sharks, floating on the surface, but this is biggest I’ve come across.”

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