Four top reasons for team bonding on the Skellig coast while whale, dolphin and marine wildlife watching :

Now if its rugged beauty you are after for your team and you want them to enjoy the beauty of the coast around Ireland then there’s no better place to go than the south west coast.

As we have mentioned previously, this is God’s country.

This is an area of stunning beauty and is teeming with amazing marine wildlife. This area is the Skellig Coast. It is part of the Kerry coast but narrowed down, it highlights the amazing sea world on our door step. The Skellig coast line covers some 130 kilometers from Castle cove in the East to Kells Bay in the west.

The area takes in the Iveragh Peninsula out towards Derrynane and the Beara peninsula out to Bull rock on the Southern side of Kenmare bay. This is one of the most exposed coastlines along the Wild Atlantic Way and bigpotatoes recommends that your team put it on their priority “to do list”. The diversity of the scenery is stunning and includes cliffs, bays, islands and the mountains in the back ground. This means that much of this area is full of marine wild life and so the coastal area is protected by European legislation. Therefore that includes Natural Heritage areas and the Kenmare river special area of conservation.

Getting to the area will take some planning by the team leaders. Don’t just flake off and depend on your Sat Nav system. Get one of the team members to out and buy a good old fashioned map of Ireland. That will give the team perspective. It will also give the team an overall view of the area in relation to the rest of the country. The team will see in one quick glance the designated area and all the small towns, villages and bays in the area.

For the team benefit and to stay focused we are going to concentrate on the Area of Kenmare bay.

Reason 1 :

The first top reason for bonding on the Skellig coast is the journey to Kenmare. Stunning sea views as the team drives along the roads west of Bantry. The mountains always as a back drop. Most time they are covered in beautiful purple heather. If the weather is good, visibility clear the team will be really excited.

Reason 2 :

The second of our four top reasons is meeting the boat and boarding in Kenmare. The sounds of the sea water gently lapping at the hull of the craft will add to the ambience. The boats are licensed by the Government and the Skipper and crew are very experienced and expert at finding the right spots for exciting viewing.

When the team is ready, life jackets put and instructions and safety outlined the boat moves off from the pier. The team is heading out into open waters. The thrill of being at one with nature as the spray rises behind the boat is awesome. Soon the team will be out into the spotting grounds and scanning for the Marine life. Bigpotatoes recommends bringing binoculars.

Reason 3 :

The third reason is about to unfold. Kenmare bay affords wonderful opportunities to see some of the largest animals on the planet. The team should keep their eyes peeled for the second largest fish in the world, the basking shark. It can grow up to 25 meters in length and it just casually swims around on the surface feeding on plankton. It has a triangular dorsal fin and that’s a real give away. Sometimes as many as ten of these creatures can be spotted swimming together; the fourth reason is the possibility of Whale sightings. These can include minke and fin whales.

That’s only the beginning. It’s a trip of a lifetime.