Cork Whale Watch
Cork Whale Watch
4.9
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About
Colin Barnes is Ireland's longest established and best known whale watch operator, and has been enthralling whale watchers and wildlife enthusiasts in West Cork since 2001. Cork Whale Watch offers wonderful opportunities to observe marine wildlife in West Cork. These productive coastal waters provide critical feeding habitat for a diversity of species including cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), seals and sea birds, along with prolific fish life.If you've seen natural history documentaries on whales from anywhere in Co. Cork or Waterford, the chances are it was filmed from the MV Holly Jo. Among Colin's contributions are: RTE's "Wild trials", "Wild Journeys", "Living the Wildlife" and in recent years Colin has worked with both BBC Autumnwatch and Winterwatch and BBC Seasons to film large whales off the Cork coast. As a former fisherman of 40 years experience observing whales in West Cork, Colin may not have letters after his name, but those that do, know who to contact if they need to find, film or carry out research on whales and dolphins along the Cork coast. Colin has contributed to and co-authored scientific publications on both fin and humpback whales in collaboration with Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG), and contributes to the All-Ireland Cetacean Sighting Scheme, by reporting sightings data to IWDG. Colin is a rare breed of conservationist, who has evolved from the fishing industry, his passion and understanding of local marine ecosystems is second to none. Colin is available for longer filming and research charters year round.
Union Hall, County Cork, Ireland
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.9
623 reviews
Excellent
581
Very good
32
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
5
Paul D
10 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
We had a fantastic day out on our trip. We had beautiful weather saw seals and lots of birds then the excitement really began with lots of dolphins swimming alongside the boat, jumping and playing. We thought we might not see any whales but the spotter saw huge splashes on the horizon and off we raced. Then a lone humpback whale enthralled us for ages, splashing with her fins and then jumping again and again. Colin, our captain was full of knowledge and he stayed out for at least 2 hours extra just to give us this amazing experience. Thank you
Written 23 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hannah
1 contribution
Sept 2021
Having taken several whale-watching trips in different parts of the world, and as wildlife surveyor by profession, I can highly recommend CWW. Even though I would have liked to see a little more of the whales, we did spy two Minke whales, and the dolphins and seal pups are crowd-pleasing joy to watch. Will return without a doubt. Colin is an extremely knowledgeable, professional but still enthusiastic guide, and the scenery on the way in and out is stunning.
Written 20 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jack S
4 contributions
Jun 2020
Can't say anything bad about this experience at all. The boat ride alone was stunning. There were literally hundreds of dolphins and plenty of whale species to see.
The captain was really enthusiastic and gave loads of extra detail while being very vigilant for signs of whale activity.
Loved it!!!
The captain was really enthusiastic and gave loads of extra detail while being very vigilant for signs of whale activity.
Loved it!!!
Written 28 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas
2 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
I booked far in advance per Email and got a confirmation, with following info: If the weather is forecast to be wet, windy or rough we cancel the trip. I will let you know 2 days in advance if the trip is cancelled. " i did not get a mail 2 days in advanced, so i asked by my self. tour was canceled " due to bad weather and very high Atlantic swell" and "a space available on frieday" some time late this was canceled againg due to bad wether. funny thing, the days, 28 & 29 March 2024 where the sunniest days since weeks in Irland. i wonder, which wheaterapp the owner uses. so we booked somerwhere else and had a great expirance. Sad thing, our tourplan was completly messed up and with a lot of extra kms to drive. my learning, i will never ever plane this company as a fixed part of our jurney again, just as a "maybe possibility".
Written 31 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
E B
Dublin, Ireland4 contributions
Aug 2021 • Couples
We had received a voucher and booked several weeks in advance. We rang and we're told to book online, which we did. We received a voice message the day before our booking. We were told that we needed to call within 5mins or our booking would be given away. We rang back after 15-20mins as we did not see the message until then. He informed my partner that he had given our booking away to someone else. We asked was there another day we could book in or anything we could do as we were only in cork for this week. His answer was no and told us we were to blame for not reading the email correctly. The confirmation email said we needed to call in advance to confirm we were coming. As we had already been talking to them on the phone you would have thought this would have been sufficient. A phone call from them to confirm with us would have sorted the problem rather than him giving away our booking we had been looking forward to. We felt that as he had already received payment for the voucher he was happy for our voucher to go to waste and for him to get more money from cancelling our booking. Very disappointing.
Written 5 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Staycationer1812
1 contribution
Jul 2020
Skipper Colin provided an experience like no other. He began with a jelly fish and before we even left the dock, we proceeded to be directed to puffins, Harbour Porpoise, Minke Whales and playful Common Dolphin. We also saw a colony of seals. I was highly impressed to find Skipper Colin remind us of Covid-19 social distancing and hand hygiene government guidelines and to provide us with hand sanitizer as we boarded. I will definitely take this trip again when I'm next in West Cork.
Written 21 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
margaret664
Dublin, Ireland5 contributions
Sept 2021
A magical experience with the much experienced and informative Colin Barnes on a morning trip out of Reen Pier. Dolphins were numerous and the icing on the cake was watching a Humpback whale feeding close to our boat.......we could track his movements in the water by seeing him blow, and follow his movements by lookinh out for large bubbles, and seeing him dive when he flipped his tail shpwing us the lovely white marking, was something I will never forget....cant wait to go back and do another trip.
Written 8 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Conor R
38 contributions
Jun 2020
Had a fantastic trip out, saw up to 7 humpback whales, dozens of minke whales and hundreds of common dolphins. We were able to find them thanks to Colins expertise and knowledge of the area. He showed great enthusiasm throughout the trip and often got just as excited as the passengers when whales came very close to the boat!
Would certainly recommend a trip out with Cork Whale Watch, I'm already thinking about my next trip!
Would certainly recommend a trip out with Cork Whale Watch, I'm already thinking about my next trip!
Written 10 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for review Conor. See you before too long back out on the HJ
Written 11 June 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Amanda G
Tipperary, Ireland88 contributions
Aug 2020
What a great day out. The crew are absolutely wonderful, very knowledgable and made sure to tell us all saftey precautions before setting off. What an experience 10/10 overall highly recommended this trip couldnt fault it. We were so lucky on our trip we seen dolphins, Minsk whales and fin whales, Best €50 I ever spent. Will 100% be going to do it again. Take the trip it's well worth it.!!!
Written 11 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mrs_Pud1
Ireland1,871 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
Great start after a long lockdown. Having been out a few times over the past few years, this trip did not disappoint.
Fantastic sunny weather for the most part. Saw lots of minke whales, common dolphins, a couple of humpbacks and a harbour porpoise and also a couple of seal when returning back to the pier.
The ganets also provided a great show diving into the water to catch fish which the dolphins were rustling up.
Would highly recommend a trip on the Holly Jo with Colin. I’ll definitely be back again.
Fantastic sunny weather for the most part. Saw lots of minke whales, common dolphins, a couple of humpbacks and a harbour porpoise and also a couple of seal when returning back to the pier.
The ganets also provided a great show diving into the water to catch fish which the dolphins were rustling up.
Would highly recommend a trip on the Holly Jo with Colin. I’ll definitely be back again.
Written 30 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bonjour, auriez vous de la place pour 3 adultes et une enfant de 13 ans le vendredi 18 mars 2022
Written 6 March 2022
Bonjour
Avez vous 2 plac5e pour ce lundi 16?
Written 15 September 2019
Sorry only seeing this now. Our next trip with availability is Wed. 18th Sept @ 15:00. If interested in joining us, please book online via our website
Written 16 September 2019
It's 50€ per adult. But it's worth every penny, if you ask me.
Written 6 October 2018
hi im looking to book a tour for 2 adults and 2 kids. they are aged 11, and 12 is price same as adults or different. looking to book next week 19th or 20th july please
Written 12 July 2018
Hi,
50€ for each adult, 40€ the first child, 30€ the other Kids.
I suggest you to Phone or write an email (look at the Web site for the contact) because the weather is good and you couldn't find seats.
Written 12 July 2018
Given the bad review might be better not to put to sea in rough conditions
Written 21 June 2018
Sind die Tiere denn wirklich Frei?? In Dingle sind sie es leider nicht 😢
Written 17 August 2017
Ja. Man fährt auf´s offene Meer. Man weiss auch im Vorfeld nicht was es zu sehen gibt. Sehr empfehlenswert, ein wirklich sehr tolles Erlebnis.
Written 17 August 2017
yolandaygarcia
Madrid, Spain
Hi, my family and I we are going to Cork on 13 August . It's possible to trip to whale watch? Can I reserve with you? ¿How many cost for all? We are 4 people and we are from Spain.
Thanks
Yolanda García.
Written 6 July 2017
Sorry, but you have to contact the WHALE WATCHER directly
Written 8 July 2017
Hi, I would like to book a boat trip for the last week of May. I understand we may see some great species of dolphins and whales. Will we also be able to see seal colonies? and from how far? many thanks.
Written 30 April 2017
We see Atlantic grey seals on every trip as we visit their haul out sites at either High Island or the Stag Rocks. We generally don't approach too close to them, especially durr=ing their pupping season which is however later in the year in Autumn. We look forward to your joining us in May. regards CWW team
Written 3 May 2017
Hi. I'm planning a whale/dolphin trip but would welcome recommendations of where to stay nearby?
Written 18 March 2017
Hi there....yes, suggestt you go to the FAQ section of our website and go to the bottom question....Where should I stay? All these options are within a 30 min. drive of Reen pier. The B&Bs in union Hall are as close as 5-10 min.s drive. We look forward to hearing from you. Let us know if you've any further questions.
Written 18 March 2017
In September, at what time(s) of day do your trips depart? We are planning a trip to Ireland and need to make sure that we book accommodation close enough to drive to you.
Written 5 February 2017
In Sept our departure times are generally 10:30am and/or 15:00pm subject to weather and demand. This is why it's imperative that you re-confirm your booking 2 days before your trip out with us to get the latest information.
Suggest you book with us online on our website as this will trigger a comprehensive reply that will answer any questions you may have on our whale watching trips. Best regards
Written 5 February 2017
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.