No two days are ever the same here in Ireland. One day we may find ourselves in wetsuits snorkeling Lough Hyne. The next day we may have our eyeballs glued to microscopes, trying to identify every kind of plankton known. Or, on a day like today, we find ourselves crashing through an Atlantic ground swell (waves created from distant storms in the ocean) that has come to meet the hull of our vessel from thousands of miles away.
Today was our first chance to really get outside the protected waters of Lough Hyne and embrace the power and jagged beauty of Ireland’s southern coast. Our vessel that carried us underfoot was a 33ft, 700 horse power catamaran by the name of Amy K (boat charter website: http://www.baltimorediving.com/index.htm). Our captain was somewhat of a renaissance man, dividing his time between being a dive-boat captain and an aircraft pilot, and aeronautical teacher. He facilitated our expedition with stories of the past and present, from castles and sunken warships, to dolphins and sailing regattas.
Our journey started in an overcast sky as we left the docks of Baltimore harbor for the awaiting Atlantic Ocean. Sea gulls could be heard from overhead, and an occasional seal would reveal its presence between the moored sailboats that sat quietly in the morning light. A light breeze was coming from the west. In ten minutes we were rounding the outside of the harbor where the Atlantic Ocean was revealed. Steep cliffs escorted our passage to the Atlantic, some of which were marked by beacons or lighthouses to give the ocean-going mariner a bearing to where they might be out at sea. We left the calm headwaters of the harbor to meet a strong, rolling 5 ft swell. Our destination was Fastnet Lighthouse, 8½ nautical miles southwest of Baltimore and the most southern point of Ireland.
It was no later than our departure from the harbor that the sky cleared and the sun shined down as we rhythmically bounced through Atlantic Ocean waves. For miles up and down the coast, we could see jagged rock cliffs that marked a place shaped by the cold Atlantic waters that lay below. On top of these cliffs lay meadows where sheep and cows grazed and the occasional woebegone castle or tower stood as to say “Ireland has a history far beyond your own years.”
An hour into our trip, birds (gulls, gannets, and guillemots) could be seen flying and diving into the waters ahead. As we approached these birds, we were met by a pod of dolphins that played in the pressure wave created by the bow of our boat. We all danced about the boat frantically trying to get a better view of them jumping in and out of the water. Finally we took our positions at the bow to watch enthusiastically, as the dolphins cavorted around us. Six miles from Baltimore the seas picked up, where at times, the spray of waves crashing into the bow drenched the front of the boat. At this, we decided to pursue calmer waters, ducking into a harbor on Clear Island to see an ocean cave and a campground furnished with yurts (Mongolian tents). The captain also gave us a quick history of the island and the Fastnet Lighthouse that we originally tried to view.
After our history lesson in the island harbor, we headed east again back to Baltimore harbor. We were once again met by dolphins that occupied our attention for the majority of our return trip. We took a quick stop at another ocean cave (in the Kedges) and a frequently dived shipwreck. At that point, we reached the termination of our sampling trip and headed for the harbor.
It is days like today, we can truly appreciate the beauty found on earth and I personally feel fortunate to have experienced this day with my fellow IRES interns.
By: Cabot Zucker
Today was our first chance to really get outside the protected waters of Lough Hyne and embrace the power and jagged beauty of Ireland’s southern coast. Our vessel that carried us underfoot was a 33ft, 700 horse power catamaran by the name of Amy K (boat charter website: http://www.baltimorediving.com/index.htm). Our captain was somewhat of a renaissance man, dividing his time between being a dive-boat captain and an aircraft pilot, and aeronautical teacher. He facilitated our expedition with stories of the past and present, from castles and sunken warships, to dolphins and sailing regattas.
Our journey started in an overcast sky as we left the docks of Baltimore harbor for the awaiting Atlantic Ocean. Sea gulls could be heard from overhead, and an occasional seal would reveal its presence between the moored sailboats that sat quietly in the morning light. A light breeze was coming from the west. In ten minutes we were rounding the outside of the harbor where the Atlantic Ocean was revealed. Steep cliffs escorted our passage to the Atlantic, some of which were marked by beacons or lighthouses to give the ocean-going mariner a bearing to where they might be out at sea. We left the calm headwaters of the harbor to meet a strong, rolling 5 ft swell. Our destination was Fastnet Lighthouse, 8½ nautical miles southwest of Baltimore and the most southern point of Ireland.
It was no later than our departure from the harbor that the sky cleared and the sun shined down as we rhythmically bounced through Atlantic Ocean waves. For miles up and down the coast, we could see jagged rock cliffs that marked a place shaped by the cold Atlantic waters that lay below. On top of these cliffs lay meadows where sheep and cows grazed and the occasional woebegone castle or tower stood as to say “Ireland has a history far beyond your own years.”
An hour into our trip, birds (gulls, gannets, and guillemots) could be seen flying and diving into the waters ahead. As we approached these birds, we were met by a pod of dolphins that played in the pressure wave created by the bow of our boat. We all danced about the boat frantically trying to get a better view of them jumping in and out of the water. Finally we took our positions at the bow to watch enthusiastically, as the dolphins cavorted around us. Six miles from Baltimore the seas picked up, where at times, the spray of waves crashing into the bow drenched the front of the boat. At this, we decided to pursue calmer waters, ducking into a harbor on Clear Island to see an ocean cave and a campground furnished with yurts (Mongolian tents). The captain also gave us a quick history of the island and the Fastnet Lighthouse that we originally tried to view.
After our history lesson in the island harbor, we headed east again back to Baltimore harbor. We were once again met by dolphins that occupied our attention for the majority of our return trip. We took a quick stop at another ocean cave (in the Kedges) and a frequently dived shipwreck. At that point, we reached the termination of our sampling trip and headed for the harbor.
It is days like today, we can truly appreciate the beauty found on earth and I personally feel fortunate to have experienced this day with my fellow IRES interns.
By: Cabot Zucker