0:00:02 > 0:00:06This is the coast of Connemara in the West of Ireland.
0:00:06 > 0:00:12It's my home for six months working for an Irish whale and dolphin conservation group.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15As well as photographing animals for identification
0:00:15 > 0:00:23I've been dealing with strandings and tagging sharks as part of a worldwide migration survey.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27It's the most rewarding job I've ever had.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30That is great fun, did I mention it was great fun?!
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Fantastic.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36This week, when Hookers go bad.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Watch your heads, watch your heads!
0:00:38 > 0:00:43A close shave racing traditional boats in Galway bay.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47If we send two vehicles up here the most likely place is here.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51And a midnight mission to find a basking shark beached somewhere in the dark.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Up ahead of me I've got mysterious shadowy figures.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02'Last week, my boss, Simon Berrow,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'and I were called to move a dead dolphin from a beach.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:08It presents a bit of a riddle for you, Simon.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's an adult, so...you know, why is it stranded.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16When Simon and I got to that striped dolphin in the Shannon estuary, it was dead.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19It was just this stranded animal that had just died on shore.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It was very poignant for me because it made me realise that with
0:01:22 > 0:01:28the right bit of kit, potentially if we'd got to that animal in time it could have been returned to the sea.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And in the whole vast area of Ireland
0:01:30 > 0:01:33there's only two whale and dolphin rescue pontoons
0:01:33 > 0:01:37and that's the bit of kit you need to return these animals to the water.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42The Irish whale and dolphin group are desperate to raise money for a third rescue pontoon
0:01:42 > 0:01:47and after all the work I've been doing this summer, I'd love to see it based here in Connemara.
0:01:49 > 0:01:54So they've come to me and said would I organise a festival on their behalf,
0:01:54 > 0:02:00so I'm going to organise a Roundstone Wildlife and Diving Festival.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05I've got a couple of months to do it, which would be fine if it wasn't for all my other duties.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11I've been monitoring whales, dolphins and basking sharks,
0:02:11 > 0:02:16but as summer comes to an end, the sea is cooling and the animals are moving further off shore.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18I could really use a bit of help.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27This is Casement Aerodrome in Dublin and today I'm off to look for
0:02:27 > 0:02:30whales and dolphins, but with a bit of a difference.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35Right, maritime patrol today, we go out high level to north of zone seven send out the low level...
0:02:35 > 0:02:38'We're going whale watching with the Irish Air Corps.'
0:02:38 > 0:02:42We have a few extra people with us, Simon Berrow from the Whale and Dolphin group
0:02:42 > 0:02:44and Monty and his crew, so they'll be filming.
0:02:44 > 0:02:50The crew's main job is policing fishing fleets in European Union waters.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55But the Irish government is obliged to do an audit of marine wildlife
0:02:55 > 0:03:00every seven years and Simon's whale and dolphin group has the contract to do the work.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Our five-hour trip will cover a huge area of sea.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13We're just crossing the coast into Galway Bay.
0:03:13 > 0:03:20The way this works is, you have one observer up the front which will be me for the first half hour or so,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23recording the time, the location, core speed, cos what you need is
0:03:23 > 0:03:26a very accurate record of where the aircraft's going.
0:03:26 > 0:03:33Meanwhile, the second observer - Simon at the back - is actually there with a camera.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38There's a Perspex sort of bubble window, so you've got to hang it out over the sea,
0:03:38 > 0:03:44and he's ready to actually take photographs of any animal we go over the top of.
0:03:44 > 0:03:50Now, we're at about 5,000 feet at the moment. You're not going to see anything from 5,000 feet.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54But they drop down to about 1,000 feet if they see something
0:03:54 > 0:04:00or something comes up on the radar and they'll even drop down to 100 feet or so
0:04:00 > 0:04:04if it looks particularly interesting and they want to take a photo.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07The crew routinely photograph whales and dolphins
0:04:07 > 0:04:10which you just wouldn't spot any other way.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15So I'm off to the cockpit. Always wanted to go into the cockpit
0:04:15 > 0:04:18of an aircraft in flight - bit of a childhood ambition.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26'The plane's radar is so sensitive it can pick up everything from
0:04:26 > 0:04:30'fishing boats to pods of dolphins and even individual animals.'
0:04:30 > 0:04:38But the great thing is that a lot of the contacts particularly on a day like today when it's quite calm
0:04:38 > 0:04:40could be whales.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43The first thing we'll know is on the radar, then we'll drop down
0:04:43 > 0:04:47and actually investigate and see if it's a big cetacean.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55Simon's just said he had a whale on his side on the left-hand side, it's kind of...
0:04:55 > 0:05:00It's probably why we're going like that, everyone's rushed over to the left-hand side!
0:05:03 > 0:05:08On the off chance that I actually see something - I haven't seen anything yet...
0:05:09 > 0:05:12I'll push that button there
0:05:12 > 0:05:17and that means a mark is placed for the pilot that he can return to.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It's incredibly hard to spot anything...
0:05:20 > 0:05:22even something as big as a whale...
0:05:22 > 0:05:26but when the light hits in a certain way...
0:05:26 > 0:05:28your patience is rewarded.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34I've just seen my first whale in Ireland.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Minke whale.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45'As the flight continues, we tick off an impressive list of species
0:05:45 > 0:05:52'along with their precise locations, all adding to our knowledge of whales and dolphins in Irish water.'
0:05:52 > 0:05:55I've never filled two sheets, look at that.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00'From a boat Simon would only ever spot a handful of animals in any given day.
0:06:00 > 0:06:06'Today we've notched up eleven dolphin species and six types of whales between us.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Wow, fantastic.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11I came good at the end.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18It's ten minutes to landing, so I'm going to sit between the lads just as we come in,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20cos it's something I've always wanted to do.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41Been a great day and it just makes you realise what is out there off the coast of Ireland.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I have got deep vein thrombosis from sitting in that seat with my face
0:06:47 > 0:06:51pressed against the thing for four hours but, yeah, great, great stuff.
0:06:53 > 0:06:54Oh!
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Connor, thank you very much.
0:06:56 > 0:07:00- No problem, Monty, glad to have you. - Really great experience.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05I've seen more probably in that four hours than I've seen in the last four months.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Yeah, I do want to be a pilot. Brilliant.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- Brilliant. - Another tick off the list.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Another tick off the list.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22'Back on the ground, I'm getting very excited by the Dive Festival.'
0:07:25 > 0:07:33I've got eight weeks to organise this diving festival and this is one of the things I can really do
0:07:33 > 0:07:39during my time here, is raise the profile of the work the Irish Whale and Dolphin group are doing.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44And my best conduit to that is the Irish diving community.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49I think Roundstone and Clifden and the whole Connemara coast here just...some stunning diving here
0:07:49 > 0:07:54and it's not just the big animals going past, it's the smaller stuff on the reefs as well.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58And this is me saying, I can do this for the IWDG
0:07:58 > 0:08:03and create something that no-one else can create on this one weekend.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14This is Gurteen and it's a beautiful bay
0:08:14 > 0:08:18and it's part of an isthmus, cos the other side you have Dog's Bay.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22It's like an hour glass of two beautiful white beaches.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25This is where Dive Fest is going to take place.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30There'll be photography competitions, there's going to be a big marquee just there.
0:08:30 > 0:08:36Where we're going to have a Ceilidh we're going to have diving, trivia quizzes, bands, lectures
0:08:36 > 0:08:41from all sorts of learned people and a marine mammal medic course about how to look after a whale
0:08:41 > 0:08:44or dolphin if it strands, how to get back into the sea.
0:08:44 > 0:08:48So, all in all, the complete day for the Irish Diving fraternity.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56The festival will take place on the caravan site owned by Pat Mullen.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01We first met because he keeps Connemara ponies in the fields immediately in front of my cottage.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Hello, Pat, how are you? Lovely day.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08'He's a top breeder of traditional ponies and today's a hugely important day.
0:09:08 > 0:09:15'He's invited me to help show his ponies at the local show, and it's no ordinary event.'
0:09:15 > 0:09:18The show we're just heading off to Pat, this is a big affair, is this.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22This is the biggest Connemara pony show in the world. This is a big day.
0:09:22 > 0:09:27Well, look, I know you're incredibly busy. Don't let me hold you up, and I'll see you at the show.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30- Good luck. Bye.- Good to see you Pat, see you, Brian. Cheers.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35This is the Clifden Connemara Pony Show,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39an international event that's the biggest of its kind in the world.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Everyone, including the ponies, is in best bib and tucker
0:09:42 > 0:09:46for an event that's one of the highlights of the local summer.
0:09:46 > 0:09:50Clifden has ground to a complete halt, that's the ring just there,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54but I think it's a great event, isn't it, wonderful colour,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58and a celebration of this unique animal in its home.
0:10:02 > 0:10:08Another neighbour, Caillin Conneely, has entered a pony in the show and I'm keen to see how he's done.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12- It's a huge show this, isn't it? - It's the biggest Connemara ponies in the world.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17- Right.- Everyone's here.- You've had a great day, haven't you?- Super day.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22Absolutely super, we won three-year-old mare class and we were reserve junior champions.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24- I imagine you'll have a beer to celebrate.- Several or two!
0:10:24 > 0:10:29As you're my near neighbour I feel kind of cool by association, the fact I'm even talking to you.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Showtime is approaching for Pat's class.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37My job is to walk the foal behind its mum.
0:10:37 > 0:10:42Close enough to stave off separation anxiety, but not so close it decides to suckle.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48It sounds like a doddle, but watching the earlier classes I'm starting to get butterflies.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Right, my big moment has arrived, which is leading the foal around the ring.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Everyone I've spoken to has given me slightly different advice.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Long rein, short rein, whatever.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02All I know is I do not want to die in a freak incident with a foal, that's very uncool.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06But I'll meet Pat down here, he'll give me a last few top tips
0:11:06 > 0:11:08and then off we go, into the ring.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14So, Pat, what would be the best way of doing this then.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18You roll up this and don't put your hand, don't get yourself tied up in it.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- No problem, sir. - Don't let go, Monty!
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Right, whatever happens, I won't let go.
0:11:24 > 0:11:30- Yes.- If I'm towed on my face across the car park, I won't let go.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39With Pat's son Brian leading the mare things get off to a good start.
0:11:39 > 0:11:46But I must be doing something wrong because without a word being said, Pat substitutes me before I can do
0:11:46 > 0:11:49any more damage to the mare's chances.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55I did two rounds and was immediately sacked.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58The trigger was cocked a couple of times, I saw one leg
0:11:58 > 0:12:04go like that, but lovely and it's a big deal for Pat, it's really nice of him to give me a chance to lead
0:12:04 > 0:12:08the animal round a couple of times, because there's a lot of pride wrapped up in this.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Sadly, it's all for naught. The best they can manage is sixth place
0:12:14 > 0:12:20and, despite my heroic contribution, I don't even get a look in, let alone a rosette.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I think the judges are trying to tell me something.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25I don't even get a handshake.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32It's been a lovely day, I still have my teeth, which I'm delighted about,
0:12:32 > 0:12:38having led the foal around, but it's a celebration obviously of the Connemara pony.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42It's a bit more than that, I think. Everywhere I go in Connemara,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45the people are very proud of who they are and where they come from.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50So in a way it's been a celebration of the whole Connemara identity, I think, today.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Been grand, been grand.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04'One of my jobs over the summer has been monitoring a pod of dolphins in my bay.'
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Ahhh, look at that!
0:13:07 > 0:13:11'I'm pretty convinced they live here year round, which would make them
0:13:11 > 0:13:15'one of only four resident pods in the whole of Britain and Ireland.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18'It's been too rough recently to get out on the boat
0:13:18 > 0:13:25'but a couple of months ago, I put out an acoustic pod to record their movements when I can't.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28'It's the first to be deployed in Connemara and since it's worth
0:13:28 > 0:13:34'4,000 euros, I'm anxious to check it's survived the storms.'
0:13:34 > 0:13:38It's so important that we check this pod.
0:13:38 > 0:13:44This pod will reveal the riddle of the resident dolphin population.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49So it's a pod confirming the movements of a pod, in effect.
0:13:53 > 0:13:59The acoustic pod records the clicking noises dolphins use to communicate with each other.
0:14:03 > 0:14:07It's a relief to see it still here, but I'll leave it for another month
0:14:07 > 0:14:10or so before we haul it up and analyse the data.
0:14:12 > 0:14:15It's very good.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It's down doing its thing.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Just suspended beautifully off the bottom
0:14:21 > 0:14:24in a perfect upright position.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26The constant scientist.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31They're listening to this big body of water around me, for passing
0:14:31 > 0:14:35dolphins, cetaceans, you know, good stuff, the guys did really well.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38All is well with the world, very nice.
0:14:51 > 0:14:58Things are moving on apace, for the organisation of the Diving and Wildlife Festival.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02But it's a big old job this, there's marquees, there's food,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05there's auctions, there's all sorts of stuff going on.
0:15:05 > 0:15:11But, by one of those happy little coincidences, my girlfriend's coming out which is brilliant.
0:15:11 > 0:15:17What's even more brilliant is she specialises as an event organiser.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20What's the chances of that? Really looking forward to
0:15:20 > 0:15:25her coming out, but, I'm going to throw my arms round her when I see her, cos it'll be a great moment
0:15:25 > 0:15:31and whisper romantically in her ear, "Can you help me organise the Diving and Wildlife Festival, please?"
0:15:35 > 0:15:38When Tam turns up, I'm keen to show off where I live.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Before she can get a word in, I've turned into an excited schoolboy
0:15:41 > 0:15:44wanting to show her everything at once.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48You know I said it was kind of south Devon, it was sort of Salcombe.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53I go up there and you run up and over and you come to this lovely little old harbour.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58But you can sit out of an evening and just listen to the kind of noises of the village.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02And this pony here, he's a funny one because he never moves.
0:16:02 > 0:16:08It's really nice to sort of show you where I am, as it were.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12- I know, it's great to see it.- Lovely, isn't it?- Yes.- Really lovely.
0:16:12 > 0:16:18Come and look round. It won't take an enormous amount of time, it's not the biggest cottage.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Oh, Reuben, hello.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Who's that, Reubs?
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Who's that? Who's that?
0:16:25 > 0:16:26Hello.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Hello, hello,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34hello, hello.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39'As Tam's part Irish, I've prepared a traditional Connemara welcome.
0:16:39 > 0:16:45'Everywhere you go locally you seem to get offered scones, so I've baked a batch in time honoured fashion.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:54That's delicious. That's an absolutely triumph.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02The Dive Festival is rapidly approaching and I'm keen for Tam
0:17:02 > 0:17:05to make local contacts who can help make it a success.
0:17:05 > 0:17:12So her arrival is a great excuse for a party, and the best party food I know is a homemade chilli.
0:17:12 > 0:17:17A little bit of paprika, an eye-wateringly intense chilli.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20The plan this evening, there's a few local people coming round.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24I'm going to show them some photos of my life here so far and just
0:17:24 > 0:17:27share a bit of the magic of Connemara and Roundstone.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33Lynne, who always looks after Reubs, she's bringing her bodhran along.
0:17:33 > 0:17:39I will, of course, insist on playing my guitar all evening for a grateful crowd and I'm making
0:17:39 > 0:17:43a chilli here that's so hot - a chilli has to actually make your whole face,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48indeed your whole head hurt when you eat it - or it's not proper chilli.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51It should be a very, very enjoyable evening, I think.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55Oh.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59'But it seems I might have let the housework slip a bit
0:17:59 > 0:18:03'so while Tam tidies up, I get the slide show organised.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08'With a beautiful sunset to welcome them, the guests start arriving.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12'There's Finn, an Irish mate from the UK with the beer.
0:18:12 > 0:18:17'Ronan, my fishing buddy, and Paddy McDonagh, my currach rowing trainer.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22'The party's off to a great start with everyone enjoying the highlights of the summer so far.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27'And it's great to have someone to share the organisation with.'
0:18:29 > 0:18:37It's going well, I've assumed the crucial host with the most role, such as drinking beer,
0:18:37 > 0:18:43telling tall stories to everyone while Tam has seamlessly moved to the cooker and is taking charge.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49It's lovely, nice mixture of sort of friends and local people here and all that.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51Yeah, nice, brings the cottage to life really.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08I think evenings like this are really important because it's local people coming round, basically,
0:19:08 > 0:19:13coming to visit me in the cottage and it's just very important personally to know that
0:19:13 > 0:19:18people have accepted me and, so it's lovely to have a house-full,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21the kids running outside, playing football with the dog. Perfect.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28But just as everything is as mellow as it can be,
0:19:28 > 0:19:34a late-night phone call from Simon at the Whale and Dolphin group gets everyone buzzing with excitement.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38A basking shark's been washed up. I think ten minutes down the coast,
0:19:38 > 0:19:42and obviously it's the dead of night, pitch black.
0:19:42 > 0:19:49Everyone's just gone with enormous gusto, and is sweeping the beach looking for this monster.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54I have some huge lights back in the house if they're going to be of any use,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57some of the big Dewalt torches and metal sub torches.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00So I'm going to follow them all, try and get a skin sample.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03Great, fantastic, let's go.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Never known a party break up for a reason like this before, it's quite unique.
0:20:08 > 0:20:16We're going to head off, that way, yep, there's a convoy of highly enthusiastic people following us.
0:20:16 > 0:20:22Now, I hasten to add that Rob, driving, hasn't had a drop to drink.
0:20:22 > 0:20:28- Yep.- Um, I, I try and finish all my parties with a large dead animal theme so we're just going to sweep
0:20:28 > 0:20:34the beach, sweep the area, and see if we can find the animal and I can get a skin sample.
0:20:36 > 0:20:41We need to hurry because the next tide could wash the shark back out to sea.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Right, the first thing I would like to say is I am lost in admiration
0:20:49 > 0:20:52for your tremendous enthusiasm for this mission.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57This is Mannin Bay, 13 kilometres of rocky coastline.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01And somewhere on there, we don't know where.
0:21:01 > 0:21:08We're looking for a jet black body on a dark night on black rocks.
0:21:08 > 0:21:16So, here's the plan. If we send two vehicles up here, the most likely place is here,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18and one vehicle up here, and then basically just
0:21:18 > 0:21:24jump out and have a quick look along the beach whoever goes up here and we'll do the same here.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29- If you find it gives us a call and if not shall we just meet back here in?- One hour.- One hour.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Surreal way to spend an evening.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Good.
0:21:52 > 0:21:58Oh, God, very, very strong smell of ammonia, decomposing sharks,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01that's what they smell, basically it's incredibly strong.
0:22:03 > 0:22:09Could just be this stuff, let's have a little whiff.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11Yeah, I think that,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14that's more sulphurous,
0:22:14 > 0:22:19it's the gas I think, that sort of rotten eggs smell.
0:22:25 > 0:22:31Up ahead of me, I've got mysterious shadowy figures and the mysterious shadowy figures are cows,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34a very baffled herd of cows.
0:22:34 > 0:22:40I'm wondering what they're doing up so late, but they're probably thinking the same thing about us...
0:22:40 > 0:22:42with some justification.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- Any joy?- We did find a big herd of cows, which was a bit odd.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54- Kind of surreal, wasn't it?- Yeah. - What a beautiful night for a walk(!)
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Yeah, wasn't it?! Right, shall we go home?
0:22:57 > 0:23:00Shall we go home. Long day tomorrow.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Well, done, chaps, well done indeed.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06It's now...
0:23:06 > 0:23:07quarter to one,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11and it was a truly heroic effort by everyone,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14having stumbled around out there in the dark,
0:23:14 > 0:23:18no sign of a basking shark, so I'm going to come back tomorrow.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Which probably would have been the sensible thing to do
0:23:21 > 0:23:24in the first place, I hasten to add, but not as much fun.
0:23:36 > 0:23:42Next morning, I get a bit more info about the shark's location and the hunt is on again.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45I'm leading a team by sea in the hope of spotting some wildlife
0:23:45 > 0:23:50along the way and a second group is going on overland.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53We've got two big advantages now - it's daylight and we're sober,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56which always helps with these things, I think.
0:23:56 > 0:24:01Some of the lads have gone round via land so they're going to have a look from the land side.
0:24:01 > 0:24:07We're coming in from the sea side, it's a beautiful flat calm day, to run all the way to Slyne Head
0:24:07 > 0:24:10and round into Mannin Bay, but we've also got a good intelligence
0:24:10 > 0:24:16as to where the shark is now, so I'm pretty confident we're going to find it. So off we go.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20Two friends from the UK, Andy and Becks, are along for the ride,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24but, more importantly, they're two extra pairs of eyes.
0:24:24 > 0:24:30We might be out looking for a dead basking shark, but the first one we spot is very much alive.
0:24:30 > 0:24:36It's a basker, 50 metres, 100 metres, small one, but we'll get
0:24:36 > 0:24:41a tag into it. Fantastic, fantastic.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46Look at that, he's right on the surface as well. Let's get the tag.
0:24:46 > 0:24:53This will be, if we get a tag in, the third basking shark ever to be tagged in Connemara.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58There he is.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01This is a huge bonus.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06So little is known about these animals, and tagging them helps scientists build up a picture of
0:25:06 > 0:25:08their movements up and down the coast.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12He's really motoring, this is called ram filter feeding.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16When he's shoving himself through the water, mouth agape,
0:25:16 > 0:25:22and I, I haven't seen one move this fast before so I don't know, maybe the plankton isn't as dense, or,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24he's a young animal.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27He's going to be a really tricky one to tag.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30OK, mate, give it a little burst now, just a little burst.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45The tagging pole broke.
0:25:45 > 0:25:51Right, we'll forget the tag, we'll forget the tag, the tagging pole's pretty knackered really.
0:25:51 > 0:25:58What a shame, what a shame, I didn't get a tag in him, but we did get a slime sample
0:25:58 > 0:26:03and that black slime, smell it, just smells like fish cos it's a big fish.
0:26:03 > 0:26:08Simon is really keen to gather that slime so I'll take that particular sample
0:26:08 > 0:26:14and I'll stick it in a little tube of formaldehyde because they can get genetic information from the slime.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19So there we are.
0:26:19 > 0:26:20Basking shark slime.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28The shore team have just radioed to say they've found the basking shark.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31But the route to get there involves going through a treacherous gap
0:26:31 > 0:26:36in the rocks that I've only ever done with a guide who knows what he's doing.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45Beautiful.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Made it.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53The shore team are guiding us in.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Becks thinks she's seen the Landy there, the white roof.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Going to go into that beach,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05those were the cattle we saw the other night.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Well, done, mate.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21- Hello.- Sober and in daylight.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- That's a much better way to look at basking sharks!- Much better.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31And I think we stood on this rock here. No, no.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34It's obviously long dead, but we didn't know that last night
0:27:34 > 0:27:37when we must have been within a few feet of it.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39You can see why you'd miss it, can't you?
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Wow, that's pretty decomposed.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43We've walked up with that, yeah, yeah.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Wow.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49These used to cause huge consternation
0:27:49 > 0:27:53amongst people of old the Victorians, people like that,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56because, when a basking shark would wash ashore,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00the lower jaw and the gill rakers here would
0:28:00 > 0:28:06rot first, would decompose first, so it looked very much like a sea serpent.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09The base of the tail would rot away, so it just looks like a sea serpent.
0:28:09 > 0:28:14You've got this big eye here and the nose has gone and,
0:28:14 > 0:28:18if you didn't know your stuff that's a, that's a sea serpent.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23And these are the gill rakers here, and, as the water comes through it
0:28:23 > 0:28:28sweeps over the gills, goes out the sides like a jet engine going out the sides, and as it goes out
0:28:28 > 0:28:32the side it's caught on these sort of stiffened hairs here.
0:28:32 > 0:28:38Every 30 seconds every 40 seconds or so, you'll see it close its mouth, essentially cleaning the gill rake,
0:28:38 > 0:28:43getting the food off, then it opens again and it's very efficient.
0:28:43 > 0:28:50These have been found with half a tonne of food inside them. Look at that, isn't that amazing.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54'The pictures will help Simon to work out how long ago it died
0:28:54 > 0:29:01'but the real treasure is locked inside its DNA, so I need to send him a tissue sample for analysis.'
0:29:01 > 0:29:06This could be quite a useful sample to take, because one of the snags the researchers have had so far
0:29:06 > 0:29:10is that not knowing the sex of the animals that have been
0:29:10 > 0:29:13slimed, we've got the slime off them, but we don't know the sex.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17I know from the reproductive organs that this is a male.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22Even this decomposed, it's incredibly tough.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25That's a very, very sharp scalpel.
0:29:25 > 0:29:29If you think when I was trying to tag the one an hour ago
0:29:29 > 0:29:34that the tag just wouldn't go in, and it was bent up,
0:29:34 > 0:29:36this stuff this keeps the shark safe.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42We're gonna need a bigger knife.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44- Bigger knife. - We're gonna need a bigger knife.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52I think I badly underestimated the job with that one.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59Cos that's a good old plug of flesh there.
0:30:03 > 0:30:04OK, I'll pop that in there.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08- Mate, thank you for that. - No worries.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13Sorry to hand it back sort of covered in basking shark gravy.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15Chaps, thank you so much
0:30:15 > 0:30:19for your sterling efforts over the last couple of days.
0:30:22 > 0:30:28On the way home our luck's really in as the dolphins I've been monitoring put in an appearance.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33What d'you know, here are the dolphins.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48You only get that face when someone sees a dolphin.
0:30:50 > 0:30:51Oh.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59Back on dry land, my vision for the Dive Festival is running into trouble.
0:31:01 > 0:31:07It's time for Tam to spell out a few financial home truths.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10The hog roast is confirmed at 800 euros.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14- Right.- We need to talk about finance and getting people paid.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17- Right.- And taking money out.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21I spoke to Philip yesterday, he's our marquee man and he will
0:31:21 > 0:31:26set up the marquee and he'll need his money paid on the day as well.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29So that's something else we need to have on the check list.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33We need to think about sort of a registration desk, cos I think it's the only way
0:31:33 > 0:31:37of managing people coming and going, they'll be on the beach, then the marquee, in and out.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40- Very true. - So we need something really easy.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Posters of pets, money to be withdrawn, so if you're happy with that?
0:31:44 > 0:31:48If her plan was to shock me, it's worked.
0:31:48 > 0:31:53The costs are piling up, and I'm staring at a massive loss for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57There's only one solution.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Right, we need to sell about another 100 tickets.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02You need just sheer volume of people.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06And there's only one way to get them.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09- Morning, how are you today? - I'm very well.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12You're basing yourself in Roundstone, what are you doing?
0:32:12 > 0:32:17We'll be raising money for a rescue pontoon, they're 5,000 euro, these rescue pontoons,
0:32:17 > 0:32:21but crucial for getting a whale or dolphin into the water and there's two in Ireland.
0:32:21 > 0:32:27If you want further details on the Roundstone Diving and Wildlife Festival just call us here.
0:32:27 > 0:32:29At 11:22 we're back.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32Thanks for joining us today and well done.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34- Thank you so much, thank. - Enjoy.- Really appreciated.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37I'm desperately trying to get the word out
0:32:37 > 0:32:41about the Dive Festival. People through the door will make all the difference,
0:32:41 > 0:32:46don't get people through the door, I'll actually make a loss at the festival, which is not a good thing.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48So with that in mind, I'm doing talks in pubs.
0:32:48 > 0:32:54This is the Vinnie Jones of dolphins, they are tough, these animals.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56In hotels...
0:32:56 > 0:33:02We're trying to raise money for a rescue pontoon. It's tarpaulin with two flotation tubes either side.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04Done a talk in a school.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07Radio station, plastering the place with posters.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11I was just wondering if I could stick one of those posters up.
0:33:11 > 0:33:16And just doing anything basically to get the word out.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Thank you very much for turning out, cheers.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22APPLAUSE
0:33:30 > 0:33:35It's 7:30 in the morning, and I'm just driving down to Rossaveal
0:33:35 > 0:33:39to spend my first ever day in a Galway hooker,
0:33:39 > 0:33:43which is a traditional Irish sailing boat.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46I've been invited to take part in a special race that's staged
0:33:46 > 0:33:50every year to celebrate the community's seafaring heritage.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55And I've never done it before, I've never ever, I'm not really much of a sailor to be honest,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58it's specialised, so looking forward to it, should be interesting.
0:34:01 > 0:34:05In the old days the hookers used to transport turf, or peat, across
0:34:05 > 0:34:10Galway Bay to be used as fuel in the treeless area known as the Burren.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13The turf run is commemorated every year by the Kinvara Regatta
0:34:13 > 0:34:17and I've been invited to race on The Volunteer tomorrow.
0:34:25 > 0:34:31Just heading out of Rossaveal in the capable hands of Joe and Ronan here and heading out to the open sea,
0:34:31 > 0:34:37and in fact can see one of the hookers there just sort of leaning right over,
0:34:37 > 0:34:39just rounding the headland.
0:34:39 > 0:34:46One of my crewmates is Donal Green, a hooker builder steeped in the traditions of this beautiful craft.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49It's a very significant vessel in terms of the history of Galway.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52It is, and especially the history of Connemara,
0:34:52 > 0:34:59this would have been a tradition long ago when boats were trading turf to Kinvara to sell it.
0:34:59 > 0:35:04If you go back to after the famine, there was hardly any of the roads we take for granted now,
0:35:04 > 0:35:08small roads into the villages would be tracks, so you had no infrastructure,
0:35:08 > 0:35:13- so everything was done by boat. - And Irish is the language you'd speak on board.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- Oh, yes, all the time. - Yeah, because so many of the things
0:35:16 > 0:35:21I guess around the boat, you're obviously going to use Irish terms to describe them.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Well, exactly. Irish is what we always speak.
0:35:24 > 0:35:30THEY SPEAK IRISH GAELIC
0:35:30 > 0:35:35Although certain things on board still have English names but most of it, most of it's in Irish.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Yeah.
0:35:39 > 0:35:45That's going to crack me round the head, it's simply a question of when it's going to.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54It's a bit like being in a kitchen, you're always in the wrong place.
0:35:59 > 0:36:05The regular crew race this boat in regattas throughout the summer,
0:36:05 > 0:36:12but for helmsman Joe Joyce this is a special weekend commemorating, as it does, his forefathers.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18These routes we're going along at the moment, your grandfather used to do these, didn't he?
0:36:18 > 0:36:20My father and my grandfather.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22- Your father and your grandfather. - Yeah.
0:36:22 > 0:36:28Right. So why was it necessary to run turf? Was there just none in the area we're going to?
0:36:28 > 0:36:32There's no turf in these areas of Clare, yeah.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34It's hard work, isn't it?
0:36:34 > 0:36:38Dangerous work as well, cos they didn't have the conveniences that we have
0:36:38 > 0:36:41of knowing the weather ahead of time.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44- No, no.- They'd set sail in the morning regardless,
0:36:44 > 0:36:49bad days at sea, trying to get the cargo out, get the turf out.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51- Trying to get a buyer as well.- Yeah.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55And trying to get it all done, and of course it was the only way
0:36:55 > 0:36:57to make a buck as well, it was their livelihood.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01Oh, yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05Everyone's dad and granddad has sailed these things
0:37:05 > 0:37:10all their lives, delivering turf, think of all the years of experience both in the vessel itself,
0:37:10 > 0:37:17in the heart of the vessel and in the crew as well. This is an age-old scene of coming alongside a jetty.
0:37:17 > 0:37:23Once the tide is high, the boats can moor up in Kinvara to unload their commemorative cargoes of turf.
0:37:23 > 0:37:30Shared traditions like this make for a close knit community.
0:37:30 > 0:37:32But there would have been fierce competition as well
0:37:32 > 0:37:39to get the best trades, and that spirit lives on in the regatta which is just getting underway.
0:37:39 > 0:37:44The Volunteer races tomorrow and I'll be in the thick of the action.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49It's Sunday.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54Before racing can start, there are important traditions to observe.
0:37:54 > 0:38:00Remembering hooker sailors, often family members who went to sea and didn't return.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02THEY SING
0:38:05 > 0:38:08The whole origins of the hooker
0:38:08 > 0:38:11was transporting stores around,
0:38:11 > 0:38:16getting them across the bay. You brought things like turf which was life, cos it was warmth and heat,
0:38:16 > 0:38:21but also you operated at your peril and lots of people in hookers were lost.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26The sea was the great provider, the great means of communication, but also
0:38:26 > 0:38:28the great predator and took a lot of people.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Lot of people who went out, a few didn't come back,
0:38:31 > 0:38:36and that's the reason they get together and just remember those people on the quay here.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50But now it's time for the racing to begin.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56I'm pretty much a novice, so I'm doing what I'm told,
0:38:56 > 0:39:02raising sails, hauling on lines and generally providing a bit of muscle.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07All around us, boats are getting ready, but in our class we only have one competitor.
0:39:10 > 0:39:16Everyone's split now into their, to their jobs, you've got Donal on the foresail there.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20You've got Joe holding the second sail in, and then you've got Ronan
0:39:20 > 0:39:24on the main sail, and Padraig at the back there just trying to sort of steer the correct line.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27And me as warm ballast basically.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33The art here is to get a rolling start across the start line.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37Our rival crew is as experienced as they come, and they're already
0:39:37 > 0:39:42jockeying to deny us the best position on the start line.
0:39:42 > 0:39:43Put out then.
0:39:43 > 0:39:49- HORN BLARES - That's the start, and it's first blood to the competition.
0:39:49 > 0:39:55That's our competition basically, it's got maybe 30 yards on us, 40 yards on us. We're right on her bow.
0:39:55 > 0:40:00So we're just jostling to see who can be fired out into the real winds in the bay.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04It's literally the race for the bay now.
0:40:07 > 0:40:14The first leg is about straight line speed, as we make for a turn buoy where the real tactics will begin.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18We're going to tack in a second, and it all comes down to the tack,
0:40:18 > 0:40:21the efficiency of the crew, cos you lose momentum of course
0:40:21 > 0:40:26as you come round the turn. Right, there she is, coming right across our bow now.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Once we round the first buoy, we're sailing into the wind,
0:40:42 > 0:40:46and we can only make progress by tacking first one way then the other.
0:40:50 > 0:40:55Each time you tack, you cross your rival's path.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58It's a real psychological boost to be ahead at that point.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04The gap is closing.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09It's now neck and neck through a canny bit of tacking.
0:41:09 > 0:41:15Working our way up the bay, stolen 30 yards from them, 40 yards, so it's even stevens now.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17Here he comes, here he comes.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Coming round again.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31That was close,
0:41:31 > 0:41:33we'll ram her next time.
0:41:33 > 0:41:38This is where the rules of the road apply, one skipper has to give way to another one,
0:41:38 > 0:41:44and sometimes it's difficult and occasionally it doesn't happen, occasionally collisions occur.
0:41:44 > 0:41:49Now it's our rivals who are playing catch-up and the final buoy will be crucial.
0:41:50 > 0:41:56This prompts a desperate attempt by our rivals to cut inside us on the turn - with disastrous results.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00Watch your heads, watch your heads.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08Tangled up in the other boat's rigging, Padraig is in real danger of being hauled overboard.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Instinctively, Ronan and I rush to keep him on board,
0:42:11 > 0:42:15but it's a move that brings us within inches of catastrophe.
0:42:23 > 0:42:29I'm shaken, but if the boom had hit me, I could have been killed.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- You all right, man? - Good, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35Yeah, yeah, fine.
0:42:35 > 0:42:42By the time we recover our composure we're way behind, but we're sure the other boat has broken the rules.
0:42:42 > 0:42:47Caught on camera, the other boat actually went the wrong side of the buoy, cos they
0:42:47 > 0:42:52were so ken to cut inside us, nearly killing Padraig in the process.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54Holy moly.
0:42:58 > 0:43:04We'll be protesting to the referee, but we still have to make the best finish we can.
0:43:04 > 0:43:10Try as we might, the boats are so evenly matched, there's nothing we can do to close the gap.
0:43:10 > 0:43:16We're a distant second unless the referee rules in our favour.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28The race will come down to each skipper's evidence and an interpretation of the rules.
0:43:31 > 0:43:36THEY SPEAK IRISH GAELIC
0:43:36 > 0:43:40That's Padraig just being taken off for the enquiry.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43And the other skipper will join him on the boat,
0:43:43 > 0:43:46which could be one of those awkward social situations.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52As we step ashore, the regatta party is in full swing,
0:43:52 > 0:43:56but after our close call none of us feel like joining in.
0:43:56 > 0:44:01The race just out of interest has been declared void, so all that effort and emotion,
0:44:01 > 0:44:03but for me it was a lot more than a race,
0:44:03 > 0:44:07it was a chance to get out in a historic boat in Galway Bay,
0:44:07 > 0:44:11and do a voyage that's been done for many hundreds of years
0:44:11 > 0:44:15with descendants of the guys who originally did it.
0:44:15 > 0:44:20So it's been a great experience all round. Learnt some Irish as well, none of which are repeatable here.
0:44:20 > 0:44:21So, very good.
0:44:37 > 0:44:43It's August, as you can tell by the leaden grey skies outside,
0:44:43 > 0:44:48and my emphasis has changed ever so slightly in that I think
0:44:48 > 0:44:53I really want to raise the money for this pontoon, this rescue pontoon, and the pressure is on
0:44:53 > 0:44:58because they cost 4,000 euro, they're very expensive bits of kit, and I haven't got long to raise it.
0:44:58 > 0:45:01One of the things I'm doing is a talk tonight
0:45:01 > 0:45:07in the community hall in Roundstone, I'm hoping to get 250 people there.
0:45:07 > 0:45:13To do that talk I need great photos, and, there's a wreck down here, a shipwreck, but apparently
0:45:13 > 0:45:18it's beautiful and has terrific marine life on it, so I'm towing the rig down,
0:45:18 > 0:45:25I'll do a dive there, get some photos, show them to the people of Roundstone and the people of Clifden
0:45:25 > 0:45:27and raise lots of money hopefully.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29That is the plan.
0:45:36 > 0:45:41It's a very appropriate setting, cos it's quite wild and woolly,
0:45:42 > 0:45:47it's a bit of a blustery wind, just a few white horses kicking around, and of course
0:45:47 > 0:45:50this is a shipwreck, but it was a shipwreck that was actually put down
0:45:50 > 0:45:55as a dive site, they're amazing focal points for marine life.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58And this is very heavily colonised, this one, and I'm hoping
0:45:58 > 0:46:03for some great photos, sitting totally upright on the seabed and they're always lovely to dive,
0:46:03 > 0:46:10ships, it's always very evocative, it's rather like exploring an old haunted house that's full of vermin
0:46:10 > 0:46:15and animals and bats and all that stuff and you fly through it.
0:46:15 > 0:46:21Let's go, let's get on with it and see what we find down there, maybe treasure, who knows?
0:46:25 > 0:46:31'The wreck is an island supply boat that was sunk 12 years ago'
0:49:25 > 0:49:32Very good, well worth it, well worth it, now dash back, set up the community hall,
0:49:32 > 0:49:36and raise my first bit of money for this pontoon.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39This is where it all begins, hopefully.
0:50:15 > 0:50:21It's about 7am, it's the morning
0:50:21 > 0:50:25of the inaugural Roundstone Diving and Wildlife Festival,
0:50:25 > 0:50:29an event that is almost entirely dependent on decent weather.
0:50:29 > 0:50:33Although it's been absolutely lovely for about a month or so,
0:50:33 > 0:50:39so I'm going to throw open the curtains and see whether we've been blessed with glorious sunshine
0:50:39 > 0:50:40or whether the weather is honking.
0:50:47 > 0:50:50It's a bit honking.
0:50:50 > 0:50:55Actually, it's quite honking, but what can you do? Just got to get on with it, haven't you?
0:51:07 > 0:51:10I've seen better days, and I've seen worse days as well.
0:51:10 > 0:51:12So if the rain stays off...
0:51:13 > 0:51:16'It's like a ghost town with just one inhabitant.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20'Paddy the hog roast man, who's been getting up every 15 minutes
0:51:20 > 0:51:24'throughout the night to make minute adjustments to tonight's supper.'
0:51:24 > 0:51:31- Wow, she's huge.- Initially I was supposed to go for 35 kilos for our target,
0:51:31 > 0:51:34unobtainable, so we have 80.
0:51:34 > 0:51:3680 kilos, that's fantastic!
0:51:46 > 0:51:52But gradually we're joined by the main players, and the festival site starts to take shape.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06Sun's just come out, that's a great sign.
0:52:06 > 0:52:11The hog roast is cooking away, the smell, unbelievable, it's like
0:52:11 > 0:52:16a tractor beam drawing people in and strangely enough, there's our first couple of tickets sold.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20There we go, no worries, see you later.
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Hello, how are you doing? I'm very well, very well.
0:52:22 > 0:52:24'That burst of publicity is paying off,
0:52:24 > 0:52:30'to my not inconsiderable relief the euros are starting to trickle in.'
0:52:36 > 0:52:38This is how I'd imagined it.
0:52:38 > 0:52:44Opening up the secrets of the seashore, while a curious public opens up their collective wallets.
0:52:47 > 0:52:50Up at the marquee there's a raft of entertainment on hand to guarantee
0:52:50 > 0:52:55good value for money, along with food from the sea.
0:52:55 > 0:53:00While down on the beach, Simon has the crowd in the palm of his hand,
0:53:00 > 0:53:04teaching them about the wildlife off their coast.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07And the try dive sessions are introducing loads of new divers
0:53:07 > 0:53:11to an underwater world now shimmering in the sunlight.
0:53:11 > 0:53:16There's been a dramatic turnaround, I'm pleased to say, and as I kind of thought might happen,
0:53:16 > 0:53:21was hoping would happen, the sun's come out, it's a beautiful Connemara day, Gurteen just looks superb.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23You've got the intro dives going on down here,
0:53:23 > 0:53:29a whale being inflated down there, which is a novel thing, you don't see that on a beach every day.
0:53:29 > 0:53:33The talks are packed, absolutely packed, there isn't a spare seat in the place.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35So I'm absolutely delighted.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37And the highlight of the whole day is coming up.
0:53:37 > 0:53:42Simon is about to show how all the money raised today will be spent.
0:53:42 > 0:53:48You get about 20 live stranding events a year, now an event might be a single dolphin,
0:53:48 > 0:53:52or it might be up to 40 pilot whales like we had in Kerry in 2001.
0:53:52 > 0:53:58But obviously the pilot whale, you really need the pontoons, so I'll show you the pontoons now.
0:54:00 > 0:54:06The pontoon consists of two inflatable cylinders with a canvas floor that's rigged between them
0:54:06 > 0:54:12to hold a stranded animal until it has the strength to swim off under its own steam.
0:54:15 > 0:54:22For the demo, Simon has filled the inflatable whale with water so it weighs as much as the real thing.
0:54:22 > 0:54:28It's a realistic demonstration of just how hard it would be to float a live animal back out to sea.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36You can see what a monumental task it is
0:54:36 > 0:54:41to get an animal this size back into the water, hardly any surf today, and obviously this is just
0:54:41 > 0:54:46a big old bag full of sea water, it's not thrashing, it's not heaving around,
0:54:46 > 0:54:48so this is why the pontoon is vital.
0:54:48 > 0:54:53Try and do this without a pontoon, you're in real trouble, you know, you're really going to struggle,
0:54:53 > 0:54:59and the longer you struggle the more stressful it is for the whale, the more chance the whale dies.
0:54:59 > 0:55:02Obviously this is the whole rationale of the whole weekend
0:55:02 > 0:55:04really, to try and get one of these pontoons.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08Imagine doing this without the pontoon, just wasting your time,
0:55:08 > 0:55:11with an animal that's thrashing and heaving around.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14So this is the whole reason we're trying to get one.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17Safe, simple piece of kit, but very well designed
0:55:17 > 0:55:21actually, we were a bit messy there putting it on, but you know.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24Well done, superb.
0:55:24 > 0:55:30- Well done, Simon. - APPLAUSE
0:55:30 > 0:55:35It's been a quite simply tremendous day, really has been blessed
0:55:35 > 0:55:41with the weather, and the money's just steadily clicked in, and now we're moving onto the evening phase,
0:55:41 > 0:55:47we've got a brilliant band turning up and I'm hoping for about 150 200 people at the party tonight.
0:55:47 > 0:55:53So we'll have a big old auction and then tomorrow morning, count the money and see if it's worked.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02110. 105.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08135, 130, that's great.
0:56:08 > 0:56:13RAUCOUS FOLK MUSIC
0:56:18 > 0:56:20APPLAUSE
0:56:37 > 0:56:41I'm distinctly nervous about how much we might have made,
0:56:41 > 0:56:48and as Tam counts the cash, I can't bring myself to watch, there's just too much riding on the final tally.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52It's the morning after the night before
0:56:52 > 0:56:57and there's that slightly stunned feel to the whole thing.
0:56:57 > 0:56:59I think a phenomenal exercise,
0:56:59 > 0:57:03in terms of resonance for the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group and getting
0:57:03 > 0:57:06people in the water, and we made that happen and that's great.
0:57:06 > 0:57:13But the money is being counted by Tam at the moment, so...
0:57:13 > 0:57:17financially we'll find out if it's all been worth it in a sec.
0:57:19 > 0:57:24Remember when the day started we were 3,000 euros in the red,
0:57:24 > 0:57:27and we need 5,000 for the pontoon.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35I think we have a final figure.
0:57:35 > 0:57:41Well, I think we've definitely raised a thousand euros at least, if not more.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44A thousand euros, a thousand euros.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48Now that is fantastic, that is fantastic, really because...
0:57:48 > 0:57:50'With money from the auction and other pledges to come,
0:57:50 > 0:57:53'the final figure should be more than double that.
0:57:53 > 0:57:58'There's no way I could have done this without Tam, but I still have nearly
0:57:58 > 0:58:05'3,000 euros to raise, so I need some more money-spinning ideas to keep the pontoon dream alive.
0:58:07 > 0:58:11Next time, the moment of truth as I haul up the acoustic pod.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14The really exciting science is right there.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17A sure sign my idyllic summer is coming to an end.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20If ever there was a harbinger of the change of seasons
0:58:20 > 0:58:23it's starting to see the seal pups away from their mums.
0:58:23 > 0:58:28And a last chance to swim with the sharks that will soon migrate to warmer waters.
0:58:45 > 0:58:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:48 > 0:58:51E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk