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| The purpose of our visit to Fungie this summer was to try & determine if the high tourist trade & many tour boats operating in the bay are having an negative impact on Fungie's environment and health. After speaking with some of the skippers of the boats & observing how they operate around him It is my opinion that Fungie is happy in his home and the tourist trade has not impacted negativly on him as I would have thought. The skippers and people of Dingle respect their ocean friend and care for him dearly. |
| The Swim We decided to take the swim trip again as I wanted to observe Fungie in the water. He greeted the boat by accompanying us out into the bay where we docked and I dived straight in with a number of other people. with some basic breathing techniques on my side I decided to freedive down to the sea bed and explore. I chose to ignore Fungie and low and behold he swam up about 2 inches from my face. I saw his great white beak and belly and his dark grey back as he rolled elegantly pass me. He is fat, happy and healthy from what I could see. Of course he didn't entertain me for long as I heard a speedboat approachin above, naturally he took off after it. Those few seconds were lovely with him. I can also confirm that this is the original Fungie, he has not been replaced as a silly rumour has had many thinking over the years. This is the original legend! |
| FUNGIE SUMMER 2010 |
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| The Boat On the 2nd day we took one of the boats out. It was a truly great experience and I was veyr happy to see that the boats did not pursue or harass Fungie when he didn't pay them any attention. Instead they stayed in the centre of the bay and just circled in the hope he might give chase. |
| Most of the time he was happy to oblige and seem to love the attention. At one point he took to breaching at the back of a smaller boat in frustration because it had stopped moving. The more people scream in delight, the more cheeky and arrogant he becomes. It was a lovely experience and I recommend it to anyone who visits Dingle. |
| THE TOWN OF DINGLE Anyone taking a trip to the west of Ireland must visit Dingle. Its a town that will lift your spirits with its fresh and vibrant atmosphere. Start your day by booking a trip out to see Fungie and witness the beautiful landscapes that sweep down on either side of the bay. The fresh ocean air will work up an appetite & your in the right place for a good slap up meal with dozens of places to eat and excellent sea food served at most of the restaurants. Hey, but don't order dessert, instead take a stroll to Murphys and have some of their renowned homemade ice cream in an erray of interesting flavours such as sea salt & burnt caramel. Enjoy the many shops selling dolphin crafts/ souvenirs. If your not into dolphins there are plenty of food festivals & music festivals held in Dingle through out the year. |
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