Since 1984 this now world-famous dolphin has been resident around the mouth of Dingle harbour in Co.Kerry, S.W.Ireland. Dingle is a busy fishing port which over the last ten years has also seen a rapid increase in recreational boating activity. The sheltered and shallow harbour basin is reached from the open waters of Dingle Bay via a narrow channel, less than 100m wide and 10m deep, which is subject to strong tidal currents. The dolphin rarely ventures far beyond this channel, although there is enough water for him in the inner reaches of the harbour at most states of the tide. Just outside the harbour entrance channel is a small sheltered cove known as Slaidín, which has been the site for most interactions between the dolphin and swimmers or snorkellers. Beyond Slaidín the coastline, consisting of rocky cliffs, forms a funnel-shaped outer harbour entrance which is the dolphin’s core territory, an area of about 1km² overlooked by the scenically positioned lighthouse and including the small bay of Bínn Bán to the east. The dolphin sometimes ranges along the cliffs to the west, as far as the Crow Rock, and out into Dingle Bay a short way, but is never observed more than 2km from the mouth of the harbour.
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