This summer Mike and I were fortunate enough to have some family visiting, including our niece Norah, after not seeing each other since pre-pandemic times.  We were lucky to get some lovely weather and of course that meant heading to the coast!

Our niece is a good swimmer and would like to learn to scuba dive one day.  We mentioned that snorkeling was a really good start for getting used to using a mask and fins and also great fun.  Having gotten her equipment for the trip, Norah practised in the pool before her arrival and was excited to try things out in the ocean.

We live within a 90 minute drive of several lovely bits of shoreline on the west coast of Ireland, and chose to start off our adventures at Dunmoran Strand in County Sligo.  Here there is a sandy beach bordered by rocky shore, with shallow calm waters.  A great starting point for snorkeling in the sea for the first time! Norah kitted up remarkably quickly as I struggled into my wetsuit, but we were soon in the shallows ready to go.  We had an initial swim to get a feel of it and then gave Norah some tips on clearing her mask, snorkel and some finning techniques and we were off exploring the rocks.  Almost immediately we came across some large colourful jellyfish and swam carefully around to observe them without any contact.  After a good 45 minutes of seeing wrasse, crabs, sand eels and anemones we returned to the beach to dry off and warm up with huge smiles.

A few days later we headed out to the tidal swimming pool at Rosses Point, near Sligo.  Here by the yacht club is a man-made pool that opens out into the sea.  From the pool you can follow the coast and snorkel the rocks to the right side with an easy entry and exit at the pool.  Care must be taken NOT to swim out of the pool to the left, as the aptly named “Dead Man’s Point” has some fierce currents.  Arriving on a cooler, breezy day, we checked Norah was up for the challenge of snorkeling in a slight swell and we headed out right along the rocks.  Norah coped brilliantly with the slightly tougher conditions and was soon zooming around spotting crabs all over the place.  We even got to see a small dogfish dart out from between the rocks and out into the kelp.  We took care to watch the waves and make sure we turned round early to get back to the tidal pool before we got chilled or tired and spent a happy last few minutes jumping off the poolside at the deep end before heading home.

For our last trip we went to Old Head Beach in County Mayo, which has a Blueway Snorkel Trail. As depicted on an informative sign by the car park, the trail starts from the left side of the pier, following a rocky coastline in sheltered, shallow water away from local boat traffic.  On our visit the sun was out again and the waters were an inviting, almost tropical blue.  As we swam around and through the thick kelp we spotted plenty of wrasse, a couple of large compass jellyfish, a pipe fish and a flying gurnard.  Norah perfected her duck diving and we had an enjoyable time dropping our snorkels for her to retrieve from the sandy bottom.

We had some excellent snorkels and though sadly the family had to return home, it was a great visit.

After our adventures, we asked Norah a few questions to get her perspective:

What was your favourite thing?

Snorkeling with jellyfish and not getting stung!

What was the biggest challenge?

The salt stinging my eyes when the mask leaked a bit.

Where was your favourite snorkel spot?

Old Head had the most colourful water, Rosses Point had lots of crabs and we saw a tiny shark!

What new skill did you learn that you found most useful?

Putting toothpaste on a new mask to stop it fogging up.

What are you most proud of?

Snorkeling in the ocean for the first time and coping with waves and some current.

Do you want to go snorkeling again?

Yes!

Mike and I love the water and to be able to share this activity with our niece was brilliant. Ireland has a great system of established snorkel trails called The Blueway (https://diving.ie/blueway/).  These Blueway trails can be snorkeled or kayaked and are safe routes with maps and above water signage on the points of interest.  The west coast of Ireland really is a great place for some snorkel adventures!

For more information on water activities in Ireland check out: www.discoverireland.ie/things-to-do/on-the-water