Watch: Extremely rare sighting of a beluga whale at Donegal Bay
The sighting was confirmed by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group as only the second to be verified in their 35-year history
An extremely rare sighting of a beluga whale was captured in the waters of Donegal Bay.
Sebastian Szumlański recorded the footage with a drone during a visit to the Secret Waterfall in Killybegs on Saturday, October 17.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group has confirmed it is only the second verified sighting of the species in Irish waters. This beluga is believed to be an adult of unknown gender, observed in shallow water, which is natural for the species.
Belugas typically inhabit the freezing waters of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. A medium-sized white whale, adults reach approximately 5 metres in length, and it belongs to the Monodontidae family, the same whale family as the narwhal. Interestingly, a narwhal sighting was first documented in November last year on Sweet Nellies Beach near Greencastle.
According to the Gweebarra Conservation Group, there were previous sightings of belugas off Arranmore and Roaninish Island in 2024.