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Killer Whale ID'd: It's our old pal John Coe

The Killer Whale spotted off the coast of Kerry. Photo by Richard Creagh

© Kerryman

The killer whale seen by the excited the touring crew of forty people that was on-board Blasket Princess on Monday, June 27, was none other than the famous 'John Coe', a member of the Scottish West Coast Community Group, a pod that swims between the waters of Ireland and Scotland.

Nick Masset, a recorder for Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, spotted the whale off the west Kerry coast, and he duly informed Mick Sheeran, skipper of Blasket Islands' Eco Marine Tours.

Mr Masset then guided the skipper in the direction of the Orca, and it wasn't long before Mr Sheeran recognised that it was his old friend John Coe: "This exact same whale was here in 2012, and I was lucky enough to see him that time too."

"He has a distinctive notch on his dorsal fin, so he's easy to recognise."

Though the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group could not confirm for definite that John Coe had been without a companion on this visit, no sighting of another whale was reported.

Pádraig Whooley, Sightings Officer for the group, told The Kerryman that if this was indeed the case, it would be an unusual occurrence: "On all previous sightings of John Coe off the Irish coast, he'd travelled with at least one other whale - normally 'Nicola W03'".

The group's website noted that this was the first sighting of John Coe off the Irish coast in three years.

He has previously been sited off the coasts of Mayo, Galway, Cork, Down and Antrim.

Mr Whooley explained that John Coe "is one of a pod of eight killer whales, collectively known as the Scottish West Coast Community Group".

"He was first photographed 33 years ago off the Scottish Hebrides by Peter Evans. The pod hasn't had any new recruitments for many years, and we're very worried for their future."

Mr Masset was understandably delighted at reacquainting with John Coe, and celebrated another wonderful sighting within this hub of wildlife: "We get loads of sightings of humpback and minke whales, and you get lots of puffins and basking sharks here too, lots of animals really."

"I'm thrilled Nick got on to me and presented us with this opportunity, and our guide Richard Creagh was able to get some terrific photographs of John Coe."