Into the Wild Atlantic Aboard the Kiwi Girl from Mullaghmore

There are mornings when you wake up and you just know the day ahead is going to be something different. Something that pulls you a little further out of the ordinary and a little closer to the raw, unfiltered world that exists just beyond the shoreline. Boarding the Kiwi Girl at Mullaghmore pier on the Sligo coast was exactly that kind of morning, and what unfolded over the next four hours out on Donegal Bay left me genuinely lost for words in the best possible way.

Mullaghmore itself is worth a moment of appreciation before you even step foot on the boat. This pretty harbour village on the north Sligo coast, with its horseshoe bay and its dramatic backdrop of Ben Bulben in the distance, has long been loved by surfers drawn to the enormous Atlantic swells. But there is another world out there beyond the breakers, a quieter, wilder world, and the Kiwi Girl is your gateway to it.

If you are heading out on the Kiwi Girl wildlife boat trip, dressing for the occasion is half the battle. Even on a fine day the wind on open water has a way of reminding you exactly where you are. I always come prepared with Tea & snacks, coats, hats and waterproof trousers incase the weather changes.

Declan and the lads who run the Kiwi Girl trips are, in a word, sound. But that simple word doesn't quite do them justice. These are men who know this bay intimately, who have spent years reading its moods, learning its rhythms, and developing a deep and genuine passion for the wildlife that calls it home. From the moment you step aboard you sense that this is not simply a job for them. It is a vocation. They speak about the bay, its wildlife, and its conservation with the kind of quiet authority and enthusiasm that only comes from real love for a place, and that passion is entirely infectious.

The trip itself runs for roughly four hours. As Mullaghmore Harbour shrinks behind you and the open water of Donegal Bay stretches out ahead, the sense of anticipation builds beautifully. Donegal Bay is one of Ireland's most significant and productive marine environments, a vast, sheltered body of water bounded by the coasts of Sligo and Donegal, rich in fish and consequently rich in the predators that follow them. What lives out here would astonish most people who have never ventured beyond the shoreline.

And then it happens. That moment when someone on the boat points and the word goes up and every head turns at once. Humpback whales are among the most extraordinary animals on the planet, creatures of almost impossible scale and grace, and to encounter one in Irish waters, rising and rolling and exhaling great clouds of misty breath against a backdrop of Atlantic sky, is an experience that rewires something deep inside you.

These ancient, magnificent animals have been returning to Irish coastal waters in increasing numbers in recent years, drawn by the rich fish stocks, and Donegal Bay has become one of the most reliable places in Ireland to find them. Reliable, of course, is a relative word when it comes to wildlife. But Declan and his crew know where to look, and their knowledge of the bay gives you the very best possible chance of an encounter you will never forget.

But humpbacks are only part of the story out here. Donegal Bay teems with life at every level. Common dolphins are frequent visitors, often bow-riding alongside the boat with an effortless joy that never gets old no matter how many times you witness it. Minke whales move through these waters too, sleeker and more elusive than their humpback cousins but no less thrilling when they surface close by. Grey seals haul out on rocky outcrops and regard the passing boat with expressions of magnificent indifference. Seabirds wheel and dive all around, gannets plummeting from height with arrow-straight precision, guillemots and razorbills riding the swell, and if you are very lucky, a puffin or two bobbing along near the surface like something out of a storybook.

All the while Declan and the crew are talking, sharing knowledge, pointing things out, and doing so with a warmth and generosity that makes you feel less like a paying passenger and more like a friend who has been invited along for the day. Their commitment to the protection of the bay and its wildlife runs through everything they do and everything they say. These are people who genuinely care about this place, and spending four hours in their company leaves you caring about it too.

And then there are the moments that transcend everything, the ones you will still be talking about decades from now. On this particular day, Donegal Bay offered up something that even the most seasoned wildlife watchers rarely get to say they have witnessed in Irish waters. Aquarius, the lone orca who has become something of a legendary and deeply moving presence along the Irish and Scottish coastline, made his appearance.

There he was, just off the breathtaking sea cliffs of Sliabh Liag, the unmistakable black and white of a killer whale. I stood on the deck of the Kiwi Girl and I genuinely could not process what I was looking at. An orca. In Donegal Bay. In real life. Aquarius is a solitary animal, believed to be the last surviving member of his pod, and there is something both magnificent and quietly heartbreaking about him. To be in his presence, even briefly, felt like an immense privilege, a reminder that the ocean holds wonders that no wildlife documentary can fully prepare you for. It is a moment I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

By the time the Kiwi Girl turns back toward Mullaghmore and the harbour comes into view again, you will have filled your phone with photographs, and experienced something epic.

If you are travelling along the Wild Atlantic Way, whether through Sligo or Donegal, and you pass anywhere near Mullaghmore, do yourself a favour and get yourself on the Kiwi Girl. Give Declan and the boys a morning or an afternoon of your time. Let the bay do the rest. I promise you, hand on heart, that it will be one of the best things you do in Ireland this year.

Check out www.kiwigirlmullaghmore.com to book your trip.

What to pack.

These are some of things I packed for the boat trip.

1. Waterproof Coat/Jacket, warm hat to keep your ears warm.

2. Waterproof Trousers incase the weather takes a turn.

3. Dress warm as it can get cold.

4. Drink, I pack Tea.

5. Snacks, Crisps, Chocolate and never a Banana.

6. Camera

7. Binoculars if you have them.

8. Sunscreen.

9. Suitable footwear.