What a surreal experience!! South Polar Skua 🇦🇶 seen flying directly above the #RVCelticExplorer during leg 1 of #WESPAS (22/06/2019). H’up!

That’s all folks, the #WESPAS survey is done and dusted! Here are some of the bits and bobs we saw on our 3 week long voyage. Big fish list lacked a bit alright, but we made up for it with our marine mammals, birds, and of course the jellies 😉 #RVCelticExplorer

Great to be back on the #RVCelticExplorer conducting #seabird surveys for the second leg of #WESPAS . Three days in with the usual craic so far; Gannets, Kittiwakes, Manxie’s, and Fulmars with the exception of 2 Sooty Shearwaters and lots of wee Puffins!

Our trip list is looking impressive after 11 days at sea #RVCelticExplorer #WESPAS 2019

Wow, what an evening! 8 #finwhales , 2 #minkewhales and a hell of a lot of #commondolphins ! Amazing experience! Heres a little cutie that came for a nosy 🌊🐳🐬 #RVCelticExplorer #WESPAS

Such an incredible experience to take part in #WESPAS once again as part of the biological team. So thankful to Marine Institute and Smart Sea School for the opportunity, and the crew and scientific team for making such a great survey🚢 hopefully I'll be back out on the sea soon!

Fieldwork with a view! Currently carrying out 3 weeks of research on-board the R. V. Celtic Explorer as part of the WESPAS survey.

Quick stop into #Portmagee then off we go to the #PorcupineBank 🏞️🌊 #Skelligs #RVCelticExplorer #WESPAS

Very excited to be heading out on the RV Celtic Explorer on the #WESPAS cruise to collect #plankton samples for my PhD 😊 hopefully will see some #jellyfish too!! MaREI Marine Institute Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, UCC

⛴️Rachel Cave and Nini from Ryan Institute @ University of Galway and Earth & Ocean Sciences are on Leg 2 of the Marine Institute Research Vessels WESPAS acoustic fisheries survey (herring and boarfish, PI Mike O’Malley) collecting CTD samples (red dots) for nutrients, organic and inorganic carbon and plankton 🐟🐠

What a final fabulous day for the #WESPAS survey on the #RVCelticExplorer . Calm seas and sunshine bringing us all the way to #Galway tomorrow morning, bright and early 🛳☀🌊

Pinning some herring! #wespas

Sorted the sag on the tracks and added some mud , not going to go over the top with it next up it’s the Wespas turn 👍👍

Over the last few weeks on the annual WESPAS survey on the #RVCelticExplorer our team has been responsible for collecting bio-geochemical & bio-optical data, water samples are collected using a CTD rosette system throughout the water column. Marine Institute Earth & Ocean Sciences Ryan Institute @ University of Galway

Wilson's Storm-petrel 68km/37nm N of St Kilda today from #RVCelticExplorer during #WESPAS survey. Details here ebird.org/checklist/S917…
Just six records for Scotland listed by SBRC up to 2019 (but a few more reported in 2020). Pelagics will no doubt find more! #seabirds

Pulling into Killary to do some calibration #wespas

WESPAS 21 Leg 1 on the #RVCelticExplorer
CTD rosette being deployed to collect water samples from six depths through the water column Marine Institute Peter Croot Riverflux2sea Earth & Ocean Sciences Ryan Institute @ University of Galway

Some top notch #whalewatching from #RVCelticExplorer today as we entered #Galway Bay. Three Humpback Whales lunge feeding and tail fluking! Up to 20 Minke Whales and hundreds of Common Dolphins in the wider area also. A great end to the #WESPAS trip and in glorious sunshine too!

A glassy morning on the North Atlantic #WESPAS

In defense of seagulls (and all feathered citizens of the sea): Sally O'Meara's blog on just how wonderful they are. Míle Buíochas #WESPAS Acoustic Survey smartseaschool.blogspot.com/from BirdWatch Ireland @GMITOfficial Earth & Ocean Sciences Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, UCC John O'Halloran Marine Institute Sally O'Meara Ecofact