Amazing!

Year whaling stopped but population has not increased Average length in feet of a blue whale, bigger than any dinosaur Number of tonne a female blue whale can weigh when fully grown To push a four stone camera for 50 metres and then dive, there’s a lot of fitness involved KEN O’SULLIVAN ON NEEDING TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE TO DO JOB

his fitness levels before undertaking the challenge since he had to forego an oxygen tank – diving and holding his breath instead.

He explained: “The thing about trying to film whales in the water is you can’t wear scuba gear because you might be in and out of the boat 50 times and it’s too bulky.

“Bubbles are seen as a sign of aggression for a whale so you have to free dive and hold your breath because the last thing I want to do is disturb them. To push a four stone camera for 50 metres and then dive, there’s a lot of fitness involved, but I love it.”

There have been just five documented encounters with a blue whale off Irish waters in the past 100 years and Ken says he’s honoured to realise a life’s dream.

He added: “The reason I do this is because you utterly believe you are doing some good. I’m doing it to document them and their migration routes.

“They look so prehistoric, it is mesmerising, but you only get one chance. I can’t ask a whale to come around the other side… to come back and do another take.”

With the help of whale scientist and ocean acoustics expert Dr Joanne O’brien, Ken sets out to document blue and sperm whales to help conserve them.

Both are endangered species with 330,000 blue whales hunted and killed in the North Atlantic over the past 50 years and somewhere between 400 and 1,400 left.

Ken said: “The whaling stopped in 1964 and the population hasn’t increased. One of

Whales in sea the largest dinosaurs was a Brachiosaurus and they weighed about 50 tonnes. Female blue whales can weigh 130 tonnes.”

Ken gathered photos and videos of a dozen blue, sperm and fin whales which will contribute to the North Atlantic catalogue and help track their migrating path.

He also hopes his work will help in the conservation of basking sharks which are not a protected species under Irish law.

His next project will see him work with his filmmaker wife on The Burren – and he laughs off any comparison with acclaimed veteran broadcaster David Attenborough.

He said: “I’m very flattered. The man is an absolute legend.”

Episode two of Ireland’s Deep Atlantic airs tonight on RTE One at 9.30pm.

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