PHOTOSPECIAL
A crayfish hides on a rocky pinnacle at Gloster Rock, Malin Beg
Dahlia anemones in a gulley inside Dolus Head
Pure inspiration: Basking shark aggregation off County Clare
The basking shark aggregations of County Clare are an obvious highlight of your book. They are the most spectacular images of basking sharks I have ever seen. Could you tell us a little about the practical aspects of swimming with so many big animals... are you concerned they may breach and land on you? They’ re enormous and breach often, so yes, that’ s a real concern. Once, one landed between me and my buddy, we were just 10 metres apart, the noise was unbelievable. Since October 2022, basking sharks are a protected species, so you now need a licence from the National Parks and Wildlife Service to swim with or photograph them. That said, as long as you are calm and still, the sharks are generally very relaxed. They often approach you or follow you back to
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