The second INFOMAR survey of 2009 has just been completed in Dingle, Tralee, St. Finan's and Ballinskelligs Bay in Co. Kerry using the Marine Institutes research vessel Celtic Voyager. The month long survey was divided into fortnight long legs and kicked off from Galway Docks on Friday May 15th, just days before the arrival of the Volvo Ocean Race stopover. From May 16th to 29th, the survey was focused in an area east of a line from Slea Head on the Dingle peninsula to Doulus head on the Iveragh peninsula into the 10 metre depth contour just offshore of Inch and Rossbehy strands. The second leg from May 29th to June 12th was surveyed the remaining area of seabed in outer Dingle bay, around the Blasket Islands and further south to St. Finan's and Ballinskelligs Bay.With the proposed area to be surveyed around Dingle bay complete before the end of the survey, the Celtic Voyager relocated to Tralee bay to survey the remaining area of seabed between the coverage from a LiDAR survey of the inner bay in 2008 and the survey of Shannon estuary and approaches earlier in the year.
Images generated from MBES data showing the wreck of the Manchester Merchant which lies 11 metres below the surface in Dingle Bay. The 137 metre long merchant vessel sank in January 1903 after being towed into Dingle Bay following a fire on board. The cargo of the ship included bales of cotton from New Orleans in transit to Manchester. Bourke, Edward J. "Shipwrecks of the Irish coast"
View of sea cliffs on Dingle Peninsula from Celtic Voyager.
View of Dingle lighthouse from Celtic Voyager while entering Dingle Harbour for crew change on May 29th.
Sunset in Dingle Bay on May 25th.
All INFOMAR data is available for free download here.
