fbpx

About Us

Who are we?

Dingle Dolphin Boat Tours are the longest running boat tour association in Dingle. With over 30 years of experience on the water, we have been providing tours to thousands every year since 1987

Meet our crew

Our association consists of our skippers, office staff and tour guides

Adam Flannery

Chairman, Skipper

Gary Brosnan

Treasurer, Skipper

Martin Flannery

Skipper

Gillian May

Office Staff

Meet Martin Flannery, our Skipper of the Laird of Staffa, guiding tours since 1983 with a wealth of local knowledge and stories.

Join Gary Brosnan, Skipper of the Draiocht, with deep ties to Dingle Bay since 1994. His fishing expertise and passion for the area make each trip memorable.

Adam Flannery, Skipper of the Island Explorer, has been with us for 16 years, transitioning from a commercial fisherman to a key leader on the sea.

Gilly May, our Office Manager since 2008, ensures top-notch customer service, while onboard, our crew—Tip, Bob, Bren, Nuada, Ailbhe, and Gearoid—are your expert guides, making every moment at sea unforgettable.

Dingle-Dolphin-Staff

Our Fleet

There are three vessels in our association

Draíocht

The Draíocht, meaning ‘magic’ is one of our newer vessels. This boat is licensed to carry 48 passengers plus 2 crew members. This was purposely built by Kingfisher UK for passengers

Skippered by Gary 

Island Explorer

The Island Explorer is our newest vessel, licensed to carry up to 72 passengers plus 3 crew members. This was purposely build by Kingfisher UK for passengers.

Skippered by Adam

Laird of Staffa

‘Staffa’ is an island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Laird of Staffa is licensed to carry 48 passengers plus 2 crew members. This was built Halmatic in the UK.

Skippered by Martin

Our history

Below is a brief history of how Dingle Dolphin Boat Tours began with enormous help from a special friend – Fungie the Dingle dolphin

1983
Fungie arrives in Dingle

In 1983 a lone, young bottle nose dolphin followed a fishing boat into Dingle harbour. Weeks passed and this same dolphin was spotted various times by countless boats and the light housekeeper Paddy Ferriter. Curious, locals began heading out to see this dolphin who was very fun-loving and seemed to love the attention of humans. Word spread, the media got hooked, Dingle Dolphin Tours was formed and thus the legend that is Fungie the Dingle Dolphin was born.

1984 – 2019
His popularity grows

Over the years Fungie became a worldwide phenomenon for being a solitary dolphin who preferred the company of people to other dolphins. People came from all corners of the earth just to experience the wonder that was Fungie. An exciting boat trip for some, a life changing experience for others, Fungie’s intoxicating nature and cheeky smile stole the heart of millions. Dingle Dolphin Boat Tours played a big part in enabling people to visit our beloved friend.

2020
Fungie’s disappearance

After thirty-seven years in Dingle, creating joyous, unforgettable memories and providing once in a lifetime moment for many, our friend disappeared as mysteriously as he arrived back in 1983.
Gone but never forgotten, Dingle Dolphin Boat Tours decided to carry on and created new tours to continue the legacy Fungie created for us in Dingle. We are forever grateful to him and will always know the ‘Dingle Dolphin’ in Dingle Dolphin Boat Tours only refers to him.

Take a look at our tours we have on offer