Aran Islands are one of the best places in Ireland where you can see one of the oceans’ fastest fishes – the blue shark. It is an unbelievable experience snorkelling in the same territory as this amazing predator. It is a breath-taking opportunity.

From May till mid-November we are lucky enough in Aran Island to have a big number of blue sharks.

Blue sharks grow to a maximum length of up to 4 metres (c. 13 feet), and typically weigh between 136 – 182 kg (c. 300 to 400 lb). The record for a blue shark caught in Irish waters is 93.5 kg (206 lb).

As the name suggests, blue sharks are predominantly blue – ranging from a deep blue on the top of the back, fading to vibrant blue on the sides and to white on the underside of the belly. This colouration affords the shark a form of camouflage.

Blue sharks are the most widespread of all the world’s sharks and are found in temperate and tropical waters in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.

In the north Atlantic, the population is thought to follow a clockwise migration pattern travelling with prevailing currents. 

As an apex predator, the blue shark sits at the top of the food chain, and healthy adult individuals are generally not at risk of predation by other species (with the exception, of man), 

Although blue sharks are among the most abundant, widespread and also, unfortunately, the most heavily fished sharks in the world. An estimated 10 to 20 million blue sharks are caught and killed each year, causing concern not only for the future of the sharks but also about the potential impact of removing such a key predator from the oceanic ecosystem.