WATCH: Meet The World’s Friendliest Dolphin in Ireland
We were cold. We were wet. We’d been on the water in Dingle Bay for an hour and hadn’t seen a single dolphin — or, rather, the single dolphin. There’s only one dolphin living in Dingle Bay in County Kerry, Ireland: Fungie. Because he prefers the company of humans to other dolphins, Fungie is something of a local celebrity in this part of Ireland.
We went to the Dingle peninsula along the Wild Atlantic Way in Ireland to take some hilarious pictures. (Photo: Laura Begley Bloom)
We went to Dingle with no plan other than to wander around and take selfies near the gorgeous cliffs and with various things that said Dingle on them. But everywhere we went we saw a picture of Fungie.
“You’re going to meet the dolphin, right?” asked everyone we met in town.
Sure we were. And so, we chartered a boat from captain Richie Riordan, 65, to search for Fungie.
Here is where your Fungie journey begins. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
In 1984, a solitary bottlenose dolphin decided to settle in Dingle Bay. Legend has it that Fungie escaped from a British aquarium, made his way into this scenic inlet, and just never left. There is absolutely no evidence to support this. Other dolphin pods will occasionally join Fungie during the summer months, but they rarely stay.
Photos of Fungie line the walls of the office. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
Fungie is believed to live in a small cave under the local cliffs of Burnham. He welcomes all the boats into town and has been photographed leaping into the air to greet fishermen and tourists and even bringing gifts of still-living fish to local divers. He leaps and he plays, but only on his terms. You can’t call him and you can’t lure him to you with treats.
It is no exaggeration to say that the town of Dingle is Fungie-obsessed. Statues of the aquatic mammal dot the town, and a local pizzeria even offers Fungie pizza. (It is covered in mushrooms.)
The average lifespan for a dolphin in captivity is about 25 years. Locals believe that Fungie is in his 40s even though he is still as playful as a toddler.
Richie Riordan is a kind, patient and dolphin-neutral captain. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
Dingle Dolphin Boat Tours depart throughout the day (about every 45 minutes) and cost 16 euros per person. Although you aren’t guaranteed to see Fungie (he is, after all, a wild dolphin), you don’t pay if he doesn’t appear.
Riordan has been captaining Fungi trips for 27 years.
“Twenty-seven years. Same dolphin,” he said with a droll grin. “I don’t really consider it work. I’ve been sea fishing my entire life, but I get a good buzz out of this. This makes people happy.”
Related: Many Hotels Have a Minibar … These Have Their Own Pets
It also attracts thousands of dolphin enthusiasts to the Dingle Peninsula. But with the enthusiasts also come the dolphin-obsessed.
Gazing out at the town of Dingle as we search for Fungie. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
“There’s a lot of crazy people,” Riordan said, recalling one woman who demanded that he bring her as close to Fungie as he possibly could in the boat, insisting she was given a divine message that Fungi was dying and she needed to give him a potion to keep him alive.
“I nodded at her like I heard that all the time,” Riordan said. “There’s a lot of lunatics attached to dolphins. I think it is because people think dolphins are smiling all the time. They’re not. That’s just how their face is.”
Related: Please DO Feed the Animals at These Places
Many of the visitors tend to anthropomorphize Fungie, perhaps transferring their own insecurities to the dolphin. A lot of people can’t wrap their head around the fact that Fungie is alone. (Dolphins are believed to mate for life.)
“They want him to have a soulmate,” Riordan said. “But really they all want to have their own soulmate.”
Our tiny boat was heading out into the open ocean from Dingle Bay in an attempt to lure Fungie closer to shore. We moved closer to the rugged cliffs marking the western border of Ireland. Still, no Fungie.
The sea was growing angrier and angrier. More important, our editor-in-chief Paula Froelich was getting seasick. (Photo: Jo Piazza)
Related: Postcards to My Daughter — Elmo’s Visit to Ireland
“Where is Fungie?” I asked Riordan with greater urgency than before. He threw up his hands, taking them off the wheel and causing the boat to rock a little.
“It always depends on what kind of mood he is in.”
And then, as if he knew it was finally time to put in an appearance, Fungi appeared, his slick gray back visible just above the surface of the choppy waves. He was huge! Nothing like the dolphins you see an an aquarium. He leaped out of the water and flicked his friendly tail into the air.
“Fungie!!!!!” I yelled over the boat’s motor.
Riordan’s shoulders relaxed. His job was done. Even Paula perked up long enough to wave hello to Fungie.
He swam around the bow of the boat and glanced up at us. I swear, I saw him smile.
Let Yahoo Travel inspire you every day. Hang out with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
