Hundreds of people gathered on Inch Strand in Co Kerry on Saturday afternoon as a stranded pilot whale was successfully refloated.
The immature 4m (13ft) male was spotted by local women Dora McCarthy and Kate Moyna on their daily walk at around 8am.
He was kept moist and warm under the supervision of Kevin Flannery of the Department of the Marine and Paschal Dower of the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Others on the beach also gave plenty of assistance until the arrival of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) and their specialised stranding kit from Kilrush in Co Clare.
Further out on the bay, a school of pilot whales was spotted, raising fears of more strandings. Four years ago in nearby Castlegregory on an unseasonably fine weekend in late March, 18 whales died after a mass stranding of almost 40 pilot whales at Aughacasla Strand near the Maharees.
The area has seen some of the biggest mass strandings in western Europe, Dr Simon Berrow of the IWDG said. The stranding is the latest in a series which has seen dolphins, porpoises and whales washed up on beaches in the southwest over the past four weeks.
Because this whale was in such good condition - he was examined by local vet Brendan O'Connell and deemed healthy - the IWDG went all out to refloat him.
Their rescue kit included a pontoon specially designed for the IWDG to rescue stranded pilot whales, Dr Berrow explained.
Up to 120 strandings of cetaceans are now reported to the IWDG each year, because of a greater awareness among the public, he said.
The group is dedicated to the better understanding of the teeming sea life around the coast, especially that of the southwest and has logged thousands of sightings as well as strandings. It logs strandings on its website: www.iwdg.ie