While most paddlers dream of whale sightings, dolphins, and other romantic cetaceans, Rupert Kirkwood found himself surrounded by marine wildlife of a different kind. On a sunny morning paddling in Devon, England, Rupert had a close encounter with a school of leaping bluefin tuna; a moment caught on camera by Rupert’s son wildlife filmmaker Henry Kirkwood.
The Lone Kayaker: exploring southwest England’s wildlife by paddle
Rupert goes by The Lone Kayaker on social media, and has been around animals all his life. He worked as a farm vet in West Devon before taking an early retirement due to an injury, then dove headfirst into the world of paddling in southwest England– and the world of wildlife near his home.
“I have kayaked every inch of the coast of SW England, from Poole to Minehead, all 1156 miles of it,” Rupert wrote in his blog. “Yes, it really is that far if you paddle up every creek as far as you can get at high tide, and out to every island. Also 2,000 miles in Scotland, and short jaunts in Spain, USA, Mexico, Greenland, Chile, and Antarctica.”
By kayak, Rupert has shared the water with ocean sunfish, minke whales, and Risso’s dolphins, along with seals, dolphins, and even a humpback. Rupert estimates he’s logged 35,000 paddling throughout the UK with most of the paddling in Devon and Cornwall.
Henry, Rupert’s son and wildlife filmmaker, has been following his father’s adventures, with the two working together to tell stories about UK wildlife. Henry even made a short film about his father’s adventures, and aims to produce a series of films with his father as the subject in the future.
Rupert and Henry Kirkwood had seen bluefin tuna on the shores of southwest England in the past, but always just a passing glimpse as the tuna leaped in the distance. When they arrived at the beach the presence of garfish, a favorite meal of bluefin tuna, proved promising for tuna sightings.
“If we see them it’s really going to be off-the-scale entertainment, hopefully, and if we don’t we’re going to have a nice day anyway,” said Rupert before the event.
Wildlife filmmaker and father have the wildlife experience of a lifetime in Devon, England
In search of bluefin tuna Rupert paddled out to their destination while Henry hiked in, staging camera gear near shoreline rocks. Not long after arriving, garfish skimmed across the water and the first bluefin tuna made its appearance. Just as Rupert turned his kayak to move closer to shore, two massive bluefin tuna jumped behind him and the feeding frenzy began.
“I can’t believe he’s still on his kayak,” said Henry as a bluefin tuna leaped out of the water near Rupert. “How is he still in one piece?”
Bluefin tuna and gar filled the air while Rupert laughed, the massive tuna sometimes leaping precariously close to his boat.
“What a hoot,” said Rupert in the short film. “Surely there can’t be a better experience in the entire world at this moment!”
“Looking back on it, maybe it wasn’t a good idea to be sitting around in that particular location, with the risk of being hit by a 300 kg projectile flying at 30 mph.” Rupert wrote in his blog after the experience. “It would have been painful enough to be slapped in the chops by that lucky Garfish!”
