West Coast Scotland

March 7, 2019March 29, 2019

A Month of Scotland’s Finest Shore Dives – Part 1

The Strome Narrows

When I sit down to look at options for diving (or ‘ploptions’ as I like to call them), the first thing I always look at is a calendar of Spring and Neap tides. I’m a lazy diver and whilst I’m prepared to put a bit of effort into getting to a shore dive site, I don’t like too much exertion while I’m under the water. I’ve done a few head-burster dives in my time and my enjoyment of the dive starts to wane severely if I’m having to fin so hard it feels like my heart might explode and flood my drysuit. Carrying a camera setup that acts a bit like a sail doesn’t exactly help the situation either.

November 18, 2014November 18, 2014

North Shore Loch Duich – ‘Tar Site (Sgurr Aoide)’ – October 2014

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Inverness Sub Aqua Club call it the ‘Tar Site’ – presumably due to a lump of surplus road surfacing tarmac that has been dumped just beyond the crash barrier. I’ve also seen it referred to in an article by Jane Wilkinson on divernet.com as Sgurr Aoide – the name of the hill this site lies at the foot of. Whatever you want to call it, you’ll find it approximately a mile further on from the signs marking the end of the 40mph speed restriction at Inverinate as you head towards Eilean Donan Castle on the A87. Continue reading

August 23, 2014October 23, 2014

Conservation Bay, Loch Carron – May 2014

Back in May I visited Conservation Bay at Loch Carron again and did three dives over the course of a weekend. This wasn’t originally the intention, but the weather was so good on the Saturday that after completing the morning dive at Low Water Slack we decided to stick around and dive it again at High Water Slack. You can read more on Conservation Bay in these previous posts. Continue reading

March 30, 2014June 20, 2014

Glas Island, Loch Fyne – March 2014

Glas Island is without a doubt one of my favourite dive sites in Loch Fyne. We headed back there in March for another weekend of diving aboard the Fyne Pioneer. Otter Spit (a sand bar, not the drool of a small, furry aquatic mammal) effectively narrows the loch in the locality of Glas Island and accelerates the tidal flow past it. This makes for a proliferation of filter feeding life and a bottom that is swept free of the silt that can be found elsewhere in the loch.
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