The Planning..........
Three things I have learnt from the last year which are even more important now than ever is to push yourself, stay positive and take every opportunity you can . So when I met a likeminded scuba diver and now good friend Peter Eastland just before the first lockdown and said “Pete let’s get something in the diary to look forward to, fancy western Scotland??”
That is all it took to kick start the trip!
After months of will we, wont we because of the covid restrictions we finally got the go ahead for the trip.
The Expedition Begins!
Our destination for the week was a very, small isolated village called Kinlockbervie in the North West of Scotland, just off the famous NC 500 coast road. We planned to split the journey into two legs. On 29th April we loaded the car with all our dive kit and luggage and started the first leg, a mammoth nine and a half hours drive to reach our first stop, a travel lodge in Perth.
The following day was something we were both looking forward to, only a short four and a half hours drive to our destination on one of the most scenic roads in the world! NC 500. |with fantastic weather we were treated to breath-taking scenery that was just out of this world!! My tour guide Pete who had spent a lot of time climbing in the Cairngorms with his father was keen to point out his favourite spots. We had a short stop for supplies at Ullapool before hitting the road again to Kinlockbervie.
Our Home For The Week
Our home for the week was a well-equipped but modest shared self-catering house in Sheigra, a ten minute drive North of Kinlockbervie. Set in an idyllic location, a short walk from a stunning golden beach, new born lambs in the fields, the sound of Skylarks and cuckoos ringing out across the fields it was a great welcome to Scotland.
After an evening of meeting the other divers and our hosts, Catherine and Chris, all that was left was to have a well deserved beer and head to bed.
The Diving Starts
One thing that threw me was that it does not really get dark in the summer in the highlands, so when four AM came round and the sun was already up, I lay there with anticipation of the first day’s diving in my head! Ropes off for the day was 09:30hrs and 09:00hrs thereafter. After a short drive to the deserted marina we all began kitting up and got ready to head out.
With the weather set to be fine all week and with it already being 23 degrees at 08:30hrs in the morning it was not the “Usual Scottish Weather” as we were being constantly told! There was also discussion on the spring bloom which also didn’t usually happen up here very often and not to the degree we get down South.
Anyway off we went and headed out to one of the most picturesque spots in the country. On our way our we were treated to a Minke Whale feeding on a bait ball across a nice flat sea.
Roin Island - West End And Skate Wall
Dives are over by about 2-3pm so we had time every day to enjoy a walk around the coast and soak up the stunning coastline.
Day Two - The Dogs Bollocks and Lock McDughaill
Day two we headed North for about an hour to one of the locals favourite spot called “The Dogs Bollocks”. Myself and Pete could not understand why until we descended and turned the corner to see a giant underwater arch appearing in front of us, followed by gullies and swim throughs, a real underwater playground! It was a cracking dive and one that every diver should do ! We were treated to a free swimming pipe fish, scorpion fish and a nice big ling!
Lock McDughaill was a very chilled lock wall dive. Again loads of critters and tonnes of tiny seahares everywhere. Visibility was between 8 – 10m on both dives so we were happy divers!
Photo credit for the image below on the left to Allen Robertson
Handa Island
Another draw to the area is an Island called Handa Island which is famous for being an incredible place for nesting sea birds on the dramatic cliffs. So when I heard the birds would join you underwater as they mistake your bubbles for fish I knew we had to give it a go!
As we nearer the island the dramatic cliffs were a real site to behold and the sea birds were flying all around the boat and resting on the water beside us. We kitted up and jumped in for a rummage around and came across a stunning octopus, this was my first sighting of an octopus in UK diving. At the end of the dive we were not disappointed and we were joined by the inquisitive diving birds, again a first for us and a very cool experience!
The rest of the week continued as it started with a mixture of open sea dives as well as sheltered sea lock sites. We really only scratched the surface of the potential of the area. We will defiantly be going back for more. The water temperature was a chilly 8-9 degrees for the week and the visibility ranged from 5-10 metres. We had very unusual conditions as it was incredibly warm top side and a few degrees colder underwater than the norm.
Overall an incredible experience in a unique unspoiled place enjoyed with a good friend and a group of like minded people.
The main attraction for the diving in this area is the incredible underwater scenery, gullies, pinnacles, walls, sheer rock faces and some incredible marine life. If you are only interested in wrecks, then it wouldn’t be for you.
