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Dive Scotland with Porpoise Diving... |
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Reefs, Pinnacles and the Corryvreckan Whirlpool
Scenic diving in this part of the West Coast of
Scotland reveals a world of reefs, seamounts (pinnacles) and
gullies, like an underwater mountain range. The variety of marine
life in the accessible Firth of Lorn Special Area of Conservation
is second only to St. Kilda. Some of the diving highlights are
detailed below.
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Eagle's Wall is so-called because a family of Golden Eagles
are often seen in this area. The wall drops vertically from
the surface to some 20 metres, and has a profuse covering of
Allaria, kelp and anemones. Shoals of pollock are to
be seen ghosting their way through the kelp. Below this first
wall you come to a rich boulder slope where unusually large
numbers of curious Cuckoo, Ballan and Goldsinny Wrasse can be
seen. Sometimes Angler fish and Ling are found amongst the
boulders. Below this is a sheer drop from around 30 to 40
metres. In places, huge chunks are falling out of the wall,
forming narrow gullies, which it is possible to swim through
with care. |
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At 'The Slippers' there is an impressive vertical wall,
overhung in places to 40 metres plus. Hitting the water you
encounter a forest of kelp. Below this are jewel anemones,
deed mans fingers and a variety of hydroids and sponges. At
around 28 metres, on the underside of overhangs, the very
rare, pink soft coral, Alcyonium hibernicum is found.
At around 40 metres and deeper the wall is undercut. Lobsters,
ling and a whole variety of life are to be found in these
impressive cracks. |
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Jeannies Reef, an offshore pinnacle, is a dive that involves
descending a shot-line to around 17 metres. You then come to a
sheer wall, with big patches of the very colourful 'red man's
fingers'. There is an unusual range of species found on this
site, and it is a great place for underwater photography. The
site must be dived at slack water. |
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DF1 is another offshore sea-mount with a shallow top covered
in healthy kelp. As you descend through fields of plumose and
jewel anemones growing on the edges of rocks, it is not
unusual to encounter shoals of pollock, mackerel and sand
eels. Most of these pinnacles need to be dived at slack water,
and this is no exception. It is a feature of the tides in this
area that slack water on sites quite close to one another may
be as much as two or three hours apart. |
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The Torran Rocks are situated at the south-west end of the
Isle of Mull. Due to their remote location it is a difficult
area for most boats to access, but in the right conditions
diving here is superb. It is partly because of the Torrans
that we decided to invest in the most powerful charter boat in
Scotland, based on the very stable Revenge hull. Revenge's
have earned a reputation as very seaworthy boats, working
around the Torrans as fishing boats. The area is exposed to
the full force of the Atlantic swells, and for this reason is
only diveable in settled weather. Because of this degree of
exposure the area is exceptionally rich in species such as
hydroids and jewel anemones. The water clarity can be such
that we have been able to see the surface from nearly 40
metres depth. The reefs in this area are often rounded, but
are latticed with gullies. The fish life on these sea mounts
is exceptional. |
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One of the most infamous dives in Britain is the
Corryvreckan Pinnacle. Much of the water which flows in and
out of the Sound of Jura flows the through the Corryvreckan.
This narrow channel is over 200 metres deep. Running from the
shore of Scarba, on the north side of the channel is a ridge
of rock which comes out around 270 metres from the shore. Its
top is in about 30 metres. The force of water pouring over and
around the end of this pinnacle, and falling in to the 200
metre deep hole creates an impressive area of overfalls; one
of the largest whirlpools in the world. Slack water in the
area is at best a fleeting affair, and within minutes powerful
downcurrents are found on all sides of the pinnacle. This is a
dive that should only be considered by those divers who have a
great deal of experience in this type of diving, and are
exceptionally fit and dived up. It is the type of dive that
requires a rigorous programme of training before even
considering its undertaking. A few years ago there was a
television programme featuring a dive on the Corryvreckan
pinnacle, called Maelstrom. It has since renamed Twister for
the American market and is still shown occasionally on the
Discovery channel. David filmed the underwater footage for
this programme. |
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Porpoise Diving Tel: 01631 571010 (Daytime)
01852 300203 (Evenings and Weekends)
Email: info@divescotland.com
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