Aquanaut Scuba goes hunting for Basking Sharks – Oban

Together with Dive Oban we have designed a unique Scottish trip for Aquanaut & Amphibian in June 2019. We are offering you a scuba diving trip based out of Oban, with an option for an offshore wildlife trip to the Hebridean islands.

We will have planned 3 days of diving and a day scheduled to head offshore to look for basking sharks & wildlife. The itinerary is based around the following, but is completely weather and tide dependant so we’ll arrange the specific days around this nearer the time.

2 Days Oban Diving

With its unique diving, short transit times and all-round weather, Dive Oban offer spectacular sites on their doorstep such as:

Falls of Lora

The falls are the sea entrance to Loch Etive which is blocked by a large rock sill. The water is funnelled through a small gap creating waterfalls on big tides. During neap tides the water flow is slow and allows us to explore with plenty of time. There are a variety of sites in a small area, rocky walls, cuts, guts, hollows add to the impressive topography with lots of marine life. This is a slack water dive and we’d plan to dive this twice over two days.

S.S. Breda

A 120m long cargo ship less than a mile away from base. She was running aground intentionally after narrowly avoiding being bombed. She sits upright, intact with a multitude of cargo. Marine life covers the structure with it attracting lots of fish. Deck depths 13-20m and seabed 25-30m.

Sound of Kerrera

Falls and the Breda would be worth 2 dives each (or more) just to scratch the surface. However, we can plan in a scenic wall dive to the south of Oban as a second (or first depending on tide).

 1 Day Longer Trip – Wider Area

1 Day Sound of Mull (Wrecks) or Garvellachs (Scenic)

This day will depend on your preference of wrecks or scenic diving. These locations are a full day away from Oban.

Sound of Mull

This is a well-known area for wrecks with the likes of the Rondo, Hispania and Shuna. We would plan a day to cover these, or perhaps one and a wall dive if you prefer. Again, these wrecks are tidal, so day timing would be dictated by this. We would plan for a decent surface interval and lunch ashore, at the likes of the seaside village of Tobermory.

Garvellachs

This groups of islands are special both in history and in nature. They lie off the coast to the south of Oban, around an hour away and have great visibility! There are excellent wall and drift dives here covered in soft corals and anemones. They form part of a special area of conservation due to the rich marine life! Eagles nest on the cliffs and there are chances of porpoises and dolphins in this area. If the divers prefer scenic diving then this is an excellent trip. The southernmost island has ruins on an ancient monastery believed to have been founded by St Brendan in 6th century.

Offshore Wildlife Trip

This time of year, is around the time of the spring/early summer arrival for basking sharks. Dive Oban usually run these trips if there is good weather as we head out past Mull to the islands of Coll & Tiree. Out of the four days, we are there we would pick the best day to get offshore to give us the best chance of sightings. The trip would likely be around 10 hours long (usually 8-6) and we’d pack snorkelling gear only. In this area there are also chances, of whales, dolphins, orca, sunfish, seabirds, sea-eagles. If we find basking sharks then we would hope to snorkel with them, however, if we are out there and it doesn’t look like they are around then there are very good seal colonies in fantastic visibility. We’ll usually arrange a shore stop and we can include other things on the itinerary. But with a 3hr one-way trip (~50 nautical miles) to where our favourite shark spot is, time is always the limiting factor. If the weather is not favourable for this then we’d revert to a scuba day. 

Trip Notes

Diving based from Dunstaffnage Marina on the 9m RIB ‘Cearban’.

Parking, toilets/showers on site.

Accommodation at Oban SYHA

Area renowned for lots of other outdoor activities & suitable for families

Divers should bring two tanks as diving based on two dives, fills available locally

Divers require DSMB and reasonable experience for the conditions.

Hire gear available.

Trip based on 10 divers.

Transport:

Depending on who is coming we can either rent a minibus or take several cars. We’ll be able to give a quote on transport once deposit is paid.

Trip Costs is £565 and includes:

• Accommodation at https://www.hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/oban/
• 2 days of Local diving
• 1 day of offshore diving
• 1-day Basking sharks and wildlife expedition

Extras:

• Transport
• Kit rental (cylinders, suits, etc…)
• Air fills
• Food and Drinks

10 spaces available, to secure your spot please pay a deposit of £250 into Aquanaut Dive club account.

For all questions contact us in the shop at info@aquanautscuba.co.uk or call 02085468882