Diving in and around Oban and Lorn

A Little Bit of Wilderness to Call your Own

The water is 7ºC and as I reach in to rinse my mask, my hands turn blue. I wonder why on earth I am standing on the side of a loch, swatting off the midges. I wonder why I’ve just struggled for 10 minutes to get my neck seal over my ears and why I’m carrying ten tonne of weight. The simple reason is: I can’t wait to get in the water. I can’t wait to immerse myself in the fascinating underwater world that few others ever get the chance to see.

The presence of the nearby Gulf Stream and the unpolluted waters make Oban & Lorn a diving Mecca, with thousands of divers visiting the area each year. There are dives here to suit everyone from the easy scenic ones for those who want a nice gentle bubble to hairy drift dives with amazing drop offs. The marine life is more abundant than you would expect, you can see sponges, urchins, anemones, conger eels, lobsters and much more!

The nearby Firth of Lorne and Loch Creran have both been designated Marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) which are protected under the European Habitats Directive and are fantastic scenic dives. The Firth of Lorne SAC was designated for its tide-swept rocky reefs and these support a phenomenal marine biodiversity. Loch Creran became an SAC primarily because of its serpulid worm reefs (which are known to occur in only two other locations in the world), and also for its horse mussel reefs.

There are also many wreck dives in the local area, attractive to divers for the artificial reefs that they create, and the often exciting or tragic histories they have. The Sound of Mull is famous for its wreck dives including those such as the Rondo and the Hispania, many of which should only be dived at slack water. Another popular wreck dive is the SS Breda, a WW2 wreck which sits upright on an even keel in Ardnamucknish Bay.

For those divers looking for a bit of adventure, the turbulent Falls of Lora is not for the faint hearted, where vast quantities of water rush over the undulating terrain under the bridge. The Garvellachs, in the area near the astounding Corryvreckan whirlpool, present amazing rock faces and pinnacles covered in marine life.

For me however, these are just a little too terrifying! I love to dip my toes in Scotland’s sea lochs, where underneath the glassy surfaces, you can discover a little bit of wilderness to call your own

Thanks to Karen Alexander for this contribution. I hope it's the first of many.