Scotland: Seafari

A friend had partly suggested Oban because of the many things we could do e.g. going out to view wildlife and then she mentioned the whirlpool! As a big Enid Blyton fan growing up I had read the Rubadub Mystery so the thought of an actual whirlpool won me over. A quick google later and we had found Seafari, based out of Easdale just down the road (in Scottish terms) from Oban, so we booked ourselves onto the Corryvrecken Wildlife tour on the Tuesday afternoon. You go out on an open Rigid hulled Inflatable Boat (RIB) and they provide all waterproofs! I had prepared myself for a cold wet day with no sightings at all, but we were in luck. The sun was shining and it was lovely and warm. However this made getting into our extra layers and waterproofs a slightly more hot and awkward experience!

All kitted up we climbed into the boat and set off. Once out of the harbour our driver Steve showed us just what the RIB could do- I would go back and pay again just to be driven around on that boat (or even better to be able to drive it)- but if you don't like flying over the waves at high speed while hanging onto the chair in front then maybe this isn't the trip for you. The trip runs out from Easdale and then down and around the island of Scarba and back up again. The wildlife you see will depend largely on luck but can include dolphines, whales, porpoise, otters, basking sharks and a whole host of birds. The sun was shining (literally) on us. We started off with seals, both common and grey basking on the rocks. We then headed down to a Sea Eagle nest only to find that the chick was sat up in it, this was then topped by a sighting of an otter, which is not that common. He wasn't that close to the boat but we could watch him with the binoculars as he dove and floated on his back. Scarba itself has a large deer population which obliged us by standing around on the hills and posing dramatically against the skyline in an almost cliched pose! When a large bird was spotted circling above I thought the suggestion of 'Golden Eagle' was a joke, but no it really was! We watched it circling above the hill and when it dived you could see the beautiful plumage that give it its name. The wildlife was finished off by a pod of porpoises circling around the boat! My only disappointment on the trip was that the whirlpool wasn't whirling. It is not a constant feature and depends on the tides and water levels and sadly our luck wasn't in. However after the amazing wildlife we didn't really mind, and it gives us an excuse to go back and do it all again.
If anyone is heading up to Oban then I would highly recommend this trip, the price is very reasonable for an amazing day out. Easdale itself was stunningly beautiful and I would recommend just going down there to see it. On the way back to Oban we stopped at Seil bridge to take some photos and just admire the view which was worth the trip in itself!