SKIPPER: Alan Livingstone

The Peregrine (Pic: Steve Walker)

If you were offered a place on a dive trip where the organiser was promising some of the most famous UK wrecks combined with scenic wall dives, a great boat with a great skipper, stunning topside scenery and a guaranteed 365 days per year 'diveability', you'd be forgiven for being a tad sceptical. However, if that trip involved diving the Sound of Mull in Western Scotland from The Peregrine, that's exactly what you'd get.

Born and bred in the Lochaline area, the Peregrine's owner and skipper Alan Livingstone has been involved with the sea his whole life. Although not a diver himself, Alan pays close attention to the reports from the many divers who use his boat and can quote you chapter and verse on the condition of each of the wrecks in the Sound. His encyclopaedic wreck knowledge is well complemented by the biological expertise of his part-time deckhand Marie, who has a degree in marine zoology from Bangor University.

Formerly a chemistry teacher for 20 years, Alan made the leap to charter boat skipper with the purchase of The Brendan in 1997. The operation was expanded in 2001 to include The Peregrine, which boasts an onboard compressor. Nitrox fills and accommodation are available at the nearby Lochaline Dive Centre, although this is independent of Alan's operation.

The Peregrine, an Aquastar 44, is larger than other charter boats I've dived from in the UK - the large, raised engine cover makes an ideal platform for six or more twin-set divers to kit-up comfortably, leaving ample standing room for single-tank divers; the boat's head is accessed from the aft area. Divers enter the water via a removeable section of the port gunwale, and re-enter via a sturdy ladder. Once back on board, divers can relax either in the areas aft or for'ard of the cabin, and Alan doesn't mind wet-drysuited divers inside the cabin if the weather turns bad.

During our three-day trip, in addition to the wall dives of Ardness and Sligneach Mor, we dived the wrecks of the Rondo, Shuna, Thesis and Hispania, the latter being a particularly fine wreck. All these sites are suitable for anyone qualified and competent to dive to 35m; unlike many UK dive sites there was little or no need to deploy delayed surface marker buoys - a testament to Alan's understanding of the tides. However, his favourite dive sites, The Tapti and The Labrador, are further afield, at 38 and 65 miles respectively. Journeys further than 50 miles are available at a £1 per nautical mile charge.

The Peregrine carries a selection of wreck and marine-life books to peruse during your surface interval, while munching on your packed lunch, available for £4 per head - the freshly made hot soup is an especially welcome post-dive treat. It's also worth keeping an eye out for the topside wildlife, such as the pair of rare white-tailed eagles we saw wheeling majestically overhead. Porpoises, common and Risso's dolphins, minke whales and basking sharks are also seen around Mull.

Did I enjoy my outing to the Sound of Mull? Let's just say that I've only been back for five days and have already booked myself on another trip!

What we liked
The onboard compressor and the soup!

What we didn't like
The awkward last step of the ladder and the fact that there's no lift.

Boat: Aquastar 44
Moored: Lochaline Pier, Lochaline
Engine: Volvo Penta 420hp
Cruising speed: 14 knots
(top speed 25 knots unladen)
Maximum passengers: 12 divers plus two crew
Optimum passengers: 8-10
Head: one standard marine head
Compressor: on shore, has air banks
Rates: weekends £250 per day, weekdays £230 per day, £250 per day if picking up from Oban or Tobermory. Journeys further than 50 miles incur a £1 per nautical mile charge

Contact: 07967 419025 email: alan@lochaline-boats.co.uk
website: http://www.lochaline-boats.co.uk
http://www.lochalinedivecentre.co.uk