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Secrets of the Sea LochsIf you think sea lochs are strictly for bad-weather days, think again. Photographer Charles Erb offers his guide to a little-known environment in western Scotland that holds many treats for those with a taste for the unusual |  | |
Loch Carron
Phosphorescent sea pen
Exploring the cliff wall at Loch Duich
Two-spotted goby
Queen Scallop
Peacock worm
Brittlestar on maerl bed
Fireworks anemone and squat lobster
Two-spotted goby hides in an empty urchin shell
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The drive across the western Highlands towards Skye is one of the most beautiful in the UK, but those spectacular sea lochs are not mere eye candy. They provide a unique habitat for some amazing aquatic life and even have decent visibility, if you know where to look.
The shore dives of two sea lochs found in Wester Ross on the southern and northern approaches to the Kyle of Lochalsh are well worth investigating. On the A87 itself is Loch Duich, bounded by the Shiel Bridge to the south and Loch Alsh to the north. Head north from here and it gets even more remote - the A890 and its associated coast road bring you to Loch Carron. At the head of the loch is Glen Carron and Achnashellach Forest, one of the first areas of woodland to be protected by the Forestry Commission. Lochcarron village, once famous for its tartan weaving, now provides a peaceful centre for exploring this wild and beautiful area, which is home to sea otters and golden eagles.
Under the glassy surfaces of these lochs, divers can find critters seldom seen in other parts of the UK. Happily, there's little chance of being blown out by bad weather, as both lochs are protected by the landmass of Skye to the west and hilly terrain on all other sides. The still, peat-stained waters at the inland ends of the lochs are surprisingly full of life, such as enormous firework anemones, Norway lobsters and the ubiquitous hermit crab. In places, the steep mountain cliffs continue underwater, offering exhilarating wall dives and, in summer, schools of fish.
At the western sides of the lochs, tides sweep the sea bed clean of silt and renew the ecosystem with nutrient-packed water. Here, a range of filter feeders can be found: dead men's fingers, peacock worms, anemones and file shells. The latter are bivalves popularly known as flame shells for their fiery orange tentacles. Western Scotland is also justifiably famous for its crustaceans, and the sea lochs provide an ideal habitat for shrimps, squat lobsters and crabs.
Thanks to the warming Gulf Stream, water temperatures here seldom fall below 8°C in the winter, and can reach a balmy 12-13°C in the summer. The area may lack the drama of the open sea dives of the Hebrides, but if you want to discover a little bit of wilderness to call your own, this forgotten corner of Scotland is ripe for exploration. This guide to the area is intended as a starting point for your own journey of discovery.
North Strome, Loch Carron
North Strome lies at the narrowest point of Loch Carron, four miles west of the town of Lochcarron (which claims to be the longest village in Scotland, as it covers two miles of shoreline), which means that currents are strongest here. So, although you have to pick your entry time carefully, the visibility is normally very good. You will experience the clearest water and the least current around high water, though the slack window is long during neap tides. To enter the water use the old ferry slipway and turn left.
First, you will swim through a mostly current-free area of kelp, rocks and sand. Look out for beautiful two-spotted gobies hiding in empty urchin shells, and small flatfish hunting over the sand. Turning towards the centre of the channel, you should follow a sandy slope and then beds of rare purple maerl - coral-like nodules produced by some species of alga, which in turn supports complex reef communities. This reef is dominated by armies of brittlestars advancing in slow motion. Peeking out from these coral-like beds are fantastic flame shells with their bursts of fiery orange tentacles. There are whole beds of peacock worms waving their shy feather dusters to catch morsels of food from the current. These creatures are used to being swept with the tides, but if the flow becomes too strong, head up into shallower waters until you find the cliff, which drops from several metres above the surface to a depth of 10-15m. The cliff is smothered with dead men's fingers, dahlia anemones, urchins, starfish and many crustaceans in the crevices. Use the cliff to find your way back to the slipway and exit the water.
Conservation Bay, Loch Carron
About a mile further along the A87 is a small shingle beach, bounded at each end by low, weatherworn granite cliffs and approached by a short footpath from a small parking place. You enter the water over the shingle at the eastern end of the beach and then continue, keeping the cliff wall to your left side. The loch bottom drops away to 15-20m over a large boulder slope. It isn't subject to the stronger currents that sweep over North Strome, so visibility isn't quite as good here, but it does mean you can dive at most states of tide.
The gaps between the large boulders are home to many large edible crabs and the occasional lobster. Look out for a brass memorial plaque, which has been boltedto one of these rocks as a memorial to a local diver. The dramatic cliff wall is covered with the usual array of filter feeders, feasting on the suspended food particles brought in twice a day by the tide. It makes a lovely sight looking up through the water, past the carpet of dead men's fingers, to the kelp fronds waving in the sunlight above. The easy entry and gentle currents make this a dive that anyone can enjoy.
Inverinate, Loch Duich
Find a place in Inverinate village where you can park near to the water's edge. Although the shoreline is flat, it can be a bit of a struggle through the floating kelp, especially at low tide. The views above the water are stunning, although as you swim over the silty sand in the shallows, you may not at first feel inspired. However, if you persevere until you reach a depth of 20-25m, you will find a wonderfully eerie scene, where countless chunky pink phosphorescent sea pens and fireworks anemones loom into view out of the dark water. The latter are formidable anemones, comprising a fist-sized central body surrounded by a whorl of delicately suspended white tentacles, forming a rosette 50cm across.
In this still water, be very careful not to stir up the fine sediment; even the tiniest disturbance will cause the fireworks anemones to shrivel up in slow motion. Even though the sediment is easily disturbed, the visibility can be excellent here. However, peat-laden fresh water often lies on the surface of the loch, with the result that it is usually quite dark at depth - a torch is essential. This darkness has an unexpected benefit: Norway lobsters - normally only seen at much greater depths - are often found at the mouth of their burrows or even walking boldly across the sea bed. Make sure you have enough gas for the swim back up the slope, as well as for the decompression you could easily accrue if you spend any length of time in this darkly beautiful place.
Dornie Corners, Loch Duich
As the A87 winds along the shores of Loch Duich, you'll come across a series of parking places, several of which offer a safe entry to the water. The cliff walls are steep and the easiest method of entry is usually a giant stride; the water is clear, so it should be obvious whether there is enough depth to jump in. However, do make sure there is a suitable exit point for the end of the dive! As it can be a bit of a clamber, it may be necessary to ferry some of the heavier equipment to and from the entry point, although this should not be too much of an inconvenience because the parking places are close to the water's edge.
Below the water, there are steep scree slopes and near-vertical cliff walls. It makes for a pleasant and relaxing dive to hang suspended in the water and drift along these walls, where large shoals of pollack aggregate in summer. If you're interested in underwater foraging, several items have been dumped here over the years - I've found fridges, computers and even trucks. You'll find fewer bottom-dwelling species here than at other locations, but the wall is home to urchins, starfish, whelks and large dahlia anemones.
Take the high road
To find your way to this area, take the A87 from where it branches off the main A82 trunk road, just north of Fort William. This road passes several picturesque land-locked lochs before hugging the shores of Loch Duich. It's worth simply finding any place to park next to the loch to make an exploratory dive, although the two sites mentioned are reliable locations. Travelling in this direction, Inverinate is the first site you will reach. Travelling two or three miles further up the road and within sight of Eilean Donan Castle, you will pass a number of small parking spots offering steep entries to the Dornie Corners. To find Lochcarron, turn off the A87 a few miles short of Kyle of Lochalsh and follow the road over the hills, which provide dramatic views down Loch Carron before you reach the water.
Diving facilities are few and far between in this area. Luckily, there is 5 Bells Diving centre (http://www.5bellsdiving.com) in Lochcarron, run by experienced local commercial diver David Black. His centre offers air fills, equipment hire, dive trips and dive training.
There is plenty of accommodation to be found around here. I stayed at the family-run Lochcarron Hotel (http://www.lochcarronhotel.com); the town of Lochcarron also offers the Rockvilla Hotel (http://www.rockvilla-hotel.co.uk). In addition, there is plenty of bed-and-breakfast or self-catering accommodation available. For a wealth of information about this area and its local services, visit http://www.lochcarrondirectory.co.uk.
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 | Charles Erb
Seasoned British diver and underwater photographer Charles Erb reports on the diving around Loch Carron and Loch Duich on Scotland’s northwest coast for this month’s GB Dives.
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