a dense kelp forest had formed, the large, fanlike fronds drifting back and forth in the surge.
Peering between the thick kelp stems revealed an
abundance of multicoloured jewel anemones and
mats of bright pink encrusting algae.
04
The survey sites were an interesting mix of
shallow kelp and slightly deeper boulders. A
couple consisted of some fairly extensive maerl
beds, a fascinating habitat of calcareous red
seaweed which grows as unattached rounded
nodules on the seabed. These are an important
habitat for numerous types of marine life living
amongst, or attached to, the surface of the maerl,
or burrowed in the coarse gravel below the top
living layer.
LOCH NAM MADADH
The weekend brought us no closer to our distant
goal, but a small area of high pressure was
creeping north which could potentially open a
window of opportunity. Spirits cautiously raised,
we aimed for Loch nam Madadh on North Uist,
another rocky reef Special Area of Conservation.
We began on a boulder field at the loch
entrance. Boulders often form fascinating
habitats, their relatively flat surfaces providing
ideal platforms for numerous species to colonise.
Here they were almost completely covered in an
impressive array of large, iridescent Devonshire
cup corals along with dense clumps of dead
men’s fingers and plumose anemones, numerous
hydroids and sea squirts, vibrant cushion stars,
and a lot of the exquisite soft coral Swiftia pallida,
the northern sea fan, only found at a few sites off
the west coast of Scotland and southwest Ireland.
We were also continually circled by a large school
of pollack just on the edge of view and were lucky
to stumble across a couple of adult anglerfish,
well camouflaged, cruising just above the sand.
The boulders turned to steep walls up to the
surface. At around 10 to 15 metres, where the
sunlight had penetrated the clear blue water,
ST. KILDA
Though armed with some valuable data, the main
objective of the trip had not yet been met and the
pressure and anxiety built. Thankfully, the Atlantic
swell dropped and with five days left it was now
or never! Steaming through the spectacular Sound
of Harris we headed west into the setting sun,
towards St. Kilda.
There can be few places with an iconic
reputation among UK divers quite like St. Kilda.
Remote and often inaccessible, its name is often
spoken with reverence by the lucky few who have
visited. It is the most remote part of the British
Isles, with several islands and sea stacks created
by ancient volcanic activity which dominated the
west coast of Scotland over 60 million years ago.
Its isolation from mainland UK and any significant
sources of pollution, run-off and sedimentation
results in exceptionally clear, blue oceanic water.
This, combined with its dramatic underwater
topography, provides conditions which support
a level of marine flora and fauna not commonly
seen around the UK.
There can be few places with
an iconic reputation among
UK divers quite like St. Kilda
Adding to its mystique, St. Kilda also has a
fascinating human history. Despite being isolated
and perpetually battered by hostile Atlantic
conditions, people thrived here for centuries
until relatively recently, surviving largely by
scaling sheer cliff faces to catch the plentiful
seabirds. Unfortunately, in 1930 numerous
factors led to the evacuation of what remained
of the population.
In 1987 St. Kilda received dual World
Heritage status, making it one
of only 24 global locations
04 A Yarrell’s blenny
to be recognised for both
05 A lion’s mane
its natural and cultural
jellyfish
significance. The archipelago
06 A post-larval
remains crucially important for monkfish