DESTINATION ST. KILDA
wildlife and hosts huge populations of seabirds,
including the world’s second-largest colony of
northern gannets.
We arrived in the early hours and a wave of
enthusiasm swept around the boat as everyone
appeared on deck to see the sun rise over Village
Bay. Remarkably, the weather had cleared
completely and, as the sun came up, we all gazed
at the blue sky above the steep cliffs of Hirta to
see clouds of puffins circling overhead. Conditions
were perfect – it was time to survey the sea caves
of St. Kilda.
By now the survey routine had been polished
to military precision so we were rapidly kitted
up, on the zodiac and in the water. Visibility was
predictably excellent and the marine life made
you realise you were diving somewhere unique in
the UK. Visually, the vivid colours, intense pinks,
greens and oranges offset by a rich turquoise