UKDIVING
A port and a fishy place
I was desperate to get up there in the summer , but my 2020 calendar was chokka with overseas trips that were COVIDcancelled too late to make plans . I finally got there in early November , unfortunately timing my arrival precisely with the biggest autumn storm they ’ d seen in five years , that toppled caravans and more than aggravated the ocean ! Weather is the downfall of many British trips , but the good news for me was that Kinlochbervie is nestled within Loch Inchard , providing reliable access to its protected waters on bad weather
A decent size grey lumpsucker
days , meaning diving isn ’ t cancelled , just relocated . “ There are dive sites up and down both sides of the loch and we can get you in the water safely even in 60mph gusting winds ,” explained Chris . “ We ’ ve only missed three dives in all our time here ,” which is reassuring in a destination that is long-haul for almost everyone .
Loch Inchard offers classic sea loch thrills of rich marine life which feels like a blend of typical west coast Scotland and Norwegian fjords . Inchard is sheathed by cliffs that shade the waters and offer shelter , meaning that even the stormy winds that greeted me didn ’ t generate any notable waves . The scenery is dominated by sea squirts , sea loch anemones and feather stars , with loads of crabs , shrimps , squat lobsters , starfish , brittlestars , scallops and plenty of fish .
KLB is a fishing port and this is a fishy place . In the loch , schooling varieties are conspicuous in the water column and photogenic species such as Yarrel ’ s blenny and leopard gobies pose temptingly on the bed . Highlights for me were seeing lumpsuckers both juvenile and a monochrome grey adult female . I saw nudibranchs on every dive , but they are much more abundant in the first half of the year . “ We occasionally see thousands of slugs on a dive ,” Cathy told me . The rocky loch walls are encrusted in bright pink algae that contrasts almost tastelessly with the green water . The water is clear , but not blue like that on the must-visit Atlantic sites less than a mile away . In more clement weather , Dive KLB regularly visits four different lochs : Inchard , Laxford , Dughal and Clash . Having predominantly dived sea lochs from shore , it was a luxury to do so from a boat , choosing spots based on the best diving , rather than ease of access .
While most groups may request a dive or two The vacant in the gaze lochs of , the real attraction up here a Yarrell are seaward ’ s blenny dives and the underwater spectacle served up by clear blue water and oversized topography . The ancient rocks have eroded into plunging walls , towering pinnacles , deep caverns and gullies . The latter are rather undersold by ‘ gullies ’, they are better described as canyons because of their magnificent scale . “ Divers tell us they remind them of being in the trench run on the Death Star !” says Chris . The transparent oceanic water enables us to appreciate the grandeur of the gigantic geology , which is plastered in colourful life , most notably deadmen ’ s fingers , plumose anemones , yellow sponges and extensive beds of feather stars , beneath a layer of kelp .
The scope of the region takes some adjusting to , as well . Cape Wrath may only be 12 miles away , but the splintered coastline weaves between plunging cliffs and jutting headlands , and is dotted all along with islands big and small , giving almost limitless diving options . “ After five years we ’ re still very much exploring , but from looking out the window and on the charts there must be , conservatively , more than a thousand sites to see here ,” says Chris . “ We already have more than 100 spots classified as ‘ must see again ’ and on most sites guests come up saying ‘ I couldn ’ t decide which way to go , it was amazing in every direction ’.”
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