UKDIVING
Diver training in action
Following discussions with Natasha, we also undertook environmental DNA sampling on behalf of Edinburgh Napier University, adding another valuable dimension to the project. The Citizen Science element was really starting to come through.
However, the expedition wasn’ t all about sharks and camera systems. The team made time to experience the magic of Tiree and its people. We visited the Alan Stevenson Museum( and its restaurant!), explored the Tiree Distillery and enjoyed some of the island’ s spectacular beaches.
There was even time for diver training. Club instructors Lady Pam Tarn and Sammy Norton completed Sports Diver training with Jaene Booth, while trainees John Coterill and Jackie Whitehouse continued their own development. It really was the trip that kept on giving.
Exped members carry out a beach clean
Post expedition group photo
Rescue training
After completing the obligatory beach clean at Vaul Bay, we said our farewells to Tiree on 7 August.
Was it worth all the effort?
Hand on heart, absolutely. The expedition has sparked a renewed wave of enthusiasm across the club, with a noticeable increase in try-dives, diving activity and member engagement.
What began as a slightly absurd idea has delivered far more than we could have imagined – valuable Citizen Science, new skills, new friendships and, most importantly, a renewed sense of purpose and excitement within the club.
Perhaps the greatest achievement wasn’ t finding the sharks, but discovering what happens when a group of divers comes together with a shared sense of adventure, purpose and possibility. �
A letter from Edinburgh Napier University
I am pleased to provide this letter of support for Dearne Valley Divers BSAC branch and their contribution to our research on tope sharks( Galeorhinus galeus) in Vaul Bay, Tiree, during 2026.
Vaul Bay appears to be an important site for tope, with large aggregations regularly occurring in shallow water. Our research at Edinburgh Napier University aims to understand what the sharks are doing at the site, why they return, how they use different parts of the bay, and how important the area may be within their wider movements and ecology. We are addressing these questions using drone surveys and baited underwater camera systems.
The additional work undertaken by Dearne Valley Divers will provide valuable complementary information. In particular, mapping habitats within the bay and deploying non-baited underwater cameras more widely across the site will help us understand how shark occurrence relates to different habitat types and areas of the bay.
Underwater imagery can also allow us to determine the sex of individual sharks and estimate their body size. Deploying cameras across multiple locations therefore offers an opportunity to investigate whether sharks of different sexes or sizes use particular habitats or parts of the bay differently.
The work by Dearne Valley Divers has made a valuable contribution to the wider research programme at Vaul Bay and help improve our understanding of the ecological importance of this unusual aggregation site. Professor James Thorburn, Professor of Applied Marine Ecology
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