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Foghorn
Gullies (photo by Scalpay Diving Services).
All
around the Eilean Glas Lighthouse there are amazing
sites, it makes for a pleasant day out. The views are
stunning, on a clear day you can see for miles, right
over to Skye, The Uists, Shaints, Rhenigadale and Loch
Seaforth. The area is popular with local fishing boats
which fish for crabs, lobsters, etc. The sight is also
popular with anglers with both large pollock and even
cod caught from the rocks. On walking across to the
lighthouse you can see how this area would appeal to
the diver, and indeed you will often see a large boat
bobbing about with only one or two solitary crew waiting
aimlessly for their main party to surface! Beware in
the winter the weather can change dramatically within
minutes and the winds are incredible.
DIVING
The
Foghorn Gullies is just one of the sites worth diving
around Eilean Glas Lighthouse. The gullies run away
from the cliff face on the north-east side of the lighthouse
with others running at right angles. They are clear
of kelp from about 10m depth with sandy bottoms. Anchor
at about 12 - 15m depth directly in line with the foghorn
which you should find is about 75 - 100m from shore.
Drop down the sides of the gullies onto the sand at
about 20m. The site is best dived at slack (request
details of slack water locally as this can vary from
the tide tables). With good boat cover it can be dived
at other times. As this is a high energy site (tides
run at 3 - 4 knots - springs) it is a good drift dive
for the experienced. The visibility is usually 12 -
15m but can be 8m when the plankton bloom.
Marine
Life
The
gulley walls are covered with jewel anemones (mostly
green and red), various types of sponges, DMF, dahlia
and plumrose anemones. There are patches of Devon Cup,
Coral, Sagartoa elegans and maerl turning the rock faces
to shades of green, cream and purple. Various colours
and types of cushion stars, sunstars and starfish cling
to the walls and the sandy bottom has featherstars,
purple sunstars, scallops, seven - armed starfish and
bloody henry (scotish type). A nice time to dive there
is May, when the hydroids in the kelp in the shallower
water are at their most prolific, looking like huge
bunches of red blossom drifting in the current - the
colours are stunning. Small fish - scorpion and gobies
are in evidence and above shoals of pollock and saithe
cruise over the kelp silhouetted against the sunlight.
For
further info contact Scalpay
Diving Services
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