Basking shark Code of Conduct.

At this time of year basking sharks frequent the waters of

..the west coast of Scotland such as here in Gunna Sound, between Coll and Tiree. Indeed the Shark Trust  blog has recently reported a flotilla of approximately 52 basking sharks off Hynish on Tiree.

The Shark Trust have just produced a Code of Conduct for kayakers who come across basking sharks. You can download the full size pdf file here.


The Code:

Remain calm and quiet.

Never paddle your kayak directly towards the sharks or allow
several kayaks to surround them, as such actions will probably
frighten them and make them dive or act unpredictably. Stay in
a group, rather than stringing out around the sharks.

Kayakers should not cross the path of the shark so the sharks
can maintain their course without changing direction or speed.

Avoid sudden movements which will disturb the sharks. Never
use your paddle or kayak to touch a shark.

Avoid pairs or large numbers of sharks following each other
closely. This may be courting behaviour and they should not be
disturbed.

Although Basking Sharks are filter-feeders and mostly placid,
they can startle if disturbed, often thrashing their tail with
enormous power. Also be aware that Basking Sharks do breach.

Sharks appear attracted to kayaks and often swim alongside
and below, very close to the hulls. If you stay calm, still, and
observe, there is a good chance they will come to you.

I recently wrote an article for Ocean Paddler magazine entitled "Close encounters... of a marine kind." (This was not my photo! It was taken by Linda Pitkin, a specialist underwater photographer.) I discussed basking sharks and how to avoid disturbing them in the article, which you can download in pdf form here.

The Shark Trust have a basking shark project and would welcome any sighting reports especially when accompanied by photos but remember to switch the flash off, if you use the camera underwater!

Away with the fairies in Vaul Bay, Tiree.

High above Gunna Sound, cirrus clouds streaming from the north confirmed that we were lying between an intense low pressure system lying over Denmark and a high pressure system lying in mid Atlantic.

It was now time to go. We hoped to cover another 20km and clear the north coast of Tiree before the wind increased in the evening.

 I had hoped to show some more photos of an idyllic Sound of Gunna, like this one 2 years ago. However, the ebb tide was running strongly  through the sound from NW to SE, so we had to eddy hop up the skerries. Once we emerged onto the north coast of Tiree, beyond Urvaig Point we had hoped to find the ebb tide running SW down Tiree before the NE wind. However, there was so much water flowing into Gunna Sound that the ebb tide was being sucked NE up the Tiree coast and into the sound.

So we had a foul tide against both us and the wind. This resulted in some glorious bouncy conditions, which Phil described as somewhat reminiscent of the Mull of Galloway. Unfortunately I couldn't take any photos in the sound but this one was taken after the water flattened off, about half a kilometer beyond the point. You can just see Phil on the right edge, I didn't compose this shot!

Once onto the north coast the wind was from the NE and we fairly shot along to Vaul Bay. Its west coast was sheltered by the extensive reefs and since...

...we hadn't slept at all the night before, we stopped for a welcome second luncheon.  Belief in the fairies was deep rooted in Tiree. There was even a word for it in Tiree Gaelic: "siobhairean" To this day the island is famous for stories about fairies. They often lived in green knolls round the coast and sometimes they would kidnap people, especially children, hence the expression "away with the fairies".

Whoever our new neighbours were, we found ourselves in a sun trap, sheltered from the wind and had a great view to Eigg and Coll.

Soon David was fast asleep and away with the fairies.

Ruffled feathers in Gunna Sound.

As we made our way round the east coast of Tiree we became more exposed to the northerly wind.

The majority of houses on Tiree face east so that the door opens on the side where the wind comes from on fewest occasions throughout the year.

These shelduck were sheltering from the wind in a gap in a reef. Despite this it was ruffling their feathers.

We now entered the Gunna Sound, which separates Coll and Tiree. The tide runs through here at 5km/hr and we could see breaking white water ahead. Phil and David were now feeling a little chilly in the wind so we decided to land to let them put on their dry suits. The water temperature was a bracing 12 degrees C.

We landed in the shelter of the reef at Rubha Dubh.

Phil had never seen water of this colour before. He stood tansfixed, gazing at the turquoise in the shallows, which turned to ultramarine in the deeper channel.

We took our luncheon on this dazzling white shell sand beach which looked out over the SE entrance of Gunna Sound to the distant blue mountains of Mull.

The Sound of Gunna

Eventually the suppoprt team carried me and my boat to the water and lifted me into the cockpit. The return leg was about to begin.
















The turquoise waters of the Sound of Gunna slipped away beneath our keels.
















As our shadows flitted over the sands below, we came upon...















...one white sand beach...














...after another.

14/06/2009

Gneiss cowries on Gunna

The following morning none of us were in a hurry to leave Gunna. We slowly gathered our things...


...and had a leisurely brunch on the sands of Gunna Sound. Of David there was no sign, all that Tiree water must have disagreed with his constitution.


Still in no hurry we wandered the strands collecting shells.


I spotted a perfect ledge in the ancient gneiss.


It was just the place to display Jennifer's collection of cowrie shells. I love the way the pink and white of the shells blended with the rock and sand.

14/06/2009

Tiree sunset and driftwood

We left Scarinish harbour on Tiree loaded with supplies and fresh water for David. Before we left we had scoured the high watermark for driftwood which was nonexistent elsewhere in the islands. Just to be sure, I also bought a sack of logs in the Scarinish Co-op store.


The wind had dropped to nothing as the sun dipped towards the horizon.


We paddled some distance apart, just enjoying the solitude.


We prepared our evening meal as the sun set.


High on the dunes, the view from our tents was stunning...


... but we returned to the shore where we lit our fire with seasoned Scarinish timber. It burned fragrantly in the Hebridean twilight until long after midnight.

13/06/2009

Water levels were perilously low

Despite the appearance of Paradise, our comfortable existence in the Sound of Gunna had one serious threat. David had run out of water. Frankly I was surprised that David drank any water at all but apparently he likes a little to brush his teeth. This crisis of mission critical supplies could only be resolved by a little 20km round trip to Scarinish on the nearby island of Tiree. We left Jennifer collecting cowrie shells on the strand and took to the high seas once more.


Unlike the steep bluffs of its rocky neighbour, Coll, most of Tiree is low lying machair. Its wide horizon is broken...


...only by the roofs of croft houses.


Our approach to Tiree was met by a magnificent 6m basking shark.


The hidden harbour of Port na Banaich is entered through a narrow cleft in the rocks.


No one was more surprised than we three to discover that the Scarinish Hotel was furbished with the appropriately named Leanto Bar and that it was a mere step from the beach. The friendly barmaid disposed of our rubbish bags, replenished David's water bottle and poured three perfect pints of Guinness. What a brilliant sea kayaking pub!

13/06/2009

We found what we were looking for...

Sea kayaking is a voyage of exploration...


...and of self discovery.


Well when we enterered the Sound of Gunna, we knew we had arrived.


We knew we did not have to prove anything to ourself or to others.


We had arrived where we wanted to be.


We were on a scrap of land, at the edge of a great Northern ocean, isolated by rushing tides of crystal clear water.


We knew we did not have to paddle any further.

13/06/2009