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Trying to figure out my all time favourite dive is like trying to pick which whisky to buy in the Loch Fyne Whiskys, near impossible. Could it be the Rosie Muller, SMS Brummer or The Brothers, So here's two dives I had a few weeks ago, which if they are not all time favourites, are certainly one of my favourite diving days out.

The Skerries

The Skerries are a group of razor-backed rocks just off the very southern tip of the Garvellachs, a small group of islands in the Firth of Lorne between the islands of Scarba and Mull.

The dive itself is a wall dive pure and simple with stunning sheer walls and near vertical slab formations in the rock. It has a steep shoulder at the top of the wall just below the surface which leads down to the main face of the wall about 12. Here the thick kelp peters out leaving a thick growth of dead men's fingers and jewel anemones. The wall plummets to 40m where it meets a shallow boulder slope that extends further than your bottom time and air will allow. But the return up the wall gives time to admire the rock architecture and the life that clings to the clefts and shelves on its face. Wrasse abound at this site, with colourful cuckoo wrasse patrolling along, seemingly always at your side. Meeting the kelp again gives the opportunity to launch your SMB before and the final ascent.

Metre and a Half Rock

After a nice long surface interval spent on one of the neighbouring islands this is a superb second dive. Watch out for the surface wild life including golden eagles and deer that actually swim between the islands.

As the name suggests this dive is on a rock 1.5m below the surface. Not exactly exciting sounding but its name belies a superb wee dive on a rock pinnacle. Lying just north from the Skerries the dive is on a sheer wall with steeply sloping rock shoulders around the sides and back. Start the dive on the west side of the pinnacle preferably at the north end and fin along the bottom of the wall at a depth of about 20-25m, below the numerous small over hangs and look out for numerous flatties on the shelves and congers in the deep clefts spaced along the wall. Towards the south end of the wall it losses sheer face and becomes a series of big shelves or steps that are well fractured allowing plenty of hiding places for the life. Watch out for the big dark coloured conger at about 18m, it can get a big friendly! Once the wall starts to veer to the east you have the option of either doubling back or heading round to the reverse face of the pinnacle. I'd suggests heading back at a shallower depth, say 12m just below the kelp and take in the sights, mainly ballan and cuckoo wrasse and the obligatory squatties before the wall again breaks up into silty shelves. At this point if your air and bottom time allows you can head round the back of the rock. The shelves are not as steep here so the silt lies thickly on them hence the life tends to be less spectacular. It does have the advantage of a good crop of scallops, which I presume are abundant because the bed doesn't lend itself to dredging. So if you must take a some make its only a few and make sure you eat them. Remember and surface from about 10m, any shallower and you may have to swim of the rock to the boat.

Getting There

Paisley Branch nearly always dive the Garvellachs as a day trip although it certainly merits a weekend if you like scenic and wall diving. Although within the reach of a Club RIB I prefer hiring one of the charter boats in the area, the Farsain owned by Duncan Phillips. Duncan is based at Craobh Haven Marina on the A816 about a 20min drive north of Lochgilphead. Other boats in the area can be found at the back of Scottish Diver.

Thanks to Jim for finding the time to write up these dives when he's busy doing loads of other stuff for SSAC.