code of conduct
Code of Conduct
The Sea of the Hebrides is the only Marine Protected Area (MPA) for basking sharks in the world. Basking Sharks are listed as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and as such, it is important to interact with the sharks with a responsible, experienced and knowledgeable team.
Basking Sharks
Over the past decade, we have developed our own Code of Conduct for encountering the sharks to ensure their welfare & protection. This practice ensures both shark and customer safety which is our highest priority and allows you to get the best chance of a memorable experience. Seeing the giant fin of a basking shark from the surface is an incredible experience in itself. Your skipper will carefully observe the shark’s behaviour before you enter the water. Not all sharks will welcome an encounter with us. Your guide will explain to you the best way to encounter sharks on all tours.
Please help us to protect this incredible species by following our guidance. In a small group of 4, you and your guide will silently slip into the water and gently float whilst watching these incredible animals pass you by.
To ensure the success of this non-aggressive low impact encounter, we do not allow SCUBA, flash photography or any touching of the sharks.
Shark Trust code of conduct
If you are lucky enough to spot a shark please make sure to follow the Shark Trust code of conduct and don’t forget to report your sightings.
This highly specialised activity should not be undertaken independently, or with operations without professional experience and knowledge.
Marine Mammals
The sea of the Hebrides is not only home to basking sharks it is also home to a wide variety of incredible species, many of which are protected in these waters. We ensure that seals are not disturbed in their own habitat and we are particularly sensitive around haul-out sites and keep our distance during pupping season. It is essential that all marine mammals dictate the encounter with us – interaction is always on their terms. We have a long term monitoring programme for visiting seal colonies. Your guide will brief you on procedures and accompany you during snorkeling excursions. Seals may or may not choose to interact with us during a snorkeling excursion.
It is not legal to swim with cetaceans (whales & dolphins) in the UK.
Our aim is to enjoy our marine wildlife and environment whilst educating people to preserve it for future generations.
Puffins & Seabirds
Puffins come to land each year in the spring and stay until the end of July. During this time thousands of seabirds come to the Isle of Lunga, in the Treshnish Isles Site of Special Scientific Interest. As such, we pride ourselves in offering guided tours in a way that ensures the island is treaded upon lightly. Nesting areas are not clear to visitors, and it is essential you visit with a specialised guide.
We ensure that the birds are given space and respect for their delicate nesting areas.
For this reason, we do not allow dogs in this Special Area of Conservation.
We also recognise the threat of biosecurity and undertake measures to reduce our potential impact. We ask people to clean their shoes before arriving, and check any belongings for stowaways. Before landing on seabird islands we’ll ask everyone to brush their footwear of soils and vegetation and apply disinfection. These measure can hopefully reduce any spread of material and disease.
Island Landings
The Hebrides are a special natural wonder, with habitats that aren’t found anywhere else in the world. When visiting any island we take the utmost care to minimise impact, ensuring that it is preserved for future generations and the wildlife that inhabits it.
We follow the guidance of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code to visit these places responsibly.
Find out more about our credentials here.
Underwater
Whilst we approve of the ‘look but don’t touch rule’ we do have some exceptions to this. If you are interested in the discussion around this then please visit this article our founder Shane wrote on the topic.
We generally ask that people don’t touch marine life and be careful of their position in the water. Examples of this could be around cave walls where anemones live or if the water is particularly shallow – we don’t want to disturb a seagrass bed by kicking with our fins. However we understand that snorkeling is difficult in Scotland with thick wetsuits and not everyone has the skills to free dive.
On our tours our marine biologist guides may free dive down to carefully select invertebrates to show to our snorkeling guests. Care is taken when handling animals to consider things such as tube feet on urchins, and starfish breathing through their skin gills. Animals are replaced to near or at their original location and the movement is only taken for a short while. We believe there is a positive benefit of this interaction given the limited disturbance of the animal. We don’t advocate this benhavoir generally or suggest or clients do this themselves. You can consider the same context as discovering animals in a rockpool and having good standards of doing so.
