Day in the life of a Basking Shark Scotland Guide

We asked Evan for a run down of day in the life during our peak season out in the islands when we are based on Coll. Have a read below of what it’s like as a BSS guide and check out our staff profiles here,

Hey my name’s Evan and I’m one of the BSS guides for the season – although no two days are the same here’s a little rundown of a day in my life during our season on the Isle of Coll. 

I wake up to Ben’s preemptive alarms going off anywhere from 30-45 mins before we need to get up, so I head downstairs for the daily ration of 4-8 weetabix. I throw on my BSS hoodie, pack the sunglasses and sunscreen, put on my waterproofs and slip into my crocs. We then blast over to the pier (hoping for no island traffic jams) to load up the boat with the gear and pick up the guests before heading out for a day in the Atlantic.

The days are split between exploring the Hebrides, scanning for fins, splashes and blows, and then going for a snorkel with either seals, sharks or around the lagoon. I’ll do a bit of hunting for smaller critters amongst the kelp and a bit of freediving to see what’s living on the bottom. Getting in and out of wetsuits takes up a good part of the day so once we’re out we warm up with a hot chocolate before heading back to the pier.

Wetsuits get washed and bags get packed as quickly as possible to avoid the plagues of midgies before heading back in. We’ll normally have a bit of craic around the kitchen table, cook some dinner, and I then hop in the shower before heading out with Ben for a scramble to catch the last of the sun as it sets over the Atlantic. Despite the 17 hours of daylight it still feels like there’s not enough hours in the day!

Check our multi-day tours based from Coll between July & September. Three, Four & Seven day tours.