Basking Shark Map

FAQ’s

Swimming Fingal's cave

Who is this suitable for?


Is there an age limit?

Yes – our minimum age is 8 years old. All under 16s must be accompanied by a parent/ guardian. Our tours are adventurous with long days at sea and are not suitable for young children.

Private charters are available for families with younger children. Contact us for more info. (Link to contact us page)

How fit do I need to be?

For those wanting to snorkel on the tour, we advise that you should be able to swim 100m comfortably in open water, along with general fitness to enable boarding a boat via a ladder.

In Coll, due to fluctuating tide levels, we may have to use a vertical pier ladder to board the vessel.
On certain tours, we use a small dinghy to transfer from the boat to shore – the terrain can be very rocky and rough with no structured pier/ pontoon. You will need to be able to get on and off the dinghy. Our guides will be there with you.

Are there any medical restrictions?

Anyone with a serious pre-existing medical condition should consult their GP before booking ANY of our trips.

All participants are required to complete a Declaration of Medical Fitness for Snorkelling form (under 18s need this countersigned by a parent/ guardian).

We welcome everyone on board – if you have accessibility concerns please get in touch with us.

Do I need any qualifications or experience?

No qualifications are necessary to come on our trips. All interactions are snorkel based so no SCUBA qualifications are required.

Snorkel experience is not required but would be advantageous in order to get the best from the trip. The more confident you are the better.

You MUST be able to swim at least 100m in open water unaided. Our shark interactions are in open exposed water. Your wetsuit will aid your buoyancy but you should be comfortable in these conditions.

Do you provide snorkel training?

We run occasional snorkel courses for complete beginners – contact us for more details.

We don’t provide training on our tours but you will be guided by our experienced staff. Our Seal & Hebrides Tour is great for beginners. The bay is very sheltered and shallow and great to test the waters.

Which tour should I choose?

We have so many wildlife adventure options that you may be wondering where to start. Firstly, unless you are seeking to book a private charter, our tours have set dates, based around the peak basking shark season. You can find an overview of which tours run when here.

For those whose main goal is to see basking sharks, we highly recommend our Coll based basking shark tours. You have the choice between 7, 4 and 3 days which are again at set dates through the season. Our week tours offer the highest chances of sightings as 7 days is spent on the water searching, our July weeks give you chance to combine a visit to the Treshnish Isles to visit the puffin colony before they depart the land (usually first week of August). Our tours based out of Coll are closer to the aggregation site, and time can be maximised searching for pelagic wildlife. It also gives us more opportunity to be reactive to changing weather. Our 3 and 4 day tours offer the same itinerary, with an extra day searching for sharks on the 4 day tour.

If you would like to see basking sharks, but equally want to see lots of other wildlife and local highlights of the Hebrides, our Oban Spring or Autumn Island Adventures are a great choice. These tours are based in Oban, there is plenty going on in the town to fill your evenings. This tour is great for wild swimmers, snorkelers and watchers alike. The spring tour is a day longer, as this is in the seabird breeding season. Both seasons are a beautiful time to visit the islands, each offering a completely different colour backdrop.

There is no need to swim or snorkel on any of out tours, our Whale and Dolphin and Puffin & Seabird tours are great for those who don’t want to get wet, but want to get close to wildlife. Our Seal & Hebrides day trip is a fab day out for the whole family.

Still not sure which tour is for you, then get in touch and our friendly team will help you.