Alternative Names: Dunvegan pier, Isle of Skye
Type of Dive: Dunvegan pier is a good shore dive on the Isle of Skye.
Suggested experience: Anyone with reasonable buoyancy
Travel directions: A863 to Dunvegan then pick up the A850 and drive straight through Dunvegan. Approximately half a mile further on is a left-hand turning. Take this and drive down to the pier. Google
Parking directions: Lots of places to park above the slip.
Distance from Kyle of Loch Alsh: 51 Miles 1 hr 50 Mins
Lat & Long: 57.441428, -6.591438 Postcode IV55 8WE Google
Tides: Tide tables
Depth: 11m
Site entry/exit: Straight off the slip which is beside the pier, beware of the large fishing boats that use this pier.
Underwater directions: The pier is in daily use for fishing boats who discard a lot of fish over the side. When I dived this, dozens of shore crabs were making the most of an octopus and various other delicacies that had been discarded. The bottom is very silty and featureless. All the life is found living on and around the usual sort of discarded debris that you find in places like this and hiding under large pieces of sugar kelp. After swimming away from the pier and thinking there was nothing here I then went on to find scorpion fish, black gobies, several different sea stars, tube anemones, sea pens, urchins, long clawed squat lobsters and Norway lobsters. I also found a lovely nudibranch Doris Sticta. This is the furthest north this lovely little nudi has been found and you can find it in the ID pages on here. The deepest I got was just over 11m and that was out in the middle of the channel. No particular plan here I just meandered around but there seemed to be less towards the middle. Plenty of stuff for the macro photographer.
Air & Nitrox: Dive & sea the Hebrides
Site Hazards: Boats, probably best to dive with an SMB
Nearest Public phone: Contact me
Mobile Network service: Some networks work here.
Accommodation: Kinloch Campsite Dunvegan Hotel
Other comments: This is a very silty dive so good buoyancy is necessary. It is not a dive with a wow factor, but if you are interested in the marine life found in this sort of habitat it’s probably worth a dip. There was plenty to keep me occupied for nearly an hour when a leaky suit drove me out rather than lack of things to see. Toilets
Pub: Dunvegan Hotel
Cafe: Dunvegan Hotel
Created by: Jane Wilkinson
Date: 9/4/11
Revision: 1
Thanks To:
Links: None
Surface Photos: By Jane Wilkinson.
Underwater Photos: By Jane Wilkinson
Dive Map: Contact me
Dive Report: Comment in the box below.