Sea Leopard
Marine Photo Safaris
Otter feeding
For 2009, Nevispix have teamed up with Craignish cruises of Ardfern, on their boat Sea Leopard to bring you our Marine photo safaris. Skipper Lindsay Johnston has 30 years experience of the west coast and operates his business from the marina at Ardfern, 17 miles south of Oban. The strong tide races on this part of the west coast provide an abundance of feeding resulting in the area's reputaion as a wildlife hotspot.
In the air, sea eagles, golden eagle, peregrine falcon and buzzards are regularly sighted, not to mention an infinite variety of seabirds. In the water, porpoises regularly surface close to the boat and seals bask lazily on the rocks. If we're lucky we may have the opportunity to photograph dolphins, minke whales, basking shark or otters. On land, red deer and wild goats put in a regular appearance on the islands of Scarba and Jura.
The trips are led by photographer Ian MacLeod who is on hand to help you get the best from your trip with advice on what to look out for to maximise your photo opportunities. Technical advice on such matters as the best ISO, shutter speed or white balance to use is available and if you've never had your camera off the auto mode, don't worry as time can be spent with novices on basic controls.
Tripods are as good as useless on a boat due to the constant motion, even on calm days. However monopods and bean bags may be useful in certain circumstances (make sure you tie your bean bag securely to the boat!) and we carry these for customer use at no extra cost. For wildlife photogprahy a lens with a minimum telephoto length of 300mm is recommended. Nevispix have Nikon D50 SLR's available to hire with 70 - 300 sigma lenses, cost £20 per day. These must be pre booked.
Minke whale from sea Leopard
Sea Eagle chicks
Oystercatcher
Corryvreckan maelstrom
Besides his vast knowledge of the wildlife of the west coast and where to find it, another huge benefit of having Lindsay as our skipper is his enormous experience of taking boat trips into Corryvreckan, the third largest maelstrom in the world.
From America to Britain there is nothing to stop the the Atlantic ocean as the waters are driven along by wind and tide, until it reaches the west coast of Scotland. Suddenly, billions of gallons are compressed through the narrow gulf that separates Jura and Scarba. Add to that the vast volume of water flowing up the sound of Jura trying to escape back out of the gulf and the resulting display of Standing waves, eddies, overfalls and whirlpools is nothing short of awesome. Couple this with the wildlife opportunities and you will have a photography day that you will remember for the rest of your life, along with the photographs to prove it.
The dates listed for these trips have been specifically selected based on tidal predictions for the day, to maximise the likliehood of the best possible conditions for viewing and photogrpahing the Corryvreckan Maelstrom
Cost: £75.00 per person/day
Availble dates
Date10.05.2009 26.05.2009 09.06.2009 24.06.2009 |
AvailabilitySpaces availble Spaces availble Spaces availble Spaces availble |
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Trips will run subject to a minimum of four passengers per trip. Other dates may be added subject to demand.
Bookings
Other information
Trips leave from Ardfern marina at 10.00 am, returning appproximately 16.30. Please bring a picnic lunch and snacks for the day. Warm, waterproof clothing is advised as even on warm days it can be very cool at sea. Waterproof camera bags are also advised.
Terms & conditions
Bookings are essential and a deposit of £20 per person is required to secure a place.The balance is payable on the day. Deposits will only be refunded where Sea Leopard or Nevispix have to cancel a trip due to unforseeable circumstances.
Corryvreckan whirlpool
Heron in Flight
Seven up
Seals basking
Gannet
Ailsa Cottage
South Laggan
Spean Bridge
Inverness PH34 4EA