When I dived the Farne islands in August last year, it was my first visit there in many years. It was great having a chance to dive with the seals again which is the reason that most divers visit the Farne Islands. Most of the visiting birdlife (the other main visitor attraction there) had departed by August and the skies were relatively quiet.
When I visited this year in mid-June, it was a very different place. The sky was full of birds criss-crossing overhead, making their way out to fish or heading back with a beak-full of their catch for hungry chicks waiting back on the islands. Birds were packed tightly together on ever flat surface and there was a lot of jostling and bickering going on. The rocks were white with bird droppings and when you were downwind of it the smell was enough to put you off your sandwiches! Continue reading “The Farne Islands – June 2014”
Farne Islands – August 2013
The last time I dived the Farne Islands must have been about 7 or 8 years ago, probably the year that I started diving. The islands make frequent appearances on television programs due to their bird colonies and also due to the seal population. It is the opportunity to dive with the seals that is the draw for divers visiting the Farnes and I didn’t have to think twice when an invitation to do so came from a friend.
It was an overcast day when we arrived at Seahouses to meet up with the others and board one of Billy Shiel’s boats the Glad Tidings VII. Continue reading “Farne Islands – August 2013”