May 2013
1 post
New open RIB for Seafari Adventures launched!!
Seafari Oban launched a new RIB to add to their current fleet of 2 open RIBs and 2 cabin RIBs today from their workshop at North Ballachulish.
Thanks to Pete Hanger and Tony Higgins for their help in putting Celtic Explorer together and to Philip Beckwith of Yampower Ltd. for fitting the twin 300hp Yamaha engines.
And yes - the sun was shining at 6:30am this morning as was launched onto the...
April 2013
4 posts
Intro to the Back Office staff - Sue
To complete the seasonal staff bios, here is mine! I single-handedly increase the average age of the crew by decades - I shall be in the booking office until May.
Having been a passenger on Seafari’s Whirlpool Special a couple of Octobers ago, I was stunned with this spectacular corner of the west coast. Consequently, we found a plot on the island of Seil and built an eco-house; I moved...
Intro to your Seafari Crew - Ted
I grew up in the small commuter town of Woking in surrey – a world away from Easdale! From as soon as I can remember I’ve been coming to the west coast for my holidays, spending most of my time in Tighnabruaich in the Kyles of Bute. This is where I had my first taste of the wonderful marine life that these waters have to offer and also where I learnt to sail on the family Drascombe, before...
Intro to your Seafari Crew - Finlay
For as long as I can remember I have had a keen interest in the outdoors, particularly seeking out wild places. I grew up in Inverness in the Highlands. My father is a keen hill walker, so a lot of my childhood memories involve exhilarating ascents of peaks in the Cairngorms or the Cuillin Ridge in Skye. He also has a little rowing boat so there were many trips around the beautiful coastal bays...
Intro to your Seafari Crew - Bex
My interest in marine biology started as a small child, with my parents constantly having to drag me out of rockpools in front of “Granny Beach”’s house in south-west Scotland. I spent the majority of my school summer holidays testing out the theory that ‘the bigger the rock, the bigger the crab under it’, as my older siblings led me to believe. I think it was because of this, along with dreaming...
March 2013
1 post
An Unusual Day in the Life of a Seafari Crew...
If you’d asked me at 2pm how much I was enjoying my work with Seafari yesterday (18th March), I most likely would have made a half-hearted effort to pass our snorkelling work off as ‘fun’. It’s definitely fun to get back in the water having had a break from diving recently! Our task for the day was to clean off all of the marine life fouling Seafari’s pontoon, mooring buoys, ropes and chains and...
February 2013
1 post
Seafari retain Northern Lighthouse Board contract...
Seafari Marine Services Ltd has been rewarded the contract to supply Boat Services to Northern Lighthouse Board until December 2017. Based from NLB’s Western depot at Oban, the main role is to transport engineers to remote locations for routine maintenance to be undertaken as well as to provide a first response and support for ‘light outages’
Seafari’s skippers demonstrate excellent boat skills...
January 2013
2 posts
Seafari assist Surfers Against Sewage
It was not the nicest of days at the beginning of January 2013, but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those who turned up to help with the beach clean at Seaview beach on the Isle of Seil. It was organised by Alasdair Steele on behalf of Surfers Against Sewage and he asked for assistance from the local community in the project. About a dozen folk donned gloves and set to clearing about a...
Seafari return rescued seal pup to the wild
Seafari Adventures (Oban) return all the rescued seals which have been brought back to health by the Scottish Seal Sanctuary. An atlantic grey seal had been recovered from a beach on the Kintyre peninsula on 3rd November. The SSPCA were alerted. All abandoned or injured seals throughout Scotland are sent to the Seal Sanctuary’s excellent hospital facility just outside Oban.
The dedicated animal...
December 2012
2 posts
More Whirlpool Special Dates for 2013
These trips are a blast, you cannot really describe to anyone what the Corryvreckan is like on a really big tide, so you will have to experience it for yourself!
Date Trip Departs Date Trip Departs
23rd June 18.55 24th July 20.10
24th June 07.15 25th...
Whirlpool Special dates for 2013
Knowing how popular our Whirlpool Specials are, we thought we would post the dates for the early part of next year, so that customers who were interested could plan ahead.
Whirlpool Special tickets are available as gift vouchers. Please contact us on 01852 300003 before 18th December if you want them for Christmas.
2013 Whirlpool Special Dates/Times (minimum tide height 3.9metres)
Date ...
November 2012
2 posts
Wild life in the Wet
The weather has been very wet of late but it does not stop the wildlife in the area. All sorts of animals are out and about foraging. The otter was sat on the mooring bouy before he was displaced by the shag. The pictures were taken on Sunday morning in Easdale Sound.
New dive RIB for Scottish Institute for Marine...
Quinquari Marine North, the boat building arm of Seafari Adventures, has been busy this autumn - Tritonia II was launched from our workshop at North Ballachulish yesterday. It is the second RIB built for the UK’s National Facility for Scientific Diving at SAMS (The Scottish Association for Marine Science). The original boat design has worked well for the dive team because little has...
October 2012
10 posts
5 tags
Blazing Sunset
A couple of nights ago we were lucky enough to witness this burning sunset! The sky was wild with colour! Here are a few shots to show you how beautiful it was!
5 tags
Red Deer Rut.
Its an exciting time of year to take a Seafari Adventure, as it leaves you with the opportunity to perhaps catch a glimpse of the Red Deer Rut occurring on the islands this time of year.
The female’s are only in season for a short period of time and so its important that the strongest male mates with as many hinds as possible to continue his blood line! To prove he is the strongest during...
5 tags
Iona and Staffa
With a week of settled weather ahead what better way to enjoy the winter sunshine than on a boat tour to Iona and Staffa!
We hope to get out to Iona and Staffa on Thursday this week, and its likely to be the last time we head over in that direction this year so book your seats up fast!
Here are a few photos of the beautiful Abbey and Staffa’s unimaginable basalt columns to tempt you into...
7 tags
5 Top Tips for Wildlife Spotting while out with...
A great way to watch for wildlife all year round is from the water, very small disturbances are made and dedicated WISE approved guides and skippers are on hand to help you see the best of the Scottish wildlife on offer.
1. Stay quiet
When the crew or skipper spots something interesting they will bring the boat to a halt, this instantly dulls the noise of the engines and if you keep quiet too...
5 tags
Congratulations Pauline Campbell
For being Septembers winner - you have had a massive number of likes on your photograph of ‘double dolphins’ a BIG well done from all at Seafari Adventures!
And here is the winning shot:
For your chance to win send your photos into us at oban@seafari.co.uk for Octobers competition!
5 tags
A wee tour of our village Ellenabeich
Ellenabeich is a beautiful village on the Isle of Seil from which Seafari Adventures run their wildlife and whirlpool tours. So before or after a tour with us take a few hours to explore this gem of a village! With great history, views and residents its well worth it!
These are just a few shots that show you the beauty of the village.
Why not visit the Heritage center next door to the Seafari...
12 tags
Highlights of the year
Holly the seal pup
One of our favorite charters of the year was with the Scottish Sealife Sanctuary, back in February. We helped release rescued and rehabilitated seal pup Holly:
RIB Rendezvous
A wonderful weekend, over 40 RIBs their skippers, crew and families attended this event! A fun filled convoy trip to Mull and great atmosphere at the party too – with thanks to The Puffer Bar and The...
6 tags
Park School Visit Fladda Lighthouse
This morning we took a group of pupils from Park School in Oban over to Fladda Lighthouse. They have been completing a project on lighthouses, and were lucky enough to get up close to a functioning light to round up their project!
The weather was perfect for them, blue sky’s and calm seas! They had great fun exploring the island, and were able to view the keepers cottages and gardens too!
...
8 tags
Some great photos!
We love getting photos from our customers who have enjoyed their Seafari Adventure, here are a few from Christophe Dupuis who came out with us earlier this year:
Belnahua
Kilmoray Lodge on Scarba:
The Corryvreckan bubbling:
Red Deer Stag:
Feral Goat:
Thank you so much Christophe for these great shots! We hope to see you again soon!
For a chance to get some great photos of...
5 tags
Septembers Photo Competition Finalists
Its time to cast your vote!
Please vote for Septembers winner - the best three photos can be found on our face book page HERE. Simply like the photo you think deserves to win!
Have you got a photo from any past Seafari tour that you would like to enter into our competition? Send them in to us - oban@seafari.co.uk for a chance to win a free ticket! As long as the photo has been taken while out on...
September 2012
9 posts
2 tags
September's Nature Log
The warmer weather is quickly becoming a thing of distant memory and the minke whales and the basking sharks have travelled onwards. But don’t shy away from adventure too quickly, as there is still a colossal amount of wildlife that may be spotted from the Seafari Adventures boat tours. Here is a list of the wildlife we have seen in September alone this year:
Golden Eagle
White Tailed Sea...
NLB Work on Fladda Lighthouse
We are working with The Northern Light House Board at the moment helping them prep for the painting of Fladda Lighthouse. This week the preparations began, batteries were being moved about to allow painters to ‘access all areas’ old batteries were being replaced and there was a general tidy up too!
Next week the fun begins, Seafari will be taking out a group of specialist...
3 tags
Stone Skimming Supplies
So as Easdale prepares for the World’s Stone Skimming Championship tomorrow the food and drink has to make its way over to the island. Seafari were on time to lend a hand, Celtic Nomad was brimmed with food and drink for the event.
All Seafari boats are *s dual work-boat/passenger coded under the MCA.
A chain of residents were lined up from the Fortieth’s lorry to the Seafari...
My Seafari Adventure by Nicola Boulton
Sadly today one of this year’s crew Niki is leaving us. She has been a great part of the Seafari team. Here she talks about some of her highlights of the season:
“There has been so many highlights to working at Seafari Adventures (Oban), it’s hard to pinpoint the best. However, I do feel extremely fortunately to of left university after studying Zoo Biology, and then be offered such a fantastic...
Seafari Otters
It has been a fantastic season here at Seafari Adventures in Easdale. The bad weather might be heading in towards us but it hasn’t affected the abundance of wildlife here in the Firth of Lorne, and the surrounding islands. The 2 hour Corryvreckan wildlife tours have allowed wildlife fanatics to get up close and personal with some of Scotland’s incredible creatures. Some of the wildlife spotted...
7 tags
Charter a Boat?
Private charters are offered by most boat touring companies all over the world and to charter a boat means you can go where ever, whenever and for however long you want! One of the most popular places to visit on the West Coast of Scotland is The Gulf of Corryvreckan. This famous stretch of water is home to the world’s third largest whirlpool area. But if an adrenaline fix isn’t your thing a...
High wind stops play
Its a beautifully sunny day today, but coupled with a force 6-7 consistent wind, and white capped waves out at sea, Seafari are not sailing today.
We will however be running trips as normal tomorrow we have space on an 11:45 and 14:30 wildlife trip. Yesterdays wildlife trip wowed its passengers with a sightings of a female otter, and her two kits! Our crew member said it was an absolutely...
5 tags
Chef is Scrambled in the Whirlpools
The Chef (Dizzy Des) from Easdale Islands Puffer Bar and Restaurant joined us this morning on the Whirlpool Special! So it was our challenge to get him a wet and wild whirlpool trip. Des had a great trip, and saw some impressive waves, whirlpools and white water. Seated at the front of the RIB its fair to say he took the brunt of the Corryvreckan, with waves coming over the bow of the boat Des was...
5 tags
Please Vote for a Winner!
Please pop over to our Facebook page and ‘LIKE’ your favorite photo from August’s competition.
The top 3 photos from both the Adult and Child Category have been selected and its your turn to choose the winner!
Adult Category
Child’s Category
Please vote for them within the next week, winners will be announced on the 9th September!
We have had some great photos this...
August 2012
18 posts
4 tags
The Seafari Experience:
As we drove along the road to Easdale we got more and more excited to catch a glimpse of the sea. The road is windy and beautiful, with a fantastic Scottish backdrop all along the way!
Arriving at Easdale we were welcomed by rows of small white cottages and an impressive view over the sea to Mull.
Having collected the ticket for our Corryvreckan boat trip we headed down to the jetty to get kitted...
A Gentle Giant: The basking shark
From June through to August we are blessed with the chance to get up close to basking sharks (Cetorhinus maximus), the second largest fish in the sea, on many of our trips. These magnificent animals travel up the west coast of Great Britain, starting down in Cornwall and making their way north, with the last sharks leaving Scotland at the end of August and beginning of September. The reason they...
7 tags
A Thank You for our lovely Trip Advisor Reviews!
Thank you to all of our customers who review us on Trip Advisor, we have had some cracking reviews recently including a review saying that our trip is the best thing they had ever done in Britain!!
We are very grateful for all of the feed back we get - tripadvisor - Facebook - twitter and you tube, so please keep them coming!
3 tags
Whale Watching with Seafari Adventures
Seeing a Whale in its natural environment can literally take your breath away. It is hard to imagine that such a large and seemingly ungainly creature can glide effortlessly through the oceans. There are around 85 recognised species of cetacean (WDCS) in the world and Whale Watching is an experience that many who partake will never forget.
Whale watching in Oban is no exception, in this location...
6 tags
Where do all the birds go?
This is a common question we get on our tours especially towards the end of August and September. Many of the species we see on our trips are only spring and summer visitors to the UK. For the winter, some of the birds will migrate south to warmer climes and some will migrate out into the Atlantic Ocean. Manx shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) are an example of the former and the four species of Auk...
3 tags
Dolphins
There is one creature that can capture the hearts of most, with elegant and synchronised movements, brilliant facial expressions and playful behaviors dolphins are able to woo both adults and children alike. Dolphins live all over the world; Scotland offers those who visit the coast opportunity to spot these fascinating marine mammals.
Dolphins are inquisitive and love people they are often found...
3 tags
Whirlpools with Lyden:
Here’s an interview with our long standing crew member Lyden who was out on yesterday morning’s whirlpool special:
How long have you been crewing for Seafari?
3 Years
How many whirlpool specials do you think you have been on in that time?
Probably about 45!!
What was yesterday’s Whirlpool Special Like?
It was the best one of the year so far! The whirlpools were well defined and quite...
5 tags
Maelstroms, Whirls and Swirls
So its a full moon, and the tides are high which means we are running our whirlpool specials from the 18th through to the 21st August.
18th @ 07:30
19th @ 08:00
20th @ 08:30
21st @ 09:05
These trips book up quickly so do give us a call if you would like to join us - 01852 300 003.
When you make a booking on these trips you receive a discount voucher for the
‘I’ve...
4 tags
Congratulations!
Just a reminder of our photo competition and its great winners so far! It runs every month so if you have any great shots taken on any of our Seafari Adventures please do send them our way for a chance to win!
Send your shots to oban@seafari.co.uk with your name and the title of the photo or give us a shout for more information.
Chris Brown (May’s Winner)
Liam Keet Age 7 (May’s...
5 tags
Photos of the Minke Whale
These photos were taken yesterday while out whale watching - and another sighting today too!
7 tags
WatchHere is a great video of The Corryvreckan, and The Grey Dogs. Check out our YouTube channel for more videos of out trips, our wildlife and our favorite videos made by some of our great passengers.
http://www.youtube.com/user/seafarioban
Our next set of whirlpool specials starts on the 18th August through to the 21st August.
For more information on this or any of our other trips please do give...
4 tags
Beautiful Views This Morning from Easdale!
What a wonderful flat calm day it is today - 2 trips have already departed, and with a basking shark already spotted behind Easdale the conditions are perfect for wildlife spotting - I wonder what else we will see.
To join us give us a call on 01852 300 003 or email oban@seafari.co.uk
6 tags
Photos from our passengers - Iona and Staffa
Here are some great shots from a great trip to Iona with Sue Seed and her family. Thank you so much for sharing these with us! Also here is a great video that Sue has put together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egiH_ehFQGA&list=FLTEhI4l_YWm_Y35t_nvTLlA&index=1&feature=plpp_video
4 tags
Golden Eagles
Here is an interesting article about Golden Eagles in the Western Isles and Argyll
The Golden Eagle in Scotland – As climatic changes take hold, what future awaits these iconic raptors in the 21st Century?
We have a pair of Golden Eagles that we regularly see on our Corryvreckan Wildlife Tour, they have a great selection of isles to hunt upon, and lots of food sources too. For your chance to see...
3 tags
Leaving the Nest
Here is our most recent sighting of the Sea Eagle chick which has almost left the nest! This picture was taken by one of our skippers during a Corryvreckan wildlife tour on Saturday 4th of August.
A white tailed sea eagle chick
The chick seems to be reluctant to leave the nest area and our experience suggests this is because of doting parents still bringing it food.
The chick does have its...
4 tags
A Visit from Real Radio!
This week Cat and Ewen from Real Radio have embarked upon a tour of Scotland. As part of their visit to Oban they came out with Seafari Adventures on our Corryvreckan Wildlife Tour - and what a ball they had! With glorious sunshine and great wildlife lots of fun was had on the trip!
Here are the guys ready to go on their Seafari - just an hour or so before they spot a Minke Whale!!
Have a...
7 tags
The Morning routine
Warming up the boats so they are ready for a full day of trips:
Celtic Nomad alongside the jetty ready to load her first passengers:
All aboard ready to wildlife watch:
Celtic Voyager on her way into collect the passenger off to Iona and Staffa:
Passengers boarding before heading to Iona:
Just 5 minutes into the journey to Iona the passengers were lucky enough to be greeted by a pod...
3 tags
Wanderer Returns
Tomorrow sees the return of Celtic Wanderer to Scottish water our 3rd open boat.
She has been away on the east coast - Wells Next The Sea (Norfolk) completing a survey on tern behavior within the wind farm off of this coast line. After 4 months away she is returning to Easdale to meet the demand for Wildlife Trips over the summer.
Celtic Wanderer with the Cats that work the wind farm:
Celtic...
