MISTY ISLE - Scottish West Coast
The Misty Isle off the Scottish West Coast is one of our favourite little dives when the weather plays ball. This isn't a deep dive, sitting at a maximum of four metres, which makes it an ideal second dip or a great spot for newer divers to experience a wreck without the chill or the pressure. She’s an 8.5-metre fishing vessel that grounded on a reef edge back in 1980 before slipping below the surface. We love how accessible she is; you can spend a good chunk of time poking around the superstructure, which is now totally encrusted in plumose anemones, their white tentacles swaying gently in the surge. You'll spot plenty of blennies darting in and out of the cracks, and often we've seen juvenile pollock schooling just above the deck. The visibility here can be truly surprising on a good day, allowing the sunlight to filter through the kelp forest that surrounds the wreck, creating an almost ethereal glow. Our tip: aim for a high slack tide, as the currents can pick up, and it makes negotiating the kelp much easier. It's a genuinely charming little wreck, full of character and life, a proper slice of Scottish diving without needing to go deep.
- Location
- Scottish West Coast, United Kingdom, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 57.449690, -6.617684
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 4m
Marine Protected Area: Ascrib, Isay and Dunvegan
Nearby Dive Sites in Scottish West Coast
- ACCORD - 9m (wreck)
- ADONO - 10m (wreck)
- ADROLIS - 5m (wreck)
- AGATE - 10m (wreck)
- AGIOS MINAS - 10m (wreck)
- AKKA - 28m (wreck)
- ALBIA - 10m (wreck)
- ALEXANDER - 10m (wreck)
- AMY JANE - 52m (wreck)
- AMY (POSSIBLY) - 38m (wreck)
- ANGELA - 5m (wreck)
- ANNIE JANE - 29m (wreck)
- ANNIE MC FADYEN - 7m (wreck)
- ANNIE MELLING - 54m (wreck)
- ANWOTH - 0m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to MISTY ISLE
- Aquaholics - ["PADI"]
- C&C MARINE SERVICES
- Eagle Divers NI - ["PADI"]
- Field Studies Council Millport
- Freedive Northern Ireland
- Fyne Diving - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Scottish West Coast
Home to 127 recorded species including 50 reef fish, 15 whales & dolphins, 10 seagrass & algae, 9 sharks & rays, 8 other, 7 crabs & lobsters.
Notable Species
- harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) - Whales & Dolphins
- Common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) - Whales & Dolphins
- Common sea star (Asterias rubens) - Starfish
- Devonshire cup coral (Caryophyllia (Caryophyllia) smithii) - Hard Corals
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) - Sharks & Rays
- Common shore crab (Carcinus maenas) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Common brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
- Short-beaked Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) - Whales & Dolphins
- Acorn barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides)
- Light-bulb sea squirt (Clavelina lepadiformis)
- bladder wrack (Fucus vesiculosus) - Seagrass & Algae
- Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) - Clams & Mussels
- Norway Lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Sand mason (Lanice conchilega) - Worms
- Dog whelk (Nucella lapillus) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- knotted wrack (Ascophyllum nodosum) - Seagrass & Algae
- Edible periwinkle (Littorina littorea) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Star ascidian (Botryllus schlosseri)
- Common whelk (Buccinum undatum) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs