Over the last few months I have been busy creating a snorkeling trail. In January, we formed a partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust to create the second Scottish snorkel trail. Last year the first trail launched in the North- West Highlands to great success.
There are six snorkel trail sites are across North Harris. The snorkel trail locations have been carefully chosen to highlight different marine habitats and ecosystems from seagrass meadows to kelp forests. We are blessed up here to have incredibly rich marine life which is easily accessed just off shore.
I hope that both visitors and locals alike will take the plunge to explore the trail, have fun and be inspired to learn more about issues facing our marine environment.
On the 1st July, we had a small launch at one of the trail locations, Hushinish beach. The local scout troop and some other local children doing their John Muir Award joined myself, Scottish Wildlife Trust staff Maggie Keegan and Noel Hawkins and MSP Maree Todd for a fun day exploring the site. The weather may not have been great but there was good visibility and lots of different species were seen. Not only was it the first time many of the kids had snorkelled, but the first time that they had ever swam in the sea! They are keen to do more soon.
One of the main reasons for creating the snorkel trail was to involve local school children, getting them into the water to show them how beautiful but fragile seas are where they live.
The snorkel trail has been kindly supported by the National Marine Aquarium.