Why limit yourself to one adventure sport when you could combine walking, climbing, cliff jumping and wild swimming into an awesome adrenaline-pumping activity? Coasteering treats the foreshore as one big adventure playground. You swim, leap, traverse and scramble along the inter-tidal zone of a sea shore. As you do so, you’ll learn the techniques required to rock-hop, swell-ride, cliff-scramble and more.
Coasteering is one of the fastest growing adventure sports in Scotland and you can see why. It tests your mental and physical strength and is guaranteed to get the heart pumping. You’ll be presented with all sorts of challenges. Tidal conditions, sea swell, weather and terrain make every coasteering trip unique. One minute you could be serenely drifting by the scenery and the next you could be bodysurfing the breakers. Coasteering is also a great way to get up close and personal with wildlife. You’ll get the chance to poke around in rock pools, explore caves and visit remote coves. If you’re lucky you might get to swim with a seal or spot an otter.
Coasteering is an adventure for everyone, whether you’re an adrenaline junkie looking for your next thrill or a family looking for a holiday activity. You need to be fairly fit and it helps to be confident in the water, but you’ll be given a wetsuit and buoyancy aid to keep you warm and help you float. You’ll also wear a safety helmet.
The fantastically diverse coastline of Oban & Lorn is a top coasteering destination, offering coves, caves, cliffs and beaches galore. It’s also home to some excellent adventure centres offering guided coasteering adventures. You’re much better off coasteering with an accredited guide as they’ll be able to teach you the techniques needed to enjoy the sport safely and they’ll take you to the best stretches of coastline for your adventure. Guides will take you on a thrilling journey where the land meets the sea and you’ll discover some of Argyll’s most stunning coastal scenery.
When you want to take a break from coasteering, there’s lots to see and do in and around Oban. It’s a bustling town that’s full of life, with convivial bars and streets packed with independent shops and cafés. Oban is known as ‘The Gateway to the Isles’ so you could go on an island hopping journey. CalMac, Scotland’s largest ferry operator, provides an extensive service from Oban to the Inner and Outer Hebrides and lots of other companies offer boat trips from the town.