One of the “must-see” sights near Shuna is the Correvreckan Whirlpool. It is, apparently, the third largest whirlpool in the world and is located between the islands of Scarba and Jura. We thought we would not be able to see the whirlpool because the previous tour boat owner had recently retired. We learnt just in time that a couple had taken over the business and booked onto the trip.
On a fairly nippy day, we were picked from Shuna and joined about five other visitors on the boat. The boat doesn’t go to the whirlpool when there are strong tidal currents. So we were never going to see it overly active.
On the way to the whirlpool, we saw some wildlife. There were sea eagles perched high up a cliff. We also saw a seal and otter.
Whirlpools are what they sounds like: rotating sections of water, a bit like water going down the sink but on a bigger scale. The whirlpool itself is caused by the rock formations around the area. When we got to the whirlpool it was fairly placid. The surface of the water was very smooth, almost as if oil had been spilt on it. Here’s a more dramatic view of the same whirlpool expertly navigated by a lifeboat.
After a cup of tea on the boat we headed back to Shuna. This was a relaxing way to see the surrounding islands.
Apart from the whirlpool trip and our boat trip around Shuna, we also went kayaking a few times in the calm Shuna waters.
On the island itself, the main wildlife are the deer. We were lucky to see deer every day. They were a wonderful sight in the morning from our cottage.
