Diving>Shetland
Shetland
Shetland is a beautiful group of around 100 islands from Muckle Flugga in the North to Sumburgh Head in the South which is approximately 100 miles north of John o’ Groats in Scotland.
Only 400 miles separate Shetland from the Arctic Circle and 60° line of latitude passes through the southern mainland. Norway is only 225 miles away and while in Shetland you are closer to the Arctic Circle than Manchester and Bergen in Norway is closer than Edinburgh.
Testament to its Norse roots and unique local dialect, Shetland was Zetland until the 1970’s and has an incredibly strong Norse heritage, having been home to the Vikings for thousands of years. The famous fire festival of Up-Helly-Aa in January celebrates this history in spectacular style. There cannot be many places where you can glance out of the window while eating your dinner aboard and see a Viking longboat sail past.
The clean green waters which bring so much life to these islands also bring us excellent diving. Visibility can be phenomenal, sometimes limited only by the available light. Wildlife is abundant, with cetaceans spotted regularly.
The wrecks are remarkably untouched by people with little salvaging having taken place.
It is a magical place, stunning in every single way.
Opportunities exist for diving away from Lerwick. However, the weather is more limiting than Orkney.
Depths go from zero to over 100m.
