Autumn Basking Shark Research & Adventures

From GBP £765.00
  • Duration: 6 Days (approx.)
  • Location: Oban, Argyll
  • Product code: PUPATW

6 Day Itinerary

  • 3 days boat based research (from Tarbert)
  • 1 day boat tour from Oban 
  • 1 evening/night tour from Oban
  • 2 days data work up & presentations in Oban

Research Dates 

  • Autumn Research Expedition 1 - 28th September - 3rd October 2020 (arriving to Oban 27th)
  • Autumn Research Expedition 2 - 4th October - 9th October 2020 (arriving to Oban 3rd October)

At the end of the summer, basking sharks start their southerly migration to the sub-tropics, however following on from our research 2016-2018 we're setting up to continue this in 2020.  

During this period we are running focussed research to observe the sharks and gain information on this stage of their migration. 

Guests on these trips can be involved in our southerly migration study with the primary goals as follows:

  • Study the abundance of southerly basking shark population
  • Record location, time, size, sex and behaviour of southerly basking sharks along with environmental factors (e.g. sea temperature, visibility, tides, weather)
  • Record images and videos of sharks for entry into shark ID catalogue
  • Analyse zooplankton samples from feeding and non-feeding areas
  • Analyse zooplankton samples for plastic to assess ingestion risk
  • Gain genetic skin samples
  • Record cetacean sightings data (e.g porpoises/dolphin/whale)
Accommodation & Logistics 

We are based in Oban, where our data work up, boat tour and evening trip will be based. We will have one boat at our normal berth at Dunstaffnage Marina, then another based at Tarbert, around an hours drive to the south of Oban. 

The programme will depend on the weather and we'll decide to do specific activities around what will give us the most success each day. Be prepared for an early start on the first day and so it will be likely you will need accommodation the night before we start. 

There is a large selection in Oban and for some tips on travel and accommodation then see here

Gear Hire

If you wish to snorkel don't have your own equipment then you can hire it from us. Ideally order and pay for this at the time of booking, however it can be done later at the balance payment time. 

You will need to choose sizes from our hire gear page where you will find size charts. Its best to use the 8mm suits on longer tours. When sizing yourself please go for body size first and height second.