Wildlife off the coast of Arran

By Felicity Inkpen

 Swimming up to 10km a day around the coast of Arran allows Andre a unique perspective on the island’s wildlife, from the charismatic to the downright dangerous.  
 
For parts of his swim, Andre has been followed by an entourage of seals. Arran has a mixture of harbour and grey seals. Their different nose shapes allow Andre to distinguish between them, harbour seals having a flat, cheerful face, grey seals having a “snoot like a dog”.
 
“They were particularly friendly near the fish farms off the coast from Lamlash.” Andre reports.  “One was even swimming along with me, a few meters beneath, looking up conspicuously. While seals are cute bobbing along on the surface, they are intimidatingly powerful under the water, in their own environment. I have felt like I am entering their world, a brief visitor in their home”.

A benefit of his posse of seals is that they eat Andre’s main adversary: the jellyfish. There are only two species of stinging jellyfish around the coast of Arran: the blue jellyfish has a sting like a nettle, but the lion’s mane jellyfish sting can give more than seven hours of pain.
 
“So far, I have caught one blue jellyfish sting across the face. It actually wasn’t that bad, though that may have been because my face was numb with cold.”
 
Other jellyfish, Andre has been happier to see, including the sea gooseberry jellyfish:
 
“I giggle to myself, feeling like I am going through a gooseberry patch whenever I swim amongst them”
 
Alongside the sea-gooseberries, sea comb jellyfish have also been visible in abundance: These jellyfish, roughly 6cm in length, phosphoresce – give off light that they generate themselves
 
“Sea comb jellyfish are like exciting landing strip lights, directing me onwards.”

 
Other supportive marine organisms include a host of the common edible crab.
 
“When I was swimming above the crabs, they sensed danger and raised their pincers to attack, but from above it looked to me like they were waving and cheering me on.  It was quite motivating!”
 
Around the south coast of Arran, on his fourth day in the water, Andre met an altogether more elusive habitant of the sea.
 
“Out of the gloom appeared the distinctive triangular fin shape of a shark.  Fortunately for me, it was a foot-long dogfish, entirely unbothered by my presence.”
 
Throughout, there have been scatterings of starfish, sea urchins, and a barrel jellyfish the size of a car tyre. The flora has been just as stunning as the fauna.  Andre has swum through beautiful sea grasses and kelp forests.  According to Andre, “These have been possible thanks to extensive marine protected areas around Arran.” 

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