Part of the North Argyll snorkel trail!

Enjoy snorkeling this scenic bay then warming up in the fantastic Ocean Explorer Centre and beach cafe.

Step off the sandy shore into this sheltered bay, surrounded on either side by spectacular rock formations and with stunning kelp forests beneath. Beginner snorkellers will find lots to see close to shore when searching the sandy seabed and rocky outcrops. More confident snorkellers can swim into deeper waters to explore the rocky headland.

On weekdays, visit the Ocean Explorer Centre free of charge to dive deeper into marine science and to enjoy the Beach cafe.

Trail leaflet

Download the trail leaflet for offline access to site information

Download Leaflet

Facilities

Accessible car park
Ocean Explorer Centre
The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)
Dunstaffnage Castle and Chapel

Gallery

What other people say

How to get there

By road

From Oban town centre, travel north along the A85 to Dunbeg. Continue to drive north through Dunbeg to the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS). Park in the car park outside the Ocean Explorer Centre, which offers accessible parking and electric vehicle charging. The beach is easily accessible from the car park.

Access Google Maps location pin here (TBC).

By rail

The nearest train station is Oban (1.7 miles away).

By bus

Bus services are provided locally by West Coast Motors. . Regular buses run from Oban to Dunbeg on weekdays. SAMS beach is a 30 minute cycle from Oban, or 10 minutes from Ganavan Sands using the cycle path.

Get directions

Driving

Public
transport

Walking

Cycling

Provided by Google Maps

Local conditions

Here is the wind forecast and tide times for this snorkel site. It is your responsibility to assess whether these conditions are suitable for snorkelling.

Other considerations

More information

  • This snorkel trail is one of five themed Above & Below trails, helping you discover the sea and sky across Argyll and the Isles. Visit the Wild About Argyll website to explore the other nature trails and for lots more information on how to make the most of your time in the area.
  • Visit the Argyll Hope Spot website ahead of your visit, to learn more about the inspiring coastal communities here and why this marine region is so special.
  • Have a positive impact on the community during your visit by getting involved with Seawilding, the UK’s first community-led native oyster and seagrass restoration project. Get involved in local ocean recovery efforts and snorkel for citizen science; Seawilding offer lots of exciting volunteer opportunities on their website, including one-off volunteer days for visitors, with options on both in the water and on dry land.
  • Basking Shark Scotland offer exciting day and night snorkel sessions, guided by marine biologists, and full equipment hire.
  • Dan the Merman is a local snorkel/wild swim coach and nature-based guide, offering unique holistic wellbeing retreats and adventures. Discover the natural wonders of the “coast of the Gael” through the lens of a Gael as Dan shares his passion for indigenous language and culture, providing an authentic sense of place.
  • Adventure Oban are a community-led charity supporting outdoor access. Borrow wetsuits and other outdoor equipment from the Adventure Library, join local events and tap into this amazing outdoor community.

Wildlife warning

Please be a responsible snorkeller; do not touch, take or tease wildlife.

This area is home to internationally important colonies of breeding seabirds (April-September) and seals (harbour seals June-July, grey seals August-December). Please behave responsibly and stay distant, wildlife should be left undisturbed. For more information see sealalliance.org and nature.scot. Avoid disturbing ground-nesting birds and livestock; follow the Outdoor Access and Marine Wildlife Watching codes.

Stay safe

Snorkelling can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is your responsibility to check the conditions present on the day and assess whether it is safe to snorkel.

Please read our top tips to being a safe and responsible snorkeller.

Share your snorkel stories #ScottishSnorkelTrails

We have worked hard with coastal communities and organisations across Scotland to create these snorkel trails, to:

  • make Scotland’s seas more accessible to more people
  • support responsible, local eco-tourism and community-led coastal projects across Scotland
  • encourage people to better understand, value and protect our precious marine ecosystems

We would therefore love to hear your feedback on how you’ve found using them! From photos, videos and artwork to posts, blogs and more – every piece of little or large feedback will be read and valued! You can share them with us via email (livingseas@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk), Facebook (@Scottish Wildlife Trust) or Bluesky (@scotwildlife.bsky.social) – use the #ScottishSnorkelTrails.

Species records

Visit the NBN Atlas to see all species records from this reserve.

Visit now
Fish
Pollack
Plaice
Yarrell’s Blenny
Crustaceans
Shore Crab
Velvet Swimming Crab
Brown crab
Hermit crab
Molluscs
Blue-rayed limpet
Grey topshell
Flat periwinkle
Dog whelk
Nudibranchs
Orange-clubbed sea slug
Sea Slug (Eubranchus tricolour)
Sea Slug (Coryphella lineata)
Sea Slug (Polycera faeroensis)
Jellyfish and other invertebrates
Moon jellyfish
Sea gooseberry
Lesser octopus
Dahlia anemone
Starfish and urchins
Sunstar
Common urchin
Spiny starfish
Smooth starfish
Marine plants
Cuvie kelp
Sugar kelp
Bladder wrack
Thongweed

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