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Farne Islands grey seals

DivingNo permitNo mooring buoys

Marine life · Also good for snorkeling & anchoring

Britain, Ireland & the North Sea, GBFarne Islands grey seals
Best time
Jun–Oct
Water temp.
9–15 °C
Dive depth
5–20 m
Coordinates55°37′41″ N, 1°36′40″ W

Around 6,000 grey seals, the largest colony on England's east coast, and the juveniles are outrageously interactive, chewing fins, tumbling around divers and hanging upside down to make eye contact. Above water, 100,000+ breeding seabirds including 40,000 puffins, plus Arctic terns that dive-bomb your head. St Cuthbert lived as a hermit on Inner Farne from 676 and issued what may be the world's first bird protection laws, forbidding the killing of eider ducks, still called cuddy ducks locally. Grace Darling rowed out from the Longstone lighthouse here in 1838 to rescue survivors of the Forfarshire, becoming a Victorian national heroine. Anchorage: No sheltered anchorage at the islands; day trips from Seahouses. Hazards: 9-15°C water needs a drysuit or good semi-dry. Tidal streams between islands are strong.

Weather

°C°F

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