SCUBAHUB
I’VE TRIED A WIDE VARIETY OF
snorkel genres over the last few years. Some
certainly fall into the more advanced
category and some are, it has to be said,
downright foolish. However, with due care
and consideration we can find exciting
forms of snorkelling that are actually safe.
One of these is gorge snorkelling.
Now the title may conjure images of folk
smashing their way down the Kicking Horse
River or hurling down the rapids as the
Colorado plunges through the Grand
Canyon, but it needn’t be like this. As we all
know with the correct gear, planning and
attitude, seemingly dangerous environments
can be made safe – think how it sounds to
SCUBAHUB
the uninitiated to spend an hour
underwater surrounded by sharks. And yet
it is something that most of us would pay
good money to do. The perception of
danger does not always translate into reality
if you know what you’re doing and take all
the steps to do it carefully. So how does
gorge snorkelling fit into this mindset?
The perfect river gorge is one with a
steep, preferably vertical side, which plunges
deep below the water’s surface. Water
flowing over a shallow bed is either going to
be too shallow to float in, or have you
bouncing your chin off rocks. A nice wide
gorge with plenty of depth gives you room
to manoeuvre and position yourself centrally
to make best use of the cushioning effect of
the water. I have always found that in these
circumstances the fear that you’ll be driven
into the rock face is unfounded. The water
wants to pour around and away from the
obstacles and this allows you to use the
flow to fly along the walls.
The major consideration is river levels. We
can predict these by looking at recent
rainfall, not only in the local area but also
across the catchment area for the rivers that
supply the gorge. I’ve snorkelled gorges
during dry spells and what is great about
them is the water levels within are still high,
even if the flow is very low, acting almost
like pseudo-lakes just with greater in and
out flow. In wetter conditions when more
water is making its way from the mountains
to the sea, the gorge can become a
rollercoaster. And like a rollercoaster it can
be fun, exciting and safe. Of course as
precipitation increases so does the ferocity
of the water moving through the gorge, so
you have to be careful to consider the
conditions before and when you arrive at
the site, as you would with any dive site.
I’ve snorkelled down gorges in Asia, the
USA and France but the finest example in
the UK is the Linn of Dee in northeast
Scotland. I’ve been fortunate enough to
snorkel it a few times and the first was with
members of the Aberdeen and Ellon BSAC
Torbet on the Tube:
clubs. This was helpful, as they all know the
site well and could safely assess conditions
and assure me that even the areas of white
water were safe. Because, although the
water was plunging down through the
clefts in the rock and boiling around in pools
with names like ‘The Cauldron”, it was
actually incredibly benign.
We had both scuba divers and snorkellers
riding the dark peaty waters down the few
hundred metres from the waterfall at the
gorge entrance to its end where the river
spreads out and becomes shallow. As a
snorkeller, I felt far more nimble and
manoeuvrable, rushing headlong down the
aqua-chute before cutting left or right to
For more information on snorkelling with
BSAC go to www.bsac.com/snorkelling
Looking to introduce snorkelling into your
club? Find out more at
www.bsac.com/snorkellinginstructor
Gorgeous gorges
swim hard into the relative calm of a eddypool before catching your breath and
heading back into the current.
There were no up or down currents, so
even as the flow pulled you along, you were
in complete control of your vertical
movement. As I soared past the beautifully
smooth water-worn rock faces with their
often surreal carved fins and tiny
amphitheatres, I saw young salmon holding
position in the river by finning upstream,
something I’d have no chance at
attempting. As I left the gorge and the river
slowed down, I was met with the bright
greens of the forest in summer. All that
remained was to wade across to the bank
and walk back to the start. For another go.
There are other potential gorge
snorkelling sites in Scotland, The Lakes and
in Dartmoor – so if you know of any more,
and you’re willing to share your gem, drop
me a note via the editor. However, although
I haven’t visited them all, I think the Linn of
Dee is likely to remain the best in Britain and
it vies for my top spot as the best freshwater
snorkel in the UK. Enjoy the ride.
Believe it or not, there are snorkellers out there
who can’t resist a river gorge. Andy Torbet hears
the call of flowing water
TLeft: The beautiful gorge of
the Linn of Dee can be an
exciting and safe place to play
when conditions are right
WAbove right: Andy stands on
an underwater ledge and takes
a breather before throwing
himself back into the mix
PRight: Popping up in quiet
eddies give a snorkeller a break
from the flow. This surface
foam is not caused by pollutants
as some think just the organic
particles being frothed up
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