Do you need to bring anything?

We recommend wearing what you might for a walk on the beach in Shetland, so dress to the weather and bring a rain coat! Wellies are the ideal footwear but strong boots or on warmer days, wet shoes or wetsuit boots are also useful if you don't mind getting wet or want to explore deeper pools. On colder days, wetsuit gloves help with cold fingers if you are getting your hands wet all session. Zip pockets or otherwise secure pockets are advisable - you do not want a phone or keys slipping out an open pocket whilst crouched over starfish! Otherwise, we will provide trays for viewing, pots for collecting and ID guides and books.​

Where are we based?

We are based in Sandwick, in the South of Mainland, Shetlands largest island. Our session predominantly take place on the rocky shore at Leebitten, near Sandsayre pier and the Mousa Museum (see the map at the bottom of our home page). You can reach us by Bus from Lerwick on the No. 6 service, which will stop at the top of the hill 500m away. Occasionally sessions will be based elsewhere in Sandwick or further afield, see specifics of your booking for more details.​

What facilities are there nearby?

There are ample parking spaces (including disabled spaces) and public toilets at Leebitten, and Hoswick has a cafe that is open most days in Summer a 5 minute drive away. There is a local Spar in Sandwick too.​

What happens if the weather is bad?

We fully expect to have to cancel some sessions due to weather. A little bit of rain is fine, as is a bit bit of wind, but once they disturb the surface of the water too much, searching the rockpools becomes more difficult and less pleasant. In the case of a weather related session cancellation we will give you the choice of a full refund or another session if possible. We will aim to give at least 24 hours notice, however the weather can change quickly.​

Is the Safari dog friendly?

It can be! Please let us know in advance with details of how many dogs you want to bring. Once on the beach control your dog based on their temperament. If they are likely to chase birds or disturb the viewing trays and collected creatures, best to keep them on a lead. We do not recommend having a dog on a lead whilst navigating the rockpools but the beach area is a decent size, and well behaved free roaming dogs should be fine.

Why are the Safaris not at regular times/days?

Rockpooling is best at low tide, when as much of the shore as possible is exposed, so any creatures that moved into the area during the high tide are accessible. The low tides, whilst regular and predictable, change in height and when in the day they fall, so our schedule is based on suitably low tides (anything below 07.m, although under 0.6m is best) that fall during sociable daylight hours. Occasionally if the tides are very low, we will advertise early morning and late evening sessions as the opportunity is just too good to miss. Even if no one booked for a 7:30am session we may head down anyway! We run these tours around our other jobs so most scheduled sessions are designed not to clash with those. Contact us and we can always look into suitable tides to meet your needs.