SNORKEL WILD
Learn, explore and discover the incredible underwater world of Scotland's seas
Coldingham Bay, St Abbs and Eyemouth, Berwickshire coast, South East Scotland, UK
Join me on a snorkelling adventure to explore and discover the incredible underwater world of Scotland's seas. We'll float above a colourful underwater forest, looking out for fish, crabs and many other wonderful creatures in their natural environment. You'll learn about the different marine environments and interesting marine life and why we should conserve it.
Snorkelling is a fun, accessible and easy-to-learn activity. Floating in seawater can also be a very mindful and relaxing experience, allowing you to switch off from the world above and connect with nature - plus, you don't need all the heavy scuba diving gear or lots of training!
Based on the stunning Berwickshire coast in South East Scotland in a voluntary marine reserve, I offer personalised Snorkelling adventures for all ages and abilities.
For beginners and those with less experience, join a Discover Snorkelling session. From the beach, you'll learn how to snorkel and explore the shallows of Coldingham Bay, looking for marine life.
For those with some experience, I can plan a tailored Guided Snorkelling session at Coldingham Bay or other snorkel sites in nearby St Abbs and Eyemouth. Let me know what you'd like to focus on - explore different habitats, learn to identify marine life, practice your snorkelling techniques and get some tips and tricks for UK snorkelling.
For water-confident 6 - 9 year old children (and nervous adults), I run accessible Snorkpooling sessions in shallow, sheltered pools where younger children can stand up. Please ask!
I keep groups small, with no more than 6, to have a low environmental impact on the area and for a more personal experience. Full kit hire is included, with 5mm wetsuits and full snorkelling kit.
I run private family and friend groups of 2-6 people and personalised one-to-one sessions. This year, I’ll also be running scheduled open group sessions for individuals to join. I can plan sessions for schools, youth, community, and corporate groups. I can also travel to run sessions outside Berwickshire by request.
All sessions run in the Summer months every day from June - September. I plan sessions around tide times and will provide you with some suitable dates and times depending on what type of session you'd like, the number of people, abilities and ages of any children.
Please get in touch by email or text / call to book. Let me know what type of experience you'd like, how many people, the ages of any children and your availability, so I can plan your session.
DISCOVER SNORKELLING
For beginners or those with less experience
Are you a beginner, or have you tried snorkelling abroad and wanted to have a go in the UK?
Accompanied by an experienced and patient instructor:-
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learn the basics, how to use a mask, snorkel and fins
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communicate using hand signals - safety and sea creatures
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learn how to clear water from your mask and snorkel
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practice how to position yourself in the water and use fins
After learning the basics and gaining confidence in the water, we'll:-
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explore the shallow rocky and sandy areas, looking for and identifying marine life
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for those that want to give it a go - learn how to duck dive and swim underwater
The session includes full safety briefings, an introduction to the Berwickshire Marine Reserve, a marine life presentation and a sea creature spotter sheet for younger children. I’ll capture some memories and marine life with an underwater camera and share these with you.
With up to 1 hour in the water, allow 3 hours from arrival to finish. Sessions will be from the beach in Coldingham Bay, Berwickshire, between June - September.
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Friends & Family private group 2-6 people
Suitable for ages 10 and upwards. I also run family-friendly Snorkpooling sessions for children under 10 - Just ask!
From £60 - £100 each
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One-to-One
A personalised one-to-one session with an instructor. Minimum age 10
£120
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Open group scheduled
Join a group of up to 6 people for a shared experience. Contact me for available dates. Minimum age 16
£60 each
All prices include a 5mm wetsuit and snorkelling kit.
Contact me directly to enquire and book
GUIDED SNORKELLING
For those with some snorkelling experience who are comfortable in the open sea
Do you have snorkelling experience? Want to explore some different sites in Scotland? Need to refresh your skills or build your confidence? Want to know where or when to look for specific marine life and explore different habitats?
With the comfort of an experienced snorkelling guide to plan your session, I can:-
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take you to some great snorkelling spots to explore different habitats
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help you find and identify marine life, when and where to look for certain species like Nudibranchs (sightings not always guaranteed!)
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refresh your snorkelling skills
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build your confidence to feel comfortable exploring with a buddy
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teach you how to duck dive using a weight belt
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share my knowledge of local sites, conditions and tides and how to plan a snorkel
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give you tips and techniques for safe UK snorkelling
We can explore the shallow rocky reef or float above the kelp forests and sandy areas, looking for marine life. For a more active snorkel, we can swim over deeper water from point to point with some duck diving practice using a weight belt. Fancy an early morning snorkel or exploring at dusk by torchlight?
Guided sessions typically take place in Coldingham Bay or other nearby sites accessed from the shore in Eyemouth and St Abbs.
I can tailor the session to you, so let me know what you’d like to focus on, and I can suggest specific sites, dates and times. Some sites are tide-dependent, and local conditions mean that I can't guarantee we can always get to a specific site. I can travel to run sessions outside Berwickshire by request.
With up to 1 hour in the water, allow 3 hours from arrival to finish. Sessions run between June - September.
The session includes full safety briefings, an introduction to the Berwickshire Marine Reserve, a marine life presentation and anything specific to your session. I’ll capture some memories and marine life (or videos of your duck diving technique!) with an underwater camera and share these with you.
After your guided snorkel:-
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find out how to progress your skills
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sign up for Sub club to join like-minded snorkellers at regular subsidised sessions and events
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find out how to get certified as a BSAC Snorkel Diver
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Friends & Family private group 2-6 people
Suitable for ages 10 and upwards
From £60 - £100 each
-
One-to-One
A personalised one-to-one session with an experienced guide. Minimum age 10
£120
-
Open group scheduled
Join a group of up to 6 people for a shared experience. Contact me for available dates. Minimum age 16
£60 each
All prices include a 5mm wetsuit and full snorkelling kit.
Contact me directly to enquire and book
ONE to ONE
£120 including full kit hire and wetsuit
Get a personalised one-to-one session with Genine, the instructor and guide.
You can plan this as either a Discover Snorkelling or I can tailor it to your needs as a Guided Snorkel.
Up to 1 hour in the water; allow 3 hours from arrival to finish. Sessions run from Coldingham Bay, between June and September.
Minimum age 10.
Contact me directly to enquire and book
OPEN GROUP SNORKELLING
£60 each including full kit hire and wetsuit
Join others for a group experience to Discover Snorkelling
Upto 1 hour in the water, allow 3 hours from arriving to finish.
Minimum age 16.
Contact me directly to enquire and book
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR & GUIDE
Founder, Snorkel Instructor & Guide
Genine
Hello, I’m Genine. I'm based in the historic fishing town of Eyemouth on the Berwickshire coast in Scotland. I’m passionate about marine life, the environment, and conservation, particularly in our local seas. I enjoy sharing my passion and educating people about the importance of our seas through the adventure of snorkelling.
I grew up in the countryside, in the Midlands, far away from the sea. Fascinated by nature. I spent my childhood playing in fields and dirt, watching birds and studying insects. I always had a curiosity for the sea but didn't have that many opportunities to explore, aside from our occasional family trips to the seaside. One of my earliest memories of the coast was making sandcastles on the beach in Blackpool, thinking the sea was very far away and being scared of standing on the worm casts in case they stung my feet. Since then, I've had many opportunities to travel and whilst in Indonesia in 2011, I learned to scuba dive and got the bug for exploring underwater. I spent a lot of time after that travelling to dive in tropical waters, including Thailand, the Red Sea, Borneo, Vietnam, the Philippines, Belize and Costa Rica, as well as taking part in volunteering conservation holidays.
In 2014, I moved to Newcastle-upon-Tyne for work and, in a chance encounter with a local dive club at the swimming pool, I discovered UK scuba diving. I realised right on my doorstep, there was a whole new world right there beneath the surface of the North Sea. I rekindled my love for UK nature and felt like a curious child again discovering a new place to explore amongst these wonderful hidden habitats searching and learning about the huge diversity of marine life.
I regularly travelled to Eyemouth to dive in the voluntary marine reserve and soon qualified as a PADI divemaster, leading Discover scuba diving courses, helping assist trainees and guiding certified scuba divers.
In 2019, I took a break from my career as a User Researcher to volunteer as a marine ranger for the Berwickshire Marine Reserve charity. I lived and worked within the community supporting several projects with local organisations, businesses, schools, and visitors to protect, educate and promote the area of water known as the St Abbs and Eyemouth Voluntary Marine Reserve. It was whilst here that I started snorkelling a lot more. Without all the heavy kit to prepare and carry around, I could simply pick up my mask, snorkel and fins, and with easy access from the shore, I started to see as much marine life in the shallow water as I was diving and always saw something new. I started to share and promote snorkelling with others, voluntarily meeting up with other curious snorkelers to share the experience. Sorry divers!
I’m very grateful and lucky since then to have continued to live and work in this beautiful coastal area. At the end of Summer 2020, I started getting some interest in introducing beginners to the underwater world of the UK and saw an opportunity to share my passion. I started teaching and guiding snorkelling in the area and have continued to do so through the Summer months ever since. I thoroughly enjoy the reward people get when they peer under the surface and see how wonderful it is and every time is different. I enjoy the challenge of planning each session individually around the tides and weather here on the East coast. I remain curious and continue to learn and see new things, and I love sharing this with others.
I'm a BSAC-qualified snorkel instructor and a PADI Divemaster. I have lifesaver and first aid qualifications and am fully insured. I plan, organise, teach and guide all the sessions.
I look forward to hearing from you to book your underwater adventure this Summer! - Genine
