Tourism & Environmental awareness could be increased with South Ayrshire Snorkel Trail
Campaigners behind South Ayrshire's first Snorkel Trail say there is a range of benefits the project would bring.
South Ayrshire could have its first Snorkel Trail on the coast as early as next spring with those behind the project saying it will bring an array of benefits to the area.
Spearheaded by Chris Saunders from Girvan’s Adventure Centre for Education (ACE), the project is now entering its consultation phase where they get feedback from local communities and ocean enthusiasts.
Similar to walking trails seen all across the country, the South Ayrshire Snorkel Trail will designate six hotspots for exploring the underside of the west coast waters.
The proposed snorkelling spots are:
• Big Isle / Whilk Isle at Lendalfoot,
• Horse Rocks Girvan,
• Turnberry Lighthouse Point,
• Maidens Harbour area,
• Culzean,
• Dunure,
• Greenan Ayr,
• Ballast Bank Troon.
The project is in partnership with Scottish Wildlife Trust in line with their living seas project and also includes input from South Ayrshire Council and the Ayrshire Outdoor Partnership.
The idea first came to Chris when he visited a similar snorkel trail on Scotland’s east coast and immediately began enquiring about the possibility of bringing one to South Ayrshire.
He tells West FM they’re hoping for a soft launch by Spring 2024 and it would bring a whole range of benefits to local communities including physical wellbeing, tourism and environmental awareness.
He said: “Of course there will be physical benefits if people are going out to swim and snorkel but there is a massive environmental benefit to this too.
“Usually a lot of people will just swim above the water and not see what’s below and what’s below is the sea life and biodiversity or sometime lack of biodiversity that’s in our oceans.
“That helps creates environmental awareness for some people, and hopefully that can influence their outlook towards climate issues which could lead to them supporting environmental initiatives that will protect our seas.
“The other aspect is tourism. It is a self-lead journey and people can enjoy the benefits in their own time.
“We’re now in the process of consulting with local communities and hosting an online consultation on October 19th.
“We want local groups, Community Councils, wild swimmers and bathers, divers and beach users to be involved at this early stage of planning and discuss with us your thoughts or concerns of this proposal.”
If you would like to get involved with the South Ayrshire Coastal Snorkel Trail or find out more information you can visit the social media pages of ACE or The Outdoor Partnership Ayrshire.