Wild Diamond » Activities

surfing

admin — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:34:02 +0000

Wild Diamond offer surfboard and bodyboard hire (no instruction) to those looking to explore the island’s waves. Boards are hired from our shop and HQ in Cornaig and can be taken from here to the surf break that suits your ability level. We are happy to offer help and assistance with your choice of venue on a day to day basis to ensure that you get the best conditions to match your ability level, with a minimum of hassle and fuss.

Tiree has waves for all ability levels and you can often find yourself and your buddies out in epic conditions without anyone else around!

If you are struggling to transport your equipment, say you are on foot or on bikes, we are happy to deliver equipment to the beach and uplift the equipment at the end of your session (Charges may apply. Please ask for details.)

Surfing and bodyboarding are both physically demanding sports which require a reasonable degree of water competence. We are happy to advise you on where to go but the end decision to go in the water is yours. Stay safe in the water and know your limits!

windsurfing

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:30:32 +0000

Classic Autumn Wavesailing on Tiree at Gott bay.

Wild Diamond offer windsurfing hire, course work, coaching and 2 hour taster sessions.

Tiree is the perfect destination for ALL levels of windsurfing and home to the annual windsurfing competition the Tiree Wave Classic.

Beginners and Intermediate we recommend to visit us at any stage through our season. All instruction and hire for this level of sailor is based at Loch Bhasapol in the Township of Cornaig.

Advanced and Wave Sailors we recommend to visit us during March, April, May, June, September and October which are Tiree’s windier months. This instruction can be based at Loch Bhasapol or at any of Tiree’s fantastic beach venues, depending on suitable conditions.

Our centre stocks a range of equipment including Simmer Style, Fanatic, Tabou and Naish which suits all ages and abilities. Whatever your level the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and our instructors will build a personal sailing development plan around you to allow you to accomplish your windsurfing ambitions whilst staying on Tiree.

Rig from the back of our trailer. Hassle free windsurfing!

Our advanced setup is run from the back of a large mobile box trailer and this in turn allows us to access any beach on the island within twenty minutes of making the decision to sail. The beauty of it is that on arrival all you have to do is throw your boom on your sail, connect your board and go! Oh yeah… and put your wetsuit on! It can be sunny but it isn’t Hawaii!

The advantage of this is made even more obvious when the conditions change and you have to change equipment to suit. five minutes later you are effectively de-rigged and re-rigged and good to go again on the correct equipment. All of the hassle is removed from the process.

Equipment ready to go at the Loch edge!

Our inland windsurfing base at Loch Bhaspol allows us to work from the waters edge on one of the best beginner/intermediate/advanced windsurfing lakes in Europe. The loch has a sandy bottom and is shallow for two hundred metres or so from the centre building. It is the windiest spot on the island with any wind direction with south in it and is warm enough to sail in a shorty wetsuit in the summer!

All of our equipment is stored rigged in a shed buy the waters edge and ready to go at a moments notice. Our windsurfing taster session program in the summer is very popular and booking in advance is strongly advised to avoid disappointment throughout July and August.

kitesurfing

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:29:48 +0000

Classic Gott Bay Teaching conditions!

Tiree is the perfect place to learn to kitesurf in Scotland. This is an exciting and immediately addictive sport that is visually attractive to all those who see it. Kitesurfing is also an easy and rewarding sport to learn if practiced in a safe and controlled environment. The island’s primary kite spot is Gott bay on the East coast of the island.

Gott bay has flat water and its shallow gradient means that you can find your feet for a reasonable distance from the beach. This allows for a safe beginners kitesurfing experience. The bay is also exposed with no obstacles and this provides consistent wind conditions which are favorable for all, regardless of your standard.

Brand new gear each year.

Wild Diamond Kitesurfing has IKO (International Kiteboarding Organization) recognition and our courses are designed for beginners and intermediates. Courses are based at Gott Bay on the east coast of the island where the waters are for the most part, shallow and flat.

Courses are structured around day long sessions (5 hours). The format is flexible for the most part with learning being achieved through repetitive practice of routines that we have generated to help students progress safely and quickly with the sport. No matter what you think that you may have difficulties with, we will be able to progress your kitesurfing. Willie is an experienced IKO accredited instructor with over ten years of teaching experience in kitesurfing.

The centre currently uses a range of Takoon kites including the Furia LTD kites and Naish kitesurfing boards. Extensive testing of equipment has led us to believe that this equipment will be the easiest for clients to learn and progress on in 2011!

Kitesurfing paradise!

sandyachting

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:29:21 +0000

Sandyachting on Gott Bay

Sandyachting with Wild Diamond is a fantastic adrenaline outdoor sport which ideally suits a flat beach with steady winds. Tiree offers just such conditions in abundance in particular Gott Bay renowned for its sandyachting potential due to its extended length and compact sand. This makes for some superb, fast paced racing action! The sport itself is very quick to learn, particularly with the yachts that we use which are manufactured by ‘Xsail’. These excellent machines have steering just like you would find on a bike making using our yachts much simpler (and faster!) than some other sandyachts available on the market!

Sandyacht racing!

Wild Diamond will take you though the basics of getting safely into the yachts, getting up and running, steering, turning and recovering from potential capsizes in a matter of minutes! After that hours of fun can be had racing around courses, free sailing on the hard sand or racing down the length of the beach! The thrill of Sandyachting is that it is immediately fun and very accessible for all of the family without the need to put on wetsuits and get in the water. We acknowledge that not everyone visiting the island swims and we hope that this provides a fun alternative to our water based pursuits. All that you require is some warm clothing and maybe a hat and gloves since moving along at high speed is often quite chilly!

stand-up-paddle boarding (SUP)

admin — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:10:05 +0000

Willie carving along the wave!

Stand up Paddle Surfing (SUP) is an alternative to regular surfing or kayaking/canoeing. SUP is great for fitness, very good fun and works perfectly in flat calm conditions! This cross breed of paddling and surfing appeals to a wide audience and on the right equipment, is surprisingly easy!

Tiree offers an abundance of SUP spots. The calm waters of Loch Bhasapol lead you on to Gott Bay, Crossapol and eventually the larger and more challenging surf on the west coast of the island. A full range of conditions within ten miles of one another. Tiree is the perfect spot for SUP and SUP is a great ‘no wind’ alternative for windsurfers and kitesurfers, and is a perfect ‘small swell’ alternative for surfers. It is also a quick surf fix for kayakers who don’t want to take the time to learn how to surf. Everyone is a winner with SUP!

Group SUP beginners lessons

Our hire and instruction of SUP is run on a very flexible basis working around you and the predominant weather conditions. We will operate in a wide variety of venues and water surface conditions. This means that no two lessons or paddling sessions are the same and therefore the learning curve of this sport is a very steady and progressive one.

Ideal first time beginners waves for SUP!

A typical format would involve an introduction to SUP on flat water in the morning for new clients and then after lunch allow the clients, with their newly found paddling experience, the opportunity to try and catch some waves at a wave beach (conditions dependent)!This is one of the best days out that money can buy at £50 per head for the full days hire and instruction! This includes transport from the centre to the chosen venues for the day and returning to the centre at the end of the day for the full ‘Surf-fari’ experience!

Exploring the coast by SUP!