What is Coasteering? The Definitive Guide

Coasteering is an amazing adventure that take exploring Scotland to new heights!

Overview

Coasteering, pronounced “coast-ear-ing” is a word you may have heard of. A factor that is even more likely as you are reading this “What is coasteering?” blog! Coasteering is an awesome adventure that is perfect for stag and hen parties, or other adult/student groups looking for a really great experience outdoors. This article is the definitive guide if you are looking for an adventure and thinking of giving coasteering a go.

Listening to the safety brief | The Shell Bay coasteer

Who are we | Intrepidus Outdoors

Intrepidus Outdoors is an outdoor activities and adventure tourism provider based in Edinburgh, Scotland. We specialise in outdoor activities such as canyoning, mountain biking and coasteering and deliver these across Scotland and the North of England. This makes us perfectly qualified to answer the question, “What is coasteering?”

We often get asked, “What is Coasteering?”  This is our answer!

What is coasteering?

So… What is coasteering? If you think of everything that you wanted to do at the beach when you were a kid, running Baywatch style down the sand and through the breaking waves, exploring caves that may once have been inhabited by smugglers, scrambling up rock spires and jumping off cliffs into the sea. That is coasteering! The difference is that when you are coasteering with us, you will be suited and booted in wetsuits, buoyancy aids and helmets so that you can really surpass those visions of adventure from your childhood.

Coasteering is adventuring at the seaside. Exploring places that most people will only photograph from the coastal path. You will get up close and personal with some of the most beautiful, rugged and exciting sections of coastline that the UK has to offer. Coasteering truly is taking your adventure to new heights!

Group picture in the “hot tub”

Who is coasteering for?

Coasteering is for absolutely everyone. The amazing thing about coasteering is that your adventure can be tailored to meet the desires and expectations of a complete range of people! Adrenaline addicts and first time adventurers alike, coasteering is the outdoor adventurous experience for you!

A factor to take into consideration when you are booking a coasteering adventure is that it helps if participants have a basic level of fitness. This adventurous experience does involve swimming, climbing around on rocks and pulling yourself out of the water in a wet wetsuit. However, if that sounds okay, you will have a great day on a coasteering adventure. Equally, swimming is a key feature of coasteering and a basic swimming ability is desirable, but by no means essential! We take lots of non-swimmers coasteering, and the buoyancy aids will give you all the confidence you need to have a great day.

Where can I go coasteering?

Coasteering is delivered commercially across the UK.  Scotland is an amazing place for all adventurous activities, in particular coasteering, and Edinburgh is close to both Shell Bay and Arbroath, which are world-class coasteering venues.

The big jump at Shell Bay!

Jumps, Jumps, Jumps!!!!

How big are the cliff jumps? How do you know it’s deep enough? What if I jump wrong?

We always get asked about jumps and for good reason, jumps are awesome!

How big are the cliff jumps?

I can, of course, only speak for Intrepidus Outdoors when I say this but the jumps that we do with our commercial trips from Edinburgh range from 1 to 10 meters. Our sessions involve coaching how to jump correctly and are progressive so everyone starts with the smaller jumps, to hone their ninja jumping skills, before progressing onto the medium sized and bigger jumps – if they wish. All clients on Intrepidus Outdoors adventures will be supported to challenge themselves, but never pressured into jumping anything that they are not comfortable with.  The reason that we don’t jump anything higher than 10 meters, with commercial groups, is that it takes a great deal of skill to jump correctly off high cliffs and the severity of the risk of mistakes mid-air is dramatically increased over this height.

How do you know its deep enough?

Our guides deliver 100’s of coasteering sessions from Edinburgh every year and we know the venues we use intimately. We have visited Shell Bay and Arbroath in the lowest tides and the biggest storms, at night and when the water is so calm and clear it looks like glass – and have the pictures to prove it! We train hard to make sure that we are the most professional, competent and skilled guides that we can be to ensure that people choosing to adventure with Intrepidus Outdoors have the best experience possible.

What if I jump wrong?

Here is the disclaimer… At Intrepidus Outdoors we take people on real adventures.  That means we aren’t taking groups on high-ropes courses, to play zorb football or to a macaroon cooking class. The outdoor experiences that we provide will expose you to real risks, although that risk is carefully managed by competent and qualified professionals – this is what we do! With that in mind… Jumping! People jump wrong all the time! This usually involves clients leaving their arms waving about in the air as they hit the water, and popping back up with stingy hands :p we coach everyone on how to jump, know the venues like the back of our hands and use the safest jumps we can. You will leave a coasteering adventure jumping for joy!

“We call this the floating sea otter”

What else do you need to know?

We have told you everything we can and I am sure you understand what coasteering is! The only thing left is to join us on a coasteering adventure!

Check out our Coasteering video on YouTube!