Rathlin Island

Rathlin Island sits at the northern tip of Ireland in the North Channel, swept by strong tidal currents that upwell cold, nutrient-rich Atlantic water and support extraordinary concentrations of basking sharks, ocean sunfish, and vast kelp forests. The island's basalt columns, sea caves, and dramatic wall dives plunge to 30 metres along its wave-battered northern coast. Summer months bring aggregations of basking sharks filtering plankton blooms just metres from the cliff faces, a spectacle few places in the world can match.