19/10/2026
This little fella was recently spotted on one of our dive expeditions in the waters of Loch Sunart. It’s a European Flounder, one of the many species of flatfish to be found around the coast of Great Britain.
Flounders can grow up to 50cm in length and have the ability to camouflage their upper bodies to match their surroundings, a process known as ‘background adaptation’. They achieve this by using special cells called chromatophores. These contain pigments that are aggregated or dispersed throughout the cell in response to nerve signals, creating paler or darker colours.
Flounders will also bury themselves in sand as a defence mechanism, leaving just their eyes protruding above the surface to watch for danger.
These are just one of the amazing marine species that divers regularly find in Loch Sunart and the seas surrounding Laga Bay, the base for Ardnamurchan Charters.