Shaldi Cliff west tunnel (SW entrance)

'Entered by snorkeller 20/8/21. SW entrance of the most westerly of a parallel pair of inclined rift tunnels running SW to NE through Shaldi Cliff and opening into Geo Claver. Tunnel width ~6 m throughout, height of ceiling ~7 m ACD. Water depth ~2.5 m BCD at SW entrance shallowing to ~0.5 BCD at NE entrance. Passage length estimated ~20 m. Fully illuminated. Green algal stains on walls. Halichondria & Clathrina noted in subtidal area.' [Report 1145]

Notes: Length from NGRs derived from Canmore Aerial, other dimensions estimated by Report 1145.

Links and Resources:

Shetland, Sheet LXIX (includes: Dunrossness), Survey date: 1878 Publication date: 1881. Modern OS shows two parallel tunnels running NE/SW through the narrow neck of Shaldi Cliff.
Photo 1 shows the south west entrances of this tunnel - CI62 - on the southern face of Shaldi Cliff. p110 of FI Caves (GSG version), an annexe of Report 1145.
Photo 2 shows the south west entrances of this tunnel - CI62 - and the other one from fairly close. p111 of FI Caves (GSG version), an annexe of Report 1145.
Photo 3 shows the south west entrance of this tunnel - CI62 - on the southern face of Shaldi Cliff. p114 of FI Caves (GSG version), an annexe of Report 1145.
Photo 4 a view looking east along the ridge of Shaldi Cliff, with Geo Claver on the left. Shows how steep the cliffs are. NE entrances to this and the east tunnel are out of sight on the near left (S), in Geo Claver.
Rpt 1145 Harries, D.B., Purcell, A., Moore, C.G., Lyndon A.R., Porter, J.S., Saunders, G.R. and Hume, C.L. 2024. Distribution mapping and baseline monitoring survey of sea caves around Fair Isle. NatureScot Research Report 1145.

This entry was last updated: 2025-06-18 12:58:56

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NGR:	HZ 21489 71141
WGS84:	59.52566, -1.62194
Length:	28 m
Vert. Range:	9.5 m
Altitude:	-2.5 m
Geology:	Observatory Sandstone Formation - argillaceous rock, dolomitic
Tags:	Cave, Tunnel, Arch, SeaCave
Registry:	main

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