Garvellachs

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The Garvellachs (Scottish Gaelic: Garbh Eileaich) or Isles of the Sea form a small archipelago in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Part of the Argyll and Bute council area, they lie west of Lunga and northwest of Scarba and have been uninhabited since World War II.

The islands include Garbh Eileach, Dùn Channuill and Eileach an Naoimh.

The waters surrounding the islands are extensively used for leisure sailing. A good knowledge of the area is required, with weather conditions likely to change very quickly. Due to the array of separate tidal races produced by the underwater topography there are some treacherous stretches of water. These include the Grey Dogs and the Gulf of Corryvreckan, between Scarba and Jura in which is located the infamous Corryvreckan whirlpool, which is the third largest whirlpool in the world. It surrounds a pyramid-shaped Basalt Pinnacle, rising from a depth of 70 metres to 29 metres below sea level, at its rounded top. It is not unusual to find 9 metre high waves passing between the islands at high tide.