Launched in 2022, Sea Shetland is the most northerly coasteering touring business in the UK. It specialises in coasteering, the act of navigating a rocky coastline by walking, scrambling, jumping and swimming without the aid of boats, surf boards or other craft.

The business offers a bespoke experience to clients looking to explore Shetland’s islands and coastlines, with its main goal to empower people to get out and enjoy nature.

The idea for Sea Shetland was borne out of friends Adam Tait and Michael Arthur’s mutual love of coasteering together. The pair, who are both National Coasteering Charter Guides, have 20+ years of coaching and teaching experience between them.

Adam and Michael developed a strong relationship with their Business Gateway adviser Jeff Gaskell, who provided them with 1:1 business support, helped them with their business plan, delivered a strategic review of their business and gave advice on routes to start-up funding. Through Business Gateway, the team was also able to access relevant workshops and webinars.

With the support of Business Gateway, Sea Shetland accessed a business start-up grant that they used for essential equipment to establish the business. In addition to adding more hire equipment to their services, the funding played a crucial role in overcoming a significant challenge – ensuring efficient drying of equipment. This improvement has enabled them to conduct more tours more frequently, ultimately boosting bookings.

In addition to operating coasteering tours, the co-founders brought in an investor and expanded their enterprise by acquiring Explore Shetland, which specialises in motorhome rentals. This acquisition creates a seamless synergy with Sea Shetland, offering clients the dual benefit of convenient tour access and comfortable accommodation through motorhome rentals. This integrated service addresses the challenge of limited lodging options in Shetland, enhancing the overall travel experience by merging adventure with mobility and comfort.

Co-founder Adam Tait said: “The support and advice we’ve received from Business Gateway has been a huge help to us. Being a rural business, it’s great to know that even way up in Shetland we can receive fantastic specialised support from them.

“The process we went through to secure funding made us really assess our business goals and targets and we really fine tuned some of the ideas we had. We are in a stronger position now thanks to Jeff and the rest of the team at Business Gateway.”

Jeff Gaskell, Business Gateway adviser, said: “It is fantastic to see the impressive growth Sea Shetland has experienced in a short space of time thanks to the tremendous hard work of Adam and Michael.

“I’m really pleased to have been able to work with the Sea Shetland Team and help them refine their business plan and guiding them towards securing funding.”