Barra lifeboat crew recovered a body from choppy waters near Eriskay on Thursday after it was spotted by a diverted ferry.
The alarm was raised at about 11am by crew onboard the the MV Isle of Mull that had left Castlebay, Barra, earlier that morning before diverting around the small isles because of bad weather on its way to Oban, said a spokesperson for Barra’s community RNLI station.
Lifeboat crew carried out a search of the area until they located the body at about 1pm.
Police were informed and asked the team on board to transport the body to Eriskay, the nearest land point.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "The death is being treated as unexplained. However there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances. Our enquiries are ongoing."
A spokesperson for CalMac said the ferry operator would not be commenting on the tragedy.
Yes! I would like to be sent emails from West Coast Today
I understand that my personal information will not be shared with any third parties, and will only be used to provide me with useful targeted articles as indicated.
I'm also aware that I can un-subscribe at any point either from each email notification or on My Account screen.