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The Channel Islands
The Channel Islands of Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and Sark are located in the English Channel between England and France and are nearer to France than to the English mainland.
Guernsey and Jersey are the largest of the islands with Alderney and Sark also being inhabited. Sark is the smallest inhabited island and enjoys the warmest sea temperatures in the British Isles.
The islands are generally warmer and sunnier than Great Britain with warmer and clearer water. However, they are not so far south that they escape from the potential rapid variations associated with their maritime environment.
The Channel Islands have a unique status in that they are part of Great Britain but not part of the United Kingdom or the EU.
THE DIVING
The Channel Islands offer wreck and reef diving. The large tidal ranges experienced in the islands means that there is limited commercial fishing and abundant fish life to be enjoyed by divers. There are numerous wrecks around the islands and between the islands and the French mainland but the large tidal range and heavy swell in winter means that wrecks close to shore are generally well-broken. Many of these wrecks date from the Second World War.
The rocky coastlines are host to a huge variety of marine life. Shallow rocky bays are home to many types of wrasse as well as pollock, mullet and bass, with pipefish hiding among the kelp. Tube worms, sea squirts, nudibranchs and tom pot blennies can be found among the rocks. Lobsters, crabs and crayfish abound and, from early summer onwards, cuttlefish and John Dory are a common sight. In deeper water the rock faces are covered in jewel anemones, fan corals and dead mens fingers. Shoals of pouting inhabit the shipwrecks, while conger eels and orange cuckoo wrasse hide in the wreckage. Sea urchins and starfish cling to the underwater cliffs, and flatfish, rays and dogfish lie camouflaged on the seabed.
Because of the islands' southerly position, many species which are rare or unknown around the coast of mainland Britain are found here. Ormers are a species of abalone-like shellfish which is unique to the Channel Islands. The rare black-face blenny, with its distinctive orange-yellow body, is common in the rocky shallows. Tiny pink and purple striped prawns, not found elsewhere in the British Isles, can be found in the tentacles of snakelock anemones.
In the summer there are also occasional sightings of more unusual creatures including basking sharks, triggerfish, seahorses, sunfish and dolphins.
Diving can be undertaken either from the islands or by joining a live-aboard boat from southern England.
Maureen of Dart is a traditional wooden hulled trawler converted for liveaboard diving and specialises in diving trips to Normandy, the South West of England, Brittany and the Channel Islands. Her skipper, Mike Rowley, is a BSAC National Instructor, Inspiration Rebreather Instructor Trainer and CCR Mixed Gas Diver. Giles Rowley, Mike's son and co-skipper, is an Advanced Diver, an Inspiration CCR diver and trimix certified on both OC and CCR. Mike's wife and co-skipper, Penny, is also a BSAC Instructor and arguably the best dive chef afloat - what a combination! Mike regularly takes divers to the Channel Islands and has been kind enough to give us these details.
Dive sites in the Channel Isles
Guernsey
Dr. Rudolf Wahrendorf. V-209. Vorpostenboot (Guardship). 20m in 30m Built 1928, Sunk 24 July 1944. Bombed by allied bombers. 381tg, 148`x 25`x 12.5`. Upright and complete lying on a slope less than 0.5M from St. Peter Port harbour (Permission to dive required from Harbour Control VHF Ch.12. Cargo Ammunition which has been removed. A lot of fish on wreck but wreck is silty.
M.V. Oost Vlanderen (known locally as the Cement Wreck). Armed motor vessel. 22m in 31m 421tg, 149`x 26`x 9`. Built 1931, sunk 26 May 1943 by British aircraft. Upright and intact with AA gun in hold. Much fish life on wreck including large congers but is Silty. Highly tidal, slack water dive only.
Tug & 2 Barges. 48m in 52m. German tug with 2 barges on tow, sunk by allied aircraft in WW2. Upright & intact, seldom dived. Good dive for those prepared for short tidal window.
SS Bizon. German, 783TG 190' lng.52m in 57m. Sunk 8 May 1944 by Free French MTBs south of St.Peter Port. Part of convoy en route to St. Peter Port. Crew used straw bails as liferafts but French machine gunned them. Upright and complete to just aft of wheelhouse. Wheelhouse still intact, stern broken flat. Much fish life, excellent dive. Slack water only.
SS Dromar. Small cargo ship. 46m in 49m. Sunk south of Guernsey, close to Bizon. Slack water only.
SS Forth. 10m. Well broken. Slack water only
SS Yorouba. 20m. French brigantine rigged iron steamer. 1910tg, 271`x 36`x 24`. Built 1883, wrecked in fog 13 April 1888 off Lihou, North west coast. Well broken, engines, boilers and winches stand clear of seabed. Slack water only.
SS Briseis. French cargo ship. 21m. 2964tg, 321`x 46`x 23`. Built 1914, sunk 1st Oct. 1937, hit a rock off Vazon Bay, NW coast. Intact but flattened, cargo of wine, bows are intact and lying on port side. Large boilers and engine block. Usually good vis with lots of fish life. Good second dive. Slack water only.
M.V. Prosperity. 10m 2088TG. 323' x 45' x 18'. Built 1943, sunk 16 Jan 1974. Engine failed in heavy weather and hit La Conchee Rock off NW coast. Very well broken. Slack water only.
SS Dagenham. 21m 1466tg, 239`x 36`x 15`. Cargo - coal. Built 1907, sunk 8 April 1907. Whilst en-route to St. Malo in daylight and calm sea ran into Le Grunes du Nord on the NW coast. Broken. Good rummage dive. Slack water only and beware the Grunes which lie just beneath the surface at slack water, occasionally showing in swell.
SS Wear. 21m. 1076tg, 222`x 33`x 14`. Built 1905, sunk May 15 1910 whilst en-route from Newcastle to St. Servian with coal. Struck the Grunes du Nord. Jumbled up with SS Dagenham wreckage.
M.V. Captain Niko.38m in 49m. 6680tg, 460`x 55`x 26`. Broken in large pieces. Built 1948, sunk 5 May 1973. Whilst en-route from Rotterdam to Alexandria with cargo of 9100 tons of fertilizer in heavy seas the cargo shifted and she began taking water. The supply ship Turbot took her in tow in an attempt to gain calm water but the list became unmanageable and the to was dropped. She sank 3.5M North of the north coast. Very tidal, slack water only and in exposed position so calm conditions needed.
P.S. Brighton. 42m in 48m. 265tg, Paddle steamer. Upright and partly intact but sunk into the white sand bottom. Paddle wheels can be seen and parts of deckhouse. Sunk 29 Jan. 1887, struck Braye Rocks at the top of the Little Russel. Low water dive preferred as high water can be up to 10m deeper.
SS Figaro. 46m in 49m. Old cargo ship, not much known of her. She lies on the east side of Boue Baker. This is seldom dived and difficult to locate as she lies in gulleys and doesn't show up on the sounder. Best dived at LW slack as HW slack can be up to 8m deeper. Slack water only dive.
Forein Wall. 10m to 35m. Rock wall just outside St. Peter Port. Covered in life but is silty. Good second dive. Slack water only.
Anfre Wall. 12m to 40m. Rock wall on east coast with gullies. Covered in life with a small field gun at the base of the wall. Slack water dive but can be done as a drift along the wall.
Longue Pierre Wall. 10m to 50m. St. Martins Point. Spectacular rock walls all around the pinnacle with overhangs & covered in life. Slack water dive only as there can be dangerous down currents in tide. Rock faces are covered with jewel anemones, sea fans and soft corals.
Boue De Kaine Pinnacle. 10m in 35m Rock pinnacle in exposed location on the south coast. Gulleys, small caves and walls. Abundant sea life with sea fans and crawfish but can be silty. Slack water dive only.
Boue Blondel Pinnacle. 14m in 40m Rock pinnacle in exposed location on the NW coast. Gulleys and walls with abundant sea life. Slack water dive only.
Sark
L`Etac Wall. 0m to 40m. Rock wall with deep gullies off the southern tip of Sark.
Les Vingt Clos Wall. 10m to 40m. Spectacular rock wall with surrounding reefs & gullies off east coast. Covered in jewel anemones, fan corals and soft corals. Probably the prettiest dive in the Channel Isles. Usually very good visibility. Slack water dive. Rock face is on the southern tip of the reef.
Ecrillais Wall. 16m to 50m. Steep rock slope with deep gullies off the NE coast. Slack water dive.
La Givaude Reef. 8m to 35m. Gulleys and reef off the west coast. Visibility can be relatively poor for Sark.
Guliot Passage Drift.10m . Short lived but very fast (up to 7 knots) drift. Beware of boat traffic.
German minesweeper. 46m in 52m. Sunk WW2 off the east coast. Large minesweeper, upright and complete, superstructure missing. 88mm guns on bows and stern. Props in place, depth charges on deck. Anti-mine grenade cannons on stern. Superb dive, usually very good vis and fish life. Slack water only.
Jersey
SS Schokland. Small cargo/passenger ship. 24m in 30m. 1113TG, 225' x 33' x 14'. Single triple expansion engine. Built 1915 in Holland. Sunk by hitting rocks about a mile off Portelet Bay south of Jersey on 4 Jan. 1943. She was carrying 284 German troops of whom 106 were lost. Upright and complete although the superstructure is now collapsed and the bulwarks are collapsing inwards. Can swim through the whole wreck. The captains boots can be seen stuck in his bath next to the engine room. Abundant fish life and usually good visibility but can be poor on spring tides. Slack water dive only.
M343 German Minesweeper. 30m in 34m. In 2 sections about 9 miles SW of Jersey. Bow listing to port, stern upright. 88mm gun lies in the sand off the port stern. A complete torpedo sits on the sand off the starboard stern. Machine guns also lie off the starboard stern. The high speed boilers sit proud and small anti-mine grenade cannons are fixed to the deck. The bow section lies about 6-8m away on its port side. Anchors are in place and steel portholes are visible in the hull. Sits on white sand. Abundant fish life and a superb dive. Slack water only.
TSS Princess Ena. 34m in 41m. 1198tg, 250` long. Passenger ship sunk by fire in the 1950s. Bows complete lying on port side, amidships damaged by fire and open, twin triple expansion engines and triple boilers stand proud amidships. This is a superb dive with usually stunning visibility and abundant fish life including large pollack and conger as well as large shoals of bib. She lies 11 miles west of Jersey and is a slack water only dive.
Armed Trawler. 21m in 25m. Broken up but all parts recognisable. Much fish life. The wreck seems to be a nursery for small lobsters. Good second dive. Slack water only.
Kronwyck.27m in 31m. Upside down. Stern & bows complete. Midships broken. Twin props. Engine room open. Good second dive. Slack water only.
Heron (Tomato boat). Small coaster. 20m. Lies on the Paternosters reef north of Jersey. Upright and complete. Good dive. Slack water only.
La Mauve. 18m . 64' boat sunk by Jersey underwater centre for diver training. Originally a maintenance vessel for the Harbour Board she was in effect a barge as she never had a prop and was towed everywhere. She sits on a rocky bottom about a mile off Bouley Bay off the north coast. She has abundant fish life. The wreck of a small fishing vessel lies within feet of her stern.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
The Channel Islands have one of the largest tidal ranges in the British Isles. Those planning shore dives should beware of the large tidal range and seek local knowledge. It is recommended that divers pick neap tides when planning a trip to the Channel Islands.
The visibility around the Channel Islands is typically better than most places around England. Sark is particularly noted for good visibility which can often reach 15 metres. Spring tides and poor weather will reduce visibility
Commercial fishing is strongly regulated and diving for fish is prohibited except for licensed scallop divers.
NON DIVERS
Non divers will find much to entertain them on the islands. Historical and archaeological sites abound, including numerous sites dating from the occupation during the Second World War. There are wonderful sandy beaches and in many ways it is an ideal family holiday location.
Exploring the islands on foot is also a popular pastime.
EATING OUT
Good food has been one of the Channel Islands' attractions for many years and the islands have built up an international reputation for the range of restaurants and cooking styles. The islands offer widespread use of fresh local produce, interesting and varied menus together with good value for money.
Local specialities include: Bean Crock, a mixture of dried beans, onions, herbs and pigs' trotters; Fiottes, balls of flour, sugar and egg cooked in milk, Des Boudelets, apples in dough baked in spices and La Soupe D'Andgulle, conger eel soup.
GETTING THERE
There are regular ferry sailings to Guernsey and/or Jersey from Poole, Weymouth and Portsmouth. Ferry services operate to Sark from both Jersey and Guernsey throughout the year.
Jersey and Guernsey can be reached from most UK major airports.
There are daily scheduled direct flights from Southampton, Shoreham (Brighton International), Bournemouth, Jersey and Guernsey to Alderney. Alternatively, Alderney can be reached by frequent 15 minute flights from Guernsey or Jersey.
A passenger ferry service operates between Cherbourg, Guernsey and Alderney from April through to September. A car/cargo ferry licensed to carry up to 12 passengers, 4 cars/containers or 55 tons of freight operates between Cherbourg and Alderney; sailing every Tuesday and Thursday, subject to weather.
Sark does not have its own airport nor does the harbour have the capacity to be reached by large passenger ferries. Visitors to Sark therefore travel via Guernsey or Jersey. The most popular route is via Guernsey, which is well-served by regular flights from many UK cities, as well as mainland Europe.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
British Citizens and Citizens of the Irish Republic do not require passports or entry visas for travel between their respective countries and Jersey - they will require passports for trips to France. Passengers flying between the UK and the Channel Islands need valid photographic ID in order to travel.
If taking a car, a GB sticker will be required. Petrol is cheaper on the islands than in Great Britain but petrol stations are closed on Sundays. Beware that roads are generally narrow and some regulations are different from those found in Great Britain. Cars drive on the left.
You may require a licence to import these items to some of the islands:
Firearms, explosives and ammunition, including fireworks and gas canisters.
Animals and birds.
Endangered species whether alive or dead also such things as fur, ivory, and reptile leather (or goods made from them).
Uncooked meats and poultry.
Certain plants, trees, shrubs, potatoes, fruit and vegetables.
Certain radio transmitters, such as CB radios.
Caravans and dormobiles.
Although the Channel Islands have their own coins and notes, trade is conducted in Pounds Sterling. All major debit and credit cards are widely accepted. English money is freely accepted as are UK cheques supported by a banker's card and most credit cards. Euros are accepted in a limited number of outlets. All banks exchange currency and there are a number of Bureaux de Change.
Emergency medical services for visitors from the UK may be free but there may be variations between the islands. In patient care is generally free. Visitors may be required to pay for medical evacuation to the mainland if required, visits to GPs - the situation is very variable. Travel insurance is recommended.
The electrical supply on the islands is 240 volts ac.
The possession or importation of heroin, morphine, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, barbiturates, LSD and MD (M) A (Ecstasy) are totally banned in all the Channel Islands and - irrespective of category, quantity, street value or personal circumstances except if prescribed- may be punished with severe fines and in many cases carries a prison sentence.
Climate:
CONTACTS
Guernsey Department of Tourism
P.O. Box 23
St-Peter Port, Guernsey, Channel Islands
GY1 3AN
Jersey Tourism
Liberation Quare, St Helier, Jersey
JE1 1BB, Channel Islands
Island websites:
Guernsey Tourist Board
Jersey Tourist Board
Alderney Tourist Information
Sark Tourist Board
MV Maureen Charters:
Tel: +44 (0) 1803 835449
Mobile/boat phone: +44 (0) 7860 571012
Fax: +44 (0) 1803 835449
email: maureen@deepsea.co.uk
23 Lower Fairview Road
Dartmouth
Devon
TQ6 9EE
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