Sark, Channel Islands, United Kingdom

Sark Channel Islands

The waters around Sark in the Channel Islands offer some of the clearest and most diverse temperate diving in northern European waters, with a unique mix of cold and warm Atlantic species supported by strong tidal flushing through the Hurd Deep. The island is the world's first Dark Sky Island and the surrounding reefs, gullies, walls and pinnacles range from a few metres to over 30 metres on a clean rock and sand bottom. Notable sites include Goulet Sark, Brecqhou Cliff, Banquette Cave and the Pierre du Norman pinnacle. The walls are densely covered with jewel anemones in dazzling colour, plumose anemones, dead man's fingers, sponges, hydroids, pink coralline algae and the occasional pink seafan, normally a more southern species. Atlantic grey seals are common and curious. Resident fish include ballan wrasse, cuckoo wrasse, corkwing wrasse, pollack, bib, conger eels, tompot blennies, lobsters, edible crabs, spider crabs and the occasional cuttlefish. Visibility commonly reaches 12 to 20 metres in summer and water temperatures range from 11 to 18 degrees Celsius. Currents are strong and dives are timed around slack water from Sark and Guernsey charter boats.