Located in the English Channel, about 12 nautical miles from France and 87 nautical miles from Great Britain, Jersey is an island with an intricate coastline that dips in and out, with many bays, beaches, and headlands. The island’s unique geography makes it the perfect place for shore diving; though this, the largest of the Channel Islands, has a land mass covering just over 46 square miles, there is no shortage of diving to be had. Here, we’ll take a look at fun, easy shore dives that can be explored almost anytime – day or night.
Beauport
With a small boat slip and an unassuming pebble beach, Beauport is not terribly impressive to look at – at least from the surface! Wait for high tide though, and pop down into the water, and you’ll find yourself in a magical kelp forest bursting with fish and other marine life. Maximum depth at high tide is just 10 meters.
Bonne Nuit
You can access Bonne Nuit from either the beach or the pier, and you’ll find that the areas off the beach and pier are quite different from one another. Under the pier, bright pink and red strawberry anemones coat the pilings and crustaceans are abundant. Along the sand, thornback rays, undulated rays, electric rays, and starry smoothhound rays can be seen. Maximum depth at Bonne Nuit is just 12 meters, making this a nice easy dive; do use caution as boat traffic can be heavy.
Bouley Bay
A very popular site with limited parking, particularly during the summer, Bouley Bay is a great place to see cuttlefish, dragonets, and lots of other marine life including weird-looking lumpsucker fish, which are most abundant during February and March. Maximum depth is just 12 meters, and if you’re into snorkeling, you’ll find lots to see around the slip and pier.
Quaisne
Like many other shore dive sites around Jersey, Quaisne is at its best at high tide, as you won’t have to walk as far to get to the water when the tide is up. This site features a lovely sandy beach and is outstanding for its many rays, as well as for its red flatfish. Maximum depth is just 8 meters.
Rozel Bay
A lovely dive site where brilliant red and pink beadlet anemones are abundant, Rozel Bay has a pier where shoaling bass can often be encountered. This site is renowned for its electric ray activity, and if you enjoy underwater photography, you’ll find lots of enchanting creatures around the pier pilings. Maximum depth here is just 12 meters; visit at high tide for greater enjoyment.
St. Catherine’s Breakwater
If you have to choose just one dive to take while visiting Jersey, St. Catherine’s Breakwater might be the one to pick. Use the slipway to access the water, then drop down along the breakwater itself, where massive boulders create an underwater wonderland with an abundance of anemone growth creating a fascinating backdrop for a who’s who roster of marine life. Look for cleaner prawns hanging out in the green snakelock anemones, and watch for the pipefish. Devil scorpionfish are commonly encountered here, as are clingfish and squat lobsters. With maximum depth at just 12 meters, this is another site you can explore at your leisure.
Once you’ve had a taste of diving in Jersey, you’ll be hooked. There are a number of boat dives available as well, including wrecks and scenic sites; local dive shops offer rentals and charters, so this is a great place to spend some time vacationing far from the crowds that can occasionally overrun some popular destinations. So grab your dive buddy and your camera, and head to Jersey. This is one place where the diving opportunities are virtually endless.