Our journey to Sark had begun early in the morning at Poole harbour where we boarded the huge space age shaped Seacat 'Condor Express' for our 'flight' to Guernsey. I say flight because at 40 knots it feels like flying, though with spacious seating and plenty of room to wander about there's none of the cramped seat and numb backside syndrome associated with flying. Following a meal we wandered up on deck to catch our first glimpse of the Channel Islands shimmering on the horizon. After only two and a half hours steaming it was time to transfer our equipment and luggage and board the much smaller Isle of Sark Shipping Company ferry at Guernsey for the forty five minute sailing to Sark.
Carefully picking our way through the jagged pinnacles and small islands along the route from St.Peter Port gave a foretaste of the kind of environment we could expect diving this area of the English Channel. Exposure to the Atlantic Ocean along with the absence of any pollution brings a diversity of marine life to Sark which differentiates it from anywhere else off the coast of Britain. Add to this general tidal movements of 3 knots at neaps, plus nearly twice this at springs and you begin to realise that this area is special.
Arriving at Maseline Harbour we were greeted by Andy Leman, owner of 'Dive Sark'. Andy has been diving for 10 years and is a TDI mixed Gas diver. He ran a shrewd eye over us as we unpacked our gear and prepared the nitrox bottles and weights he was supplying (which saves you lugging your own on and off the ferries). Satisfied by the competence of the group, we began to load the equipment aboard the 36' dive boat 'Dorothy' our platform for the coming week.
Our first 'shake-down' dive was to take place on L'Etac, a tiny version of Ailsa Craig - a near perfect conical rock half a mile off the southern tip of Little Sark. As we approached it was plain to see that local knowledge is not only necessary to navigate safely, but also to predict slack water - particularly as we found that slack water in this area is not near high or low water but nearer halfway between them!
The giant rocks and accompanying gullies beneath the surface of L'Etac are home to large crawfish and spider crabs and we saw both the red and rarer white sea fan coral. Nearby a cuttlefish hovered curiously as friendly wrasse swam up to us, eagerly accepting morsels from our left over packed lunches. The shelving and terraced rocky outcrops allow you to pick your own choice of depth and give spectacular views at whichever level; be it in the upper kelp reaches or at our depth of 47m, where torches were only needed to bring out the glorious colours of the anemones, corals and sponges.
Having deployed delayed SMB's for the decompression stops and satisfied Andy that we weren't likely to be a liability, we steamed off to do our first wreck, the motor vessel OOST VLAANDEREN otherwise known as the 'cement wreck'. At 150' long and over 400 tons, the Oost Vlaanderen was sunk whilst in a German convoy in 1943. She was carrying guns and cement for coastal fortifications. Sitting upright in 32m she makes a good dive with plenty of marine life. We were diving on springs for which we forfeited some visibility, though the average was between 5 and 10m.
After the first day's successful diving we headed off to our accommodation. Some walked, some rode up on bikes and those who were really tired caught the 'tractor-taxi' up Harbour Hill. In case you didn't know, there are no cars on Sark. Most people move around by bike but there are tractor drawn trailers for the heavy items or for those who need a rest (luckily Dive Sark have a place down in the harbour so you don't need to lug your gear around).
Day two saw the shot grappled into the wreck of the 250 ton paddle steamer BRIGHTON. Descending the shotline the Brighton emerged at around 40m on a sand and shingle seabed at 48m. There was little need for torches on the Brighton as a fair amount of light penetrated down enabling the divers to quickly orientate themselves. Although fairly broken up the wreck sits upright 4m or so off the bottom. The wreck is pretty much open but the framework of the old paddle wheels is easily identifiable. Another easily recognised part of the wreck is the remains of the wheelhouse. This is home to an enormous conger eel and as the dive progressed towards the bows, other similarly large specimens cast their big eyes over the divers; one even snaking past slowly in open water, showing its full 4m length and power, apparently unimpressed by the human team invading its domain.
There was constant hammering from near the wheelhouse, a reminder that something shiny, heavy and metallic had been located by the underwater archaeologist and would soon be making its way surface bound on a 50kg lifting bag. We returned up the shotline to begin the obligatory decompression stops.
The next dive was to be our deepest during the trip. The remains of a small steam tug, possibly WW II German, lie at 53m. The wreck has recently been discovered and little is know about its history. The action of the spring tide and plankton layer at 25m meant that little sunlight penetrated below this depth. It was difficult to define the various structures of the wreck over which we swam; a plate here, a bulkhead there. With the reduced visibility, it would take a proper survey to establish exactly the dimensions and size of the wreck. In view of the conditions, the skipper asked us to return to the shot at the end of the dive, with the last pair up freeing the grapple. As the last pair arrived at the 6m decompression stop we put up delayed SMB's and then we all began to drift with the ebbing tide. The skipper seemed quite impressed at the sight of our buoys all uniformly spaced apart and bobbing along in unison. After this somewhat disappointing dive, the afternoon's task was to see if we could collect enough scallops for the barbecue planned for that evening, however the bottom looked like an underwater rotivator had ploughed through it leaving just a few remnants of shell remaining.
Compensation came in the form of another friendly cuttlefish which played hide and seek in a crevice below, its colours constantly changing to blend in with its surroundings. What the barbecue lacked in shellfish was made up by the skinful of cool ale which was forced down some (by now well relaxed) divers gullets (before anyone gets upset about drinking and diving I must just add that the following day was given over to de-saturation, not to mention de-toxification!)
Our return to the water began with a visit to the 'RUDOLF WAHRENDORF', lying just outside St.Peter Port harbour and in the main path of ferries from France, Jersey and Poole. We needed clearance from the Harbour Master to dive this former ammunition carrier. Permission granted we descended the shot to 32m where the hull of the 381 ton trawler lies upright and pretty much intact. Many fish take shelter in and around the wreck and the structure has lots of sponges, anemones and seaweeds covering it. Some areas were easily identifiable, particularly the toilet which contained some attractive undamaged patterned tiling. The bowl which used to sit surrounded by the tiles has gone, with a small conger guarding the remaining pipework. Further aft were remnants of copper piping, leading from the engine room.
As six of us de-kitted aboard the dive boat the Harbour Master called us up to say that we had to get clear as a large Greek liner was due into the port. We still had divers decompressing and were given just 10 minutes. The time seemed to fly by but fortunately the last two divers surfaced just as the liner put in its appearance. We beat a hasty retreat into the harbour to visit the local dive shop and purchase a few of those little items like wrist lanyards, little torches and goody bags that you just don't seem to be able to leave a dive shop without buying.
Our final days diving brought about our final wreck & rock combination. The S.S. FORTH was sunk in 1906 and again it is one of the Channel Island wrecks about which little is known. At 20m depth the Forth can be dived as a second dive, though in our case it was the first dive of the day. The wreck is broken into two sections, the stern lying with a 70 degree list to port, whilst the bows sit upright. Following the stern along the seabed we came to the propeller shaft under which lay more massive conger eels, seemingly more shy than their counterparts earlier in the week on the 'Brighton', but big enough for us to keep a respectful distance away.
The fore-section is more broken up and collapsed, but there are lots of bits - big winches, mooring posts and the like to keep everyone interested. Once again the latter part of the dive was punctuated by the 'clang, clang, clang' of the underwater archaeologist trying, in vain, to 'rescue' an artefact.
A totally different experience brought our diving to its climax in the last dip of the week. The Guillot caves penetrate the point where Sark and the smaller island of Brecqhou almost touch. To traverse the 60m long cave, the tide has to be gauged just right. The depth of only 7m presents no problems and everyone in the party enjoyed the few minutes it took to swim along the tunnel. Our lights picked out the beautiful jewel anemones, yellow sponges and soft corals that lined the walls.
Not long after it was fit to enter, the wave motion started to surge in the cave, flushing everyone out in an exhilarating ride into the Southern bay. We were able to browse around the local fauna on a shallow 10m reef and saw signs of the rejuvenating population of the local rarity, the (not so) common Ormer - a sort of large limpet only found in the Channel Islands. Staying down for over an hour, it seemed none of us wanted to surface and bring to a close a week that we had enjoyed so much.
Steaming back around the island, I asked the other group members for the one word which they thought best summarised the past week's experiences. 'Relaxing, easy, contrasting, different, unique and accommodating' were the words everyone came up with. For my own part, I'd like to quote the eloquent words of Arnold Schwarzenegger to sum up my feelings about Sark - 'I'll be back'.

Expedition organiser Roger Buckner, who has lived on Sark and has been back many times since, gives his insight into this tiny, but fascinating island:
Sark is said to be the jewel in the crown of the Channel Islands. The poet Swinburne described Sark as 'a small sweet world of wave-encompassed wonder', however, one wag writing in a national newspaper said it was 'a lump of rock in the English Channel with 500 alcholics clinging to it!' Whereas the latter statement may be a bit of an exaggeration there is no denying Sark's magnificent costal scenery. The island is just three miles long by one and a half miles at the widest point; an unrestricted walk around the coastline would cover some forty five miles. The huge cliffs, crags and rocky inlets provide some of the finest coastal scenery imaginable and on a clear day all the other channel Islands are visible as is the Normandy coast of France.
Above the massive cliffs and hardly visible from the sea, is a flourishing country of small fields, many wild flowers and butterflies, with the odd thickly wooded valley dotted here and there. Small streams lead down to small coves, some with sandy beaches. Though most beaches or bays are not readily accessible (they would be described as busy if a dozen people were on them) they reward the explorer with an abundance of large rock pools and caves.
What makes the island so different and special is not only the splendid landscape, but also its way of life, although sadly this has been affected over recent years by the pressure of change brought about by wealth and Sark's Tax Haven status. However like most island communities, amongst the indigenous population there still exists a sense of togetherness and communal support in coping with the elements of sea and weather. Sark has no serious crime, no plagues of lager louts and many householders still do not lock their doors at night. The pace of life is so different from the mainland and that is why Sark is so often called 'the peaceful Island'. There are no cars, just tractors, horses and bicycles move along the un-metalled roads. With no street lighting the one thing that strikes many visitors is how clear the sky is at night, the unpolluted air allowing them to see a myriad of stars and the fullness of the Milky Way.
For the visitor who wants to make diving part of a family holiday, Sark is ideal. There is a full range of accommodation including 3 star family hotels, self-catering, B&B and camping (though there is a finite amount available and it is advisable to book well in advance!

By Joe Walker.