This Is Guernsey

One of nature’s most amazing underwater treasure troves is accessible by foot for just a few days of each year - and luckily for us, it’s not so far from here, as Gemma Hockey reports SURROUNDED by sheer, granite cliffs, the coastline of Sark is a rugged mixture of tiny bays and rock stacks, littered with offshore reefs and half-submerged pinnacles.

The caves there have long been considered an important habitat for a rich variety of invertebrate life, almost unique in western Europe. This rare inter-tidal habitat contains many endangered species, including sponges and hydroids.

The 30ft tidal range makes for exhilarating drift dives but, more importantly, this twice-daily surge of seawater supports an incredibly rich array of marine life.

But for just a few days each year, it is possible to reach the island’s most vibrant underwater world of wildlife by foot.

The newly-designated Ramsar site of the Gouliot Caves - on Sark’s west coast - is a treasure chest waiting to be explored.

The headland above supports a range of coastal ecosystems, including grassland and hard rock, home to many rare and endangered species of plants, insects and lichens.

A narrow cliff-top path leads down into a vast open cave, which bisects the headland.

It is possible at the top to stand and look across Havre Gosselin, a small harbour built in 1912, and out towards Little Sark.

After a short scramble, the cave leads down a small pebble beach.

Exploration of the caves should be attempted only with an experienced guide and those who attempt the descent should be of suitable fitness.

The entrance to the ‘jewel cave’ is accessible only at very low tide as the water level and associated swell usually makes it too awkward for all but the most determined explorer.

Once inside the inner cave, the sea life can easily be explored on foot.

Beautiful anemones - in yellow, orange, green, red, mauve and pink - blanket the dark cavern like a multi-coloured patchwork quilt.

They line the scaling walls, along with a variety of sponges and sea squirts. Strong tidal currents bring food to the caves’ inhabitants and may explain the marvellous diversity of life inside.

Our experienced guide and local Sarkee Jo Birch, secretary of La Societe Sercquiaise, which was instrumental in the administration required for the designation of the site, said the Ramsar protection would ‘prevent anything happening to change what we have already got’.

After a scramble down from the headland and what I can only describe as a nail-biting descent down the narrow cliff path, with a duck and a dive and a clamber into the caves, Jo and I park ourselves on a patch of dry pebbles and take in the surrounding beauty.

As she glances up at the walls - the anemones and sponges glistening in the rays of sunlight that disperse, hitting the surface like a disco glitter ball - she explains how she had recently brought her grandchildren to the caves.

‘They’re underwater most of the time, so when you see them it’s something really quite special.’

She said the caves were one of the largest jewels in Sark’s crown and a great natural masterpiece.

She said that all the authorities involved in getting the caves recognised as a designated Ramsar site had been helpful.

‘It wasn’t difficult, but it took a long time,’ said Jo.

‘I’m pleased we started this in 2004 as it has taken a lot of work. It’s really to do with the biodiversity that makes the caves so important.’

The site was officially recognised in April as a wetland of international importance, covering four hectares of the island’s west coast.

Jo said the designation would have no impact on traditional activities, including angling and diving in and around the caves. But Sark’s special and valued marine environment was now recognised in a wider context, she said.

Conservation and wise use of these resources are totally compatible with these pursuits.’

Jo said that the caves were ‘not everyone’s cup of tea’.

‘I don’t think it’s everybody’s way to spend an afternoon but if you are interested in sea life, the caves provide the optimum opportunity to see what life underwater is like without having to dive for it,’ she said. ‘We have all seen a few sea anemones and barnacles on the beaches, but there is just so much more here and the diversity of colours and species is unique. It just so exciting to have the chance to have a different view of sea life.’

In order to get a glimpse of these magnificent caves, explorers must abide by the tides. But the journey is well worth it.

‘When you get the chance to come down here and see it in the flesh, it’s very impressive.’

When zoologist, diver and co-presenter of BBC2’s epic series Coast Miranda Krestovnikoff visited the caves this year, she said: ‘What a fantastic gem. The Gouliot Caves were famous with Victorians who did a lot of research there, obviously before scuba-diving.

‘Goodness knows how they found out about them, but that’s the Victorians for you.’

She described her experience ‘like going on a dive without getting wet’.

‘It’s like being in a cathedral,’ she said. ‘Underwater you only get a fleeting glimpse of what they are like but the caves are a unique way of looking at the things. You could almost be the first person setting foot there.’