JOSEPH AND MARGARET

Best months: Jul–Sep

Protected Area

Gouliot Caves and Headland, Sark

Why dive here

With 176+ marine species recorded in the area - including blue sharks, dolphins, dwarf minke whales, humpback whales and ocean sunfish (mola mola) - JOSEPH AND MARGARET offers some of Cornwall & Devon's richest wreck diving. Water ranges 10-18°C, warmest July, August, September.

Best timeJul–Sep

WetsuitA 5mm wetsuit

Marine lifeBlue Sharks, Dolphins, Dwarf Minke Whales, Humpback Whales and Ocean Sunfish (Mola Mola) · 176+ species recorded

Water10-18°C · warmest July, August, September

CharacterWreck dive · max 8m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

We’ve always had a soft spot for the Joseph and Margaret. It’s not the biggest wreck you’ll ever dive, nor the deepest, but what it lacks in scale it makes up for in character. Lying in just eight metres of water off the Blanchard Rocks, this old brigantine went down in 1887, and time has worn her smooth, leaving a scattered but distinct footprint on the seabed. You’ll find ribs poking up like skeletal fingers from the sand, and we love to poke around the larger hull sections, imagining the chaos of that February night. Visibility can be a bit hit or miss here – this is Cornwall, after all – but when it’s good, the light plays beautifully through the kelp that now drapes over the remaining timbers. We’ve seen plenty of wrasse darting between the rusty plates, and there’s usually a decent number of crabs tucked into any crevice you can find. It’s an ideal spot for newer wreck divers to get a feel for exploring history without the pressure of depth or strong currents. Our top tip? Go on a calm day, ideally on a slack tide, to really appreciate the quiet beauty of this old girl.