WESTERN BELLE

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) - WESTERN BELLE 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 12m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

The Western Belle, what a site. Not deep, just 12 metres, but it’s one of those wrecks that just keeps giving, especially on a sunny day when the light penetrates right down. We love popping in here for a relaxed second dive, or for photographers who want to spend some real time getting those perfect shots without worrying about deco. She’s a barge, sunk in 1922 after catching fire, and you can still make out the outline surprisingly well. The ribs stand proud, draped in dead man’s fingers that sway gently in the surge, and the stern section is particularly intact. We’ve had some fantastic encounters here – conger eels peering out from beneath plating, spider crabs scuttling across the deck, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, a big John Dory ghosting past. The visibility can vary, as with any site in the Channel, but on a good day, it’s like diving in an overgrown underwater garden, with the wreck providing the structure for all that life. Look for the small stuff too, nudibranchs cling to the kelp fronds all over the site.