Sue Daly is a wildlife film-maker, photographer and writer based in the tiny channel island of Sark.
Sue’s wonderful underwater images feature on our Marine Life issue which also includes a very special miniature sheet which, using the wizardry of Augmented Reality transports you under the ocean with Sue to watch just what goes on beneath the waves.
We caught up with Sue and asked her about her underwater adventures:
GP: What do you particularly enjoy about diving around the Channel Islands?
SD: I love exploring beneath the waves and particularly around my home island of Sark. I’ve been diving in the Islands for over 24 years and am still just as fascinated by the sheer variety of wonderful marine life we have on our doorstep and I always surface wanting to see more.
GP: Do you have a favourite area and what makes it so special to you?
SD: The Gouliot Caves are one of my favourite areas, just four metres deep but lined with thousands of anemones. I also enjoy the deeper walls and reefs off the south east of Sark such as L’Etac and the Vingt Clos their sheer walls are covered in corals, sponges and all sorts of other marine animals.
GP: Do you have a favourite fish species and if so why?
SD: My favourite fish, without a doubt, is the Cuckoo Wrasse, which features in the Marine Life issue. Living in groups of females with just a single male, if anything happens to the male the oldest female changes sex and colour to take his place, such fascinating behaviour. They are also very inquisitive so actively swim up to divers, it’s strange and rather humbling being looked straight in the eye by a fish!
GP: What do you find most challenging about your work in Channel Island waters?
SD: The water temperature can be a bit of a challenge so diving here for me definitely requires a dry suit and several layers of thermals underneath, but the greatest challenge are the tides. Almost all dives around the Bailwick need to be carefully planned and that’s even more critical on the spring tides. The plus side is that all this water surging around contributes to the richness of our marine life, as it carries masses of plankton with it, the basis of all life in the sea.
