The wreck is situated in 30 metres of water, half a mile to the north of the Alderney lighthouse , near a reef known as the Ledge. A half-mile exclusion zone is in force around the wreck. Any unauthorised activity (fishing, diving, anchoring, etc.) within the zone is strictly prohibited. The restricted area is monitored by radar from the Harbour Master’s office. On the latest admiralty charts the site has been encircled and marked ‘Historic wreck’.

The wreck lies within a large sandbank that is surrounded by dense outcrops of red Alderney sandstone which strikes NNE and dips between 30° and 40° ESE, the same dip and strike as the rocks of the Ledge and on Alderney itself. The sandbank measures approximately 40 metres north-south, 25-35 metres east-west, but the debris apron covers a much larger zone going down to a depth of 34 metres.

The most remarkable feature of the area is the manner in which the sandbank is in a constant state of flux; at times the site is buried under a dune 2 metres deep, at other times parts of the artefact field have been completely exposed. This can be attributed to strong currents which, at the Ledge, have a maximum tidal flow of 7.5 knots. Because of the strong currents diving can only take place at slack water of approximately 20 minutes each tide, a formidably challenging dive scenario.

Curious about the people braving these conditions?