La Rocque Harbour and the east coast of Jersey at low tide. by John De Carteret

Canon S5is

A view of the shore at La Rocque, Grouville (parish), Jersey, UK. (at number 18 in "The Independent", best 50 beaches in the UK)
This is part of an area of Jersey's east coast designated as a RAMSAR site, at low tide one can walk out across what is actually the sea bed. A local Marine Biologist (and others with the local knowledge of the tide) regularly lead walks out to the towers in the distance. The site comprises various habitats; reefs, boulder fields, mud, sandy and shingle shores not covered
by water at low tide, combined with shallow tidal lagoons, seagrass beds and a constellation of
outlying reefs. Amongst the largest intertidal reef sites in Europe. A maximum spring tide range of 12
metres exposes in excess of 17.5 sq km of wave-cut rock platforms, extensive areas of reef at varying
elevations, expansive rocky shores and a complex system of soft substrate gullies. The area also
features a large, shallow, depositing, soft sediment bay, containing seagrass meadows, which provide
important winter habitat for nationally important populations of waders and wildfowl. These factors,
combined with Jersey's biogeographical position produce great biodiversity, a rich and diverse range
of biotopes and some uncommon species assemblages. The flora and fauna is characterised by limit-
of-range species at the northern and southern margins of their distributions that are not present on
shores either to the north or south respectively. Fishing within the site, is of great cultural, social and
traditional importance to the population of Jersey.