Josh Dearing, The Jersey Catch: Five things I LOVE about Jersey

Friday 19 June 2020

From the food to its local waters, sense of community, relaxed way of life and its proximity to "little paradise islands", fisherman Josh Dearing loves a lot about the island he has been calling home for just over a decade.

Josh moved to Jersey after finishing school in the UK and says he settled into island life straight away.

For the past five years, Josh has been fishing in local waters, starting off on the north coast as a scallop diver then progressing onto a bigger boat out of St. Helier, from where he fishes for lobster, crab while still continuing to dive for "the amazing scallops around our island".

But today he's diving into the five things he loves most about living locally...

1. The sense of community

I think in Jersey we are very lucky to be surrounded by some friendly and many like minded people who more often than not are happy to jump in and help where they can.

Pictured: Josh says moving to Jersey was like being "welcomed to a family of 100 thousand people".

When I moved over it was very hard to start with but once I had met a few people it was like I was introduced to half of the island and welcomed to a family of 100 thousand people! It’s always nice to bump into a friendly face walking down king street or out at sea! 

 2. The local waters

Obviously being a fisherman means I spend a lot of time out on and under the big blue! The waters surrounding Jersey are like non other, the outer reefs like Les Écréhous and Les Minquiers are little paradise islands a stones throw from our beaches. Full of wildlife such as seals, dolphins, birds and interesting things to see and visit.  

Pictured: Josh calls Les Ecrehous and Les Minquiers "little paradise islands".

It’s not without its dangers and the waters are hard to navigate and unforgiving at times with massive tides and tail ends of Atlantic hurricanes.

I’m lucky enough to be able to see all these amazing places and coast lines during the summer but believe me you wouldn’t be jealous of me in the depths of winter out in the cold! 

3. The food

I don't think I'm alone in saying food! We are lucky to have some great restaurants dotted about the island some fancy places, such as the Atlantic outwest and No 10. in the heart of town. But there are some small hidden gems too, like Drifters in Havre des Pas, who seems to cook up more lobsters than the rest of the island! We all have our go-to favourites.

Pictured: Josh says he is lucky to work with "great chefs" who care about their food.

I’m lucky enough to work with some great chefs across the island who all care about their food, which means a lot to me when I’m working hard to get them the best shellfish possible.

Also the recent surge in great coffee shops in town has been great! You can’t beat a fresh coffee and bun in the morning from Dandy if you ask me, or a cheeky brunch from Lockes's.

4. Location, location, location...

We are far enough away from the mainland that we have a very relaxing way of life with no rushing about - apart from rush hour on the Avenue! But then again a cheap half an hour flight and we can be in London. The same for France - 45 minutes (if all is well!!) on the ferry and we are sipping wine, eating oysters and nutella crepes.

Pictured: Herm and Sark are Josh's favourite places to "shoot over to".

I think Herm and Sark are definitely my favourite places to shoot over to, it’s like being on holiday. 

 5. The slow pace

The laid back approach from islanders and the low stress environment is a breath of fresh air. 

Pictured: "The laid back approach from islanders and the low stress environment is a breath of fresh air."

It’s so nice to feel safe walking through town on an evening and knowing your car will still be there if you forget to lock it!!

I hope all the readers have enjoyed my 5 things I love about Jersey, I hope you can relate to my experience of this lovely island.