WINTER TRAINING SITES

 

1 SCAPA FLOW - ORKNEY
Yes, the Flow is very dive-able through the winter when the vis can at times be unbelievably clear. The only major problem is getting up there, the drive can be treacherous enough in the summer never mind during a blizzard! Flying to Kirkwall is the safest bet and you will probably find that what you spend on the flight you can save on off-peak accommodation and dive packages. The Flow and the remains of the scuttled German fleet make an ideal location for extended range diving, the beauty of which is that you can spend 40 mins exploring these wrecks - the way they should be dived. See 990 advertisers for details of packages.

2 HMS PORT NAPIER, KYLE OF LOCHALSH
Diving in the Kyles and Loch Alsh itself is by no means the most enthralling experience ever, yet there is one huge attraction that should have divers making a beeline north - the wreck of HMS Port Napier. This 9,600 ton converted minesweeper lies on her starboard side in 25m (her port side breaks the surface) and with numerous OHE passages to explore she would easily satisfy a weekends diving from a RIB.

3 LOCHALINE PIER
As with many of the sites along the Scottish lochs, the water at Lochaline drops away very deeply - very quickly. Dramatic underwater cliffs disappear in levels and ledges down to 90m+. The conditions tend to be dark yet clear. Take care of the Lochaline to Finnish Bay ferry and tides. Boat cover is needed for any extended run time. A number of the Oban hardboats will operate from Lochaline. You will need to bring your own gas. Contact Lochaline Hotel (01967 421657)

4 LOCH LEVEN - BALLACHULISH
Driving along the A82 towards Fort William, to the west of Glencoe, look out for a sign for holiday cottages on the right hand (loch) side of the road. There is a prominent spit of land that sticks out into the loch. Drive up to the end of the spit and park up, you are now only 30m away from a wonderful 'mixed gas shore dive'. At around 60m you reach the sandy bottom. There is plenty of marine life to watch as the minutes of decompression tick by, an excellent sea dive. Gas is obtainable from the Underwater Centre.

5 FORT WILLIAM
The Underwater Centre has traditionally conducted training for the commercial diving industry. Recently the centre has improved its facilities for the sport diver, adding attractions including a number of bars of gold hidden on their wrecks. With depths of 60m near the end of their pier, on site gas mixing and recompression chamber the diver has plenty of facilities for sea dive training. Contact the Underwater Centre: 01397 703786

6 KINTYRE - FIRTH OF CLYDE
In general depths of 48m sit the remains of the steamship Kintyre sunk by collision in 1907. The wreck now sits on a silty bottom. From the clipper like bow back to the wheelhouse are the most interesting areas. The wreck can be shore dived, however for a weekend both Kip Watersports and Argyll Diveboats operate charters to dive the Kintyre as well as the other deeper wrecks such as the Princess Of Wales (990 Vol 1 Issue1) and Wallachia. Contact Argyll Diveboats (01880 820543) Kip Watersports (01475 521281)

7 BANGOR - BELFAST LOUGH
With the mouth of the Lough facing out towards the north-east, Belfast Lough offers a great deal of protection from winter's westerly winds. The rich legacy of deep wrecks include the 4,880 ton Anchor Line ship the Tiberia, sunk by torpedo during WWI. Today she makes an ideal extended range or mixed gas dive, her decks sitting in general depths of 55m. The Lough has several other large wrecks to explore (990 Vol 1 Issue 1) making it ideal for a long weekends diving. Contact DV Diving (01274 464671)

8 STRANGFORD LOUGH
The Ards peninsula that separates Strangford Lough from the Irish Sea also acts to shelter the Lough from the worst of the weather. The steep sides plunge down to 60m and the tides rip through here to form one of the most colourful and spectacular underwater landscapes, there are even shallow wrecks to keep you busy while decompressing. It would take an absolute gale to blow out a weekends diving in the Lough. For details of Belfast & Strangford Loughs see 990 Vol 1 Issue1.

9 FRON AND 'LITTLE DOTTY'
With all the developments at Dorothea, you may well need an alternative site for your training. Fron quarry is a scaled down version of Dorothea that has a maximum depth of 40m. The access to the water is steep and can be quite tricky especially when wearing a twin set. Apart from a few bits of underwater scrap there isn't a great deal to see in the quarry, however the depth and general good visibility make it a good training alternative. Air is available from an automatic filling station (£2.00) at Plas Menai back on the A487. 'Little' or 'Old' Dotty is situated behind the old pumping station at Dorothea. Although access and the knowledge of the site are sketchy, a number of groups have dived various parts of the quarry and reported depths of up to 58m. Access is a bit of a scramble. To find the quarry, follow the road from the A487 towards Dorothea. When you come to the T-junction turn right. About 1.5 miles later there is a large house and track on your left. Follow the track, park up and have a recce on foot.

10 DOROTHEA QUARRY - NANTLLE, NR CAERNARVON
Dorothea, once dived, is never forgotten. It's in an area of outstanding natural beauty, surrounded by mountains, deep in the heartlands of the Snowdonia National Park. At approximately 300 acres, the site itself is huge, with the quarry covering approximately 15 acres. It is very sheltered and has a number of multi-level terraces at shallower depths, suitable for skills circuits such as practicing gas shutdowns. Bottoming out at approx 107m makes it ideal for serious extended range and trimix training. Featurewise a few site buildings remain but it is predominately wall diving with some of the rock faces being quite spectacular and a few tunnels at various depths. The viz is normally excellent, but the temperature of the water is consistently very, very cold. The combination of this and the extreme depth have added up to a deadly result, especially when the under-trained and over ambitious attempt 70m dives on a single cylinder.
In diving there is a healthy grapevine, and rumours regularly circulate about this site - 'It's closed' - 'It's open'. So what is the official true story on this site? Currently Dorothea Diving Limited (DDL) have taken a 25 year lease on the site to develop a diving facility - and this is where it gets interesting. Dorothea Quarry is privately owned land and as such has never actually been officially opened for diving. With DDL developing the site it has been now declared officially closed, so if you dive there you are trespassing. Since Dorothea officially closed, a number of site works have taken place. A more sensible car-parking area has been organised and extensive earthworks have been carried out, with the result that the slope from the car-park to the water's edge has been reconstructed and a concrete foundation laid, however this is not yet finished and is extremely steep. It is planned that eventually a series of steel mezzanine steps will be put in place. These will be designed to be very safe, secure and slip proof no matter what the weather conditions are. Instead of a minuscule muddy 'beach', a sensibly constructed pontoon has been built at the bottom of the slope, which is an absolute joy to dive from. There is plenty of room for a number of divers to sit and sort their minds and stages out, before rolling into the water. Once again this pontoon has not been finished. There are plans for wide galvanised steel benches capable of accommodating a diver in twins and stages. Guardrails will be installed, and a protective rubber edging applied to the concrete pontoon, with wide steel steps into the water. The site will also benefit soon from 24 hour security - excellent news. (I too have had my car broken into). So the official line is: sorry, but the site is closed. Dorothea Diving Limited hope to have it open in three months time, and apologise greatly for the inconvenience it is causing divers - please bear with them. If you dive it, you are trespassing.

11 MENAI STRAITS - ANGLESEY
The Menai Straits separate the Island of Anglesey from mainland Wales. Over the years countless numbers of wrecks have come to grief on the sandy banks that surround the approaches to the Straits. There are several interesting dives in the Straits, however good local knowledge is needed to find them. One of the deeper sites is a 'hole' beneath the Britannia bridge that drops down to around 37m. The vis can be variable though, especially after strong westerly gales. However at other times during the winter the vis can reach 6-7m. You pays your money....! Contact Quest Charters (01248 716923)

12 VIVIAN QUARRY - LLANBERIS
The small and picturesque Vivian slate quarry now has a fully operational dive centre and shop on site. Situated at the base of Snowdon in Llanberis the quarry is only 18m and generally has decent vis. There is air, toilets and a small shop is also available. The quarry itself has a submerged former quarry house as its main interest.

13 WASTWATER - LAKE DISTRICT
Set on the west of the Lake District, diving is free but permission is needed. The main feature is an area known as the pinnacles which local divers have helpfully run a line to. They are a series of rocks at 13 metres that drop off down to about 60 metres. The visibility is generally very good (15m not being exceptional). There are two planes in Wast that are known about, a Hudson near the YMCA Youth Centre at 24m and a Lancaster Bomber at 77 metres near the Wasdale Head Pub - it is down there, but is remarkably difficult to find. It has been dived in the past. You will need to bring enough gas for the weekend and also keep an eye on the weather. Contact Local Warden (01946 726296)

14 HODGE CLOSE - LAKE DISTRICT
Just off the A593 towards Conniston, Hodge is very basic - diving and a place to park a car. Follow the sign-posted track for about 2 miles and pay £4.00 to park by the tunnel entrance. Access to the water is not simple - you walk, and then wade, along a 120m flooded tunnel at the end of which is a scaffolding ladder to climb down. The maximum depth is 30m and several cars litter the quarry floor. A number of tunnels lead from the quarry, however you need to be properly trained and equipped in OHE diving to enter them safely. The tunnels have claimed a number of lives over the years. Due to landslips and unstable rocks diving should be avoided during periods of heavy frost.

15 CAPERNWRAY QUARRY - CARNFORTH
Capernwray was developed as a dive site in 1995 with a depth of approximately 20 metres. There are a number of toys to play with including the largest inland wreck, HMS Podsnap - a 60' WWII Mine Sweeper and a 1953 Wessex Dragonfly helicopter. Diving qualifications must be produced when you first visit. A £2 registration fee also needs to be paid but this is a one-time charge only. Diving costs £4.00 per visit thereafter. Capernwray is off the M6 at junction 35. During the week visibility is at its best making Capernwray an ideal location to test out kit. Contact Capernwray Diving on: 01524 735132.

16 SWITHLAND QUARRY
Situated in the centre of Swithland Wood is a former slate quarry dating back to Roman times. Over the years it has been dived by a number of people, including such luminaries as Rick Stanton and Leigh Bishop. It should be noted that this is not a dive for raw trainees - the site is demanding. The quarry is 'bell' or 'bottle' shaped and the sides are steep, with overhanging rock and, as with all fresh water sites, the water temperature is cold. The combination of the quarry's shape and freshwater run off affects light levels whilst diving, with the result that it can be very dim. Divers should be aware that to dive this site certain protocols need to be adhered and should procedures be violated, then access to this site will be terminated permanently. Contact the Bradgate Park Estate Office (0116 - 234 1850) and speak to Ms Lynda Dakin

17 DOSTHILL
Those of you who have dived Stoney will be struck at how similar this site is to Stoney's right hand bay. It is a delightful little granite quarry with a MOD of 24 metres, but should be considered a basic dive site. It is a typical quarry with the usual features, however, the nice thing about Dosthill is that the original route of the quarry railway can be seen winding its way to the bottom. The viz is generally quite good because of the granite, just as well if you are into diving the wrecks. A chart illustrating the compass bearings for the 'toys' is on display which, on the face of it, is an excellent idea. However local divers take great delight and glee in regularly relocating the toys round the quarry! A catering van offers drinks and bacon sandwiches and there are chemical toilets available. To find Dosthill follow the M42 northbound to junction 9, turn right towards Kingsbury. At the second island turn left through Kingsbury (past the Malt House pub). Approx 50 metres before the Fox pub turn left into Church Road. Just beyond the church on the left is the turning for the quarry.

18 STONEY COVE - LEICESTERSHIRE
Probably the best known training site in the UK, Stoney is a marvellous site for teaching, training, testing out equipment and kit configurations and for keeping skills crisp; but for recreational diving, go somewhere else - please! I find it intensely sad to know that there are professional Dive Masters, Instructors and recreational divers out there who have never dived anywhere else but Stoney Cove. They don't know what they are missing. There are various reasons why this site is so popular for training, with the blockhouse at one end and a plane cockpit at the other, the quarry eventually bottoms out at 35 metres near the hydrobox. A diver really doesn't have to do much 'expedition planning' when diving at Stoney. The facilities are good and the site has recently benefited from some major earth and stonework renovation with one of the main quays being completely rebuilt and steps and handrails installed. There is also decent car parking, changing rooms, showers, toilets, a well stocked shop, EANX clean pumps, food and a pub. Contact Stoney Cove on (01455 273089)

19 GILDENBURGH WATER - PETERBOROUGH
Like London, Peterborough does not benefit from rich loam, but heavy clay, hence the British Brick Industry was based here. The area around Gildenburgh was at the heart of this business and much evidence can still be seen today. Driving towards Whittlesey, one is struck at just how many flooded pits there are in the area. Gildenburgh was an old brickworks which closed down in 1945. For a while a local BSAC club used the 22 metre site for training, until it was purchased in 1985 by the current owners. A variety of entry/exit points have been constructed and a number of wrecks have been placed in the lake, several of which have been roped together to make navigation easier in low viz. (This can vary considerably from gin to nothing, depending on which day of the week it is). The facilities are quite basic and spartan, with not much development of this site - this is currently changing.

20 WRAYSBURY DIVE CENTRE
A mere 45 minute drive from Marble Arch, (fantastic for me) Wraysbury is a perfect 12 metre deep playpen for West London and M4 corridor divers. The 15 acre site was initially developed by one of the big concrete boys and has subsequently been converted for diving. Currently it is exceptionally basic, providing car parking, food, clean air, chemical toilets and of course diving. However there are several plans afoot for this site with the development of permanent buildings. This, combined with the scheme to dig out the site to approximately 20 metres, will give Wraysbury greater training flexibility. As expected there are plenty of toys for divers - a brace of taxis (London and New York) - and generally, where you find taxis, you also have traffic lights too - and Wraysbury has a set! A number of containers have also been placed into the water which can be used to swim through (OHE training) and also the tops make great training platforms. Sensibly the management have installed an air station that provides EANx clean air, but there are no plans to pump Nitrox. This is not a major problem, Runnymede being only a few minutes drive from Wraysbury

21 LAKESIDE DIVING CENTRE
This is an excellent site if you need to gain 'scuba points' with your paramour. Whilst you are ensuring that your in-water skills are kept crisp, best beloved can happy toddle around one of Britain's largest modern shopping complexes to their hearts content - complete with over 50 different restaurants and cafes - leaving you in peace. When I first dived Alexander Lake, the only thing on site was a small wooden portacabin and portable compressor. The site has now been extensively developed, with the construction of a custom built well stocked shop, changing rooms, showers, toilets, classroom and air filling station - EANx clean. At 22 acres, the lake is a fair size, with the usual 'toys' - a London cab, two lorry cabs, a boat, a transit van, a BT phone box and, unsurprisingly enough, the odd shopping trolley! Add to that some floating triangles and a sprinkling of training platforms, which are needed - the bottom composition is London clay.

By Rosemary Lunn.

WINTER TRAINING