A slight detour from my posts around the world and the start of some focus on the amazing places the UK has to offer. By now, if you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ll notice that I like activity based adventures. Whether it’s skiing in Germany, sailing in Scotland or playing football in Bulgaria – most trips are based around an activity! Scuba diving in this country is probably one of the best places to do so anywhere in the world! Aside from the wrecks scattered around the coast, there is some great UK inland diving to be found too.
I began my journey in the sport at the end of 2017; I joined my local BSAC club and started my training towards the first qualification. Ocean Diver entitles you to be able to dive up to 20m which believe me, feels pretty deep! As part of the training you have to conduct some Open Water dives. When I heard this, I was expecting to be thrown out at sea in the dark, cold waters around the British Isles. However, fortunately there are a number of fantastic inland diving sites in the UK. Here I’ll cover 5 of the most popular, but bear in mind there are others scattered across the UK!
Stoney Cove, Leicestershire
Most of my dives have been at Stoney, mostly due to its location. Nonetheless the site has some fantastic visibility and great underwater wrecks to explore!
On arrival, you come down a stoney (ironic) track to the car park. There is limited parking actually waterside, as the alternative car park is a short walk away. For this reason, it is recommended to arrive as the site opens!
Offering depths down to 36m, Stoney is a great facility for beginners and those progressing depth. The 6m ledge extends around a large proportion of the site and offers plenty of wrecks to explore. These mini wrecks, as well as quite a bit of marine life, means Stoney is a great introduction to life underwater.
There are an array of underwater attractions and an on site shop which offers good kit at reasonable prices. They also have a scheme offering discounted entry for prepaying in advance. If you dive regularly and are likely to use Stoney, it is worth the investment. If I remember rightly, after 5 visits you make your money back and thereafter is just discounted diving!
Gildenburgh Water, Cambridgeshire
The site where I completed my BSAC Ocean Diver, Gildenburgh is another good inland site in the East of England. Although closed to divers on Mondays and Tuesdays, they offer plenty of diving and good depth progression for the novice diver.
The on site shop offers kit rental at a good price and a small café with the usual drinks and snacks. I dived here in a cold January day, and a warming coffee was fantastic! Gildy, as it is sometimes referred to, also offers a membership similar to Stoney. Theirs is £20 for the first year, then £12 renewal, offering a saving of £50 per 10 visits! Definitely good value diving on offer here.
There is less underwater at Gildenburgh than Stoney, nonetheless they are developing their underwater exhibits, with more new wrecks being introduced to explore. Quieter than Stoney Cove too, means visibility at Gildenburgh is less likely affected by lots of divers kicking up the silt throughout the day.
Vobster Quay, Somerset
Another beautiful inland site is Vobster, located just a short drive from Frome and Radstock. Again, you can dive up to 36m here, so it is great for the novice diver.
Keeping the underwater appealing they have various vehicle and aircraft wrecks as well as a small lizard tunnel. They also have a 2 storey house and 42ft motor-cruiser to explore, showcasing an array of underwater wrecks! There are training platforms throughout the site at various depths, which are ideal for beginner lessons.
Membership here costs £39.50 annually. It unlocks a 10% discount on kit hire, retail and food and drink, as well as the usual discounted entry. Saving £6 per visit (£21 entry for non-members) it is certainly a good value membership! In addition, you can also reserve parking as a member, which helps on the busy summer weekends.
Capernwray, Lancaster
Nestled on the edge of the Lake District, Capernwray is the diving site to chose if you want to make a week of your diving. Not necessarily for the underwater, but for the surrounding area too. Unless you hail from Lancaster, then you may just want to become a member and dive regularly!
Underwater you can explore an aircraft, a couple of helicopters and various boat wrecks. They also have a container called the cave, which provides a good training environment. An entire novice area with a training platform exists, as does a secret gnome garden to try and discover. There are also an array of fish to swim with, simulating real Open Water diving!
A two year membership is £40 and saves £5 on entry each visit. Non-member entry is £27, unless booked in advance online, when it is discounted to £23. There is a shop and restaurant, offering the usual you would expect, as well as a conference centre. The site is a great place to explore if you are in the area, and provides a bit of variety to your inland diving.
Although not the best diving the UK has to offer, inland dive sites are crucial for a sheltered location to learn essential skills. They provide a great training and refresher tool, however exclusive use of these mean missing the best diving around the UK’s coasts.
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