Do people actually dive in the UK or is it myth?

[BlueKnight]

We have a couple of good inland dive sites around the Yorkshire area. Caperwray is a great place to visit and they have just bought a huge 50seat transport aircraft that they hope to sink. Water temp has been pretty good for the UK as well. Not up to the same standard as Farne or Scarpa but it least it get you wet

 

[sylpha]

Hmmmmm, inland sites in the UK. Not for me thanks. I have a copy of the now, sadly, out of print 'Dive Yorkshire' which lists over 300 sites on the Yorkshire coast. There looks like some lovely scenic & interesting wreck sites up there, check them out.

i can't believe i was the only one diving at the weekend, we had 8m vis on the south coast and being an equinoxal neap tide virtually no current

and 17degrees C too

 

[The Chairman]

I thought England also had lots of quarries to dive in. Obviously, I have all the diving I can stand here in Florida, but you HAVE to have options.

 

[Rhone Man]

I have only been diving in the UK once (Aberdeen in February in a badly fitting wetsuit... brrrrr). But the impression that I get is that there are some really active clubs, and some not so active.

Diving is also a lot more weather and tide dependent in the UK.

I wouldn't give up though - awful lot of good wrecks down your way.

 

[BlueKnight]

Dry suits are definatly the order of the day here. Just doing my dry suit course and have done my first couple of dives which was an experiance. We were doing an SMB course with our LDC on my first drysuit dive. All went well and the water was a lovely 19degrees. Once I got out however it seemed my dry suit was more of a wet suit and had pratically flooded (didnt feel a thing). We dried it out in the sun and I borrowed my wifes under suit as she had trouble with her ears and didnt want to do a second dive. Same again and it turned out that the inflator valve had not been fitted correctly. Got it fixed and did some training in our local 5m diving pool. Going upside down and hanging from your boots on the surface is not somthing I recommend

 

[UKdreamer]

Hmmmmm, inland sites in the UK. Not for me thanks. I have a copy of the now, sadly, out of print 'Dive Yorkshire' which lists over 300 sites on the Yorkshire coast. There looks like some lovely scenic & interesting wreck sites up there, check them out.

i can't believe i was the only one diving at the weekend, we had 8m vis on the south coast and being an equinoxal neap tide virtually no current

and 17degrees C too

Wow great conditions - very jealous! Where did you dive?

Inland sites have there merit when you're land locked like me live in the Midlands but I do have a lot of family aka free accomodation on the South Coast so try to make it down there as often as possible.

 

[sylpha]

Yes there are quarries to dive in, but frankly i would only use them for training or testing kit. They just aren't interesting enough & they are pretty crowded without the variety of life you get in the sea. One day i'll make it out to Florida, I have a friend who keeps inviting me.

Wow, Aberdeen in February - you are brave! (that's from the woman who did northern Norway in December - night dives at 2pm!) Tides affect all sea waters to a greater or lesser extent, it depends on the tidal range of the area, but i can find places inshore where one may dive at any state of the tide, i can also find places i would not want to be on an ebb tide! Yes there a great deal of wrecks of the coast of the UK, i do most of my diving in Dorset would you like to guess how many known wrecks there are off that coast?

Dry suits are great for most of the year, but come August a semi dry is great, just so much less hassle.

Saturday i did the Valentine Tanks (for those who don't know there were some tanks tested for D-Day in Poole Bay - they float the way a brick doesn't) & Sunday the Betsy Anna, again in Poole Bay. Having free beds on the south coast is certainly a bonus, especially if the alternative is B&B!

 

[flw]

We had 15m vis, lots of caves/tunnels etc off the far NE corner of Scotland, and more seals than you could count off Stroma it was even hot sunshine on Saturday - the water is a balmy 13 deg at the moment
The Pentland Firth is completely blown out probably for the rest of the week, but we had a mirror calm night dive off Lybster yesterday and a less calm slightly wooshy dive off Wick today - but we still had a gaziillion fish, seals and surge gullies - who needs to go abroad when it's all within half an hour of home

 

[flw]

I have only been diving in the UK once (Aberdeen in February in a badly fitting wetsuit... brrrrr). .

That wouldn't be the dreaded Boddam Quarry would it? ! Rosehearty is quite nice, and close to Aberdeen though.
Once you get slightly further North than Aberdeen, there are some fabulour wrecks in the Moray Firth

 

[johnro]

I'm diving off the west coast of Scotland tomorrow Plenty diving up here.