Just moved to the UK, were do I dive?

[flw]

Lies! All lies! Stoneycove is some of the best inland diving in the UK. It's a quarry in Leicestershire (StoneysStanton Village) and has 3 different depth levels down to 40m. Theres a helicopter, a Cessna plane and other assorted stuff to explore. Run by the best bunch I know with filling station, LDC and all. I did both my courses there and loved it all. Only problem is it's dry suits all year round!

There are also places like Pembrokeshire, and Welsh coast that I'm told are very good.

But if you'd spent time diving off the coast first you'd never bother with the inland sites at all. My daughter's also 15, and has spent all this summer diving with me off the N of Scotland (where we don't have any quarries), the one training dive we did in England put her off ever diving in a puddle again. Stoney is a superb training facility, but if you consider diving as a tool to see fish/wrecks etc, then the coast is the place to be.
(of course, it helps we live in Shetland, and we can dive together after school/work, we were scalloping yesterday and still got home by 8)

 

[Penguinboy]

But if you'd spent time diving off the coast first you'd never bother with the inland sites at all. My daughter's also 15, and has spent all this summer diving with me off the N of Scotland (where we don't have any quarries), the one training dive we did in England put her off ever diving in a puddle again. Stoney is a superb training facility, but if you consider diving as a tool to see fish/wrecks etc, then the coast is the place to be.
(of course, it helps we live in Shetland, and we can dive together after school/work, we were scalloping yesterday and still got home by 8)

Yeah that's all fair enough . I live near Stoney so i don't get to the coast too often sadly, but i did want to argue the case for it as it was a terrific experience for me

But no you are right and i accept that the coast is the place to be for all the sights, but i wouldn't disregard Stoney . Apologies if my original post was taken in an aggressive manner :shakehead

 

[diving dude]

There's a guy called Louigi on the Yorkshire divers website who owns a Rib and dives out of North Norfolk. l think he runs out of Wells-by-the-sea.

l keep meaning to dive with him, because that's where the in-laws live, so l could leave wifey with her mum and dad whilst l went diving.

 

[String]

Lies! All lies! Stoneycove is some of the best inland diving in the UK. It's a quarry

Enough said. Its fine if you want training, its not exciting if you just want to go diving for fun. There are only so many times you can look at an artificial small wreck in a quarry without getting bored.

There are also places like Pembrokeshire, and Welsh coast that I'm told are very good.

West wales is very good but about 7 hours drive from where he is.

 

[Scuba-Jay]

Hope on a plane, fly back to the US (Florida preferably!!) and stay warm!!!!!!!!

 

[delbuort]

Thanks for the info. I'm going to look up this guy Louigi. I've really started to get the diving bug lately and I can't get anyone I work with to go. Another guy I work with and I'm looking into a drysuit certification. Right now, I've only got an arctic 7mm and a arctic 7mm vest (more like a shorty with a hood I guess). Might be a little chilly for that right now.

Jay, I'm trying to do just that. My Mom's a school teacher and I'm trying to plan around her breaks so she can come with us... built in baby sitter for the three year old. We're looking at trips to the Keys. I really want to hit up the Speigal Grove and Duane. I wouldn't mind spending a little time down in Mallory Square either. Any good suggestions?

 

[String]

Dry suit is imho essential for UK diving any time of year.

As for speigal grove and duane, nice if you like "fake" wrecks but the UK has literally thousands of proper wrecks to dive.

 

[MarkUK]

Jason,

As has been said above, Stoney Cove is useful for testing gear or a spot of training, or if you are just desperate to get wet when everything else is either too far away or has been blown out, but it does get a bit boring after a while pootling around looking at sunken 'attractions'.

Gildenburgh is closer, but it is a total mud pit. I sometimes use it for testing equipment as it is only 50 minutes away from me (I live just down the A11 from you in Haverhill, Suffolk) but the facilities are diabolical – the 'toilets' need to be seen to be believed! – although there are some nice-sized pike in there to follow around for a spot of underwater photography.

St Abbs is great for some shore-diving (and boat diving) - it is on the east coast of Scotland right on the border with England, and I can do it in less than five hours from my house, straight up the A1. Obviously not suitable for a day trip, but has potential for a weekend/long weekend. Good intro to Brit diving in the sea and lots of stuff to see underwater, including wolf eels, etc. The Farne Islands are also up that direction, just not quite as far, and you can dive with seals there - that's boat dive only, though.

Totally off the diving topic, but if you are into mountain biking, Thetford Forest is near you and it has some good trails...

Mark

 

[Mark Milburn]

If you get the chance head to Cornwall, we have some excellent diving down here, especially on the north coast. Isle of Skye also has some excellent vis, Scapa flow has some excellent wrecks.

 

[espenskogen]

I haven't been there myself, but a guy in my local club swears by Norfolk diving - He says it's the undiscovered treasure of UK diving.

It is apparently a long boat ride - Up to 10 miles out at sea, past the oil rigs etc, but there are apparently some fantastic wrecks there, and nice depth as well. (10 miles out, and still about 20 meters deep)

As I say - This is stuff I've been told, but if it's even half true, it's well worth the trip.

E