BSAC General Information - Diving - Lake District
Lake Windermere.
Diving is permitted but groups must check in with the Lake Warden's Office, Ferry Nab, Bowness on Windermere, Cumbria LA23 3JH, telephone: Jim Maguire on 015394 42753. Give details of where you propose to dive, number of divers; person in charge and boat details if one is being used. Boats must be registered for use on Windermere and can only be launched at Ferry Nab. Boat registration details can be obtained from the Lake Warden. Boats must display the 'A' flag when divers are in the water and all divers should use an SMB. A speed limit of 10 mph is being proposed. Height above sea level - 61 metres.
Coniston Water.
Check in with Mr Jim Loxham, Property Manager, telephone 015394 41366, or evenings on 015394 41197. Give details of where you propose to dive, number of divers, contact name, address and telephone number for the group, estimated time on site. Boat engines must not exceed 4hp. Boats must display the 'A' flag when divers are in the water and all divers should use an SMB. Height above sea level - 43m.
Wastwater.
This area is an SSSI and is one of the Trust's 'quiet lakes', so no boats are allowed on Wastwater, nor may air compressors be used on site. The maximum number for any group should not exceed 12. Parking is limited and it may be that only one group of divers will be able to dive at any one time so book early. Height above sea level - 61 metres.
Warning: this is a deep water site where the lake bed slopes steeply away to extreme depth. Good buoyancy control is essential to avoid going deeper than planned - a common factor in the several diving fatalities that have occurred at this site. The Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team are the only authorised users of powered craft on the lake to effect rescues on the scree side of the water - and for practice, frequently close to the shore, therefore divers should use surface marker buoys to indicate their position.
Ullswater.
No special permission to dive is required. However, it is advisable not to trespass over private property to gain access to the water. Boat engines are limited to 4hp maximum and SMBs should be used. Avoid diving around Howtown Pier unless you check first with the Ullswater Navigation and Transit Company, telephone 01768 482229. Height above sea level - 145 metres. A paddle steamer called the "Enterprise" went down at Howtown and is now buried in silt - Mr Chris Grammer, Director of the Ullswater Nav. Co. is interested in anyone who has been able to locate her. Please view www.freshwaterdiver.com Ullswater page. Details in the Howtown site write-up. Property Manager is Judith Derbyshire, tel: 017684 82067.
Grasmere.
Permission to dive must be obtained in advance from the Property Manager, David Wilkinson, telephone 015394 37663. No boats or compressors are allowed and dive parties should be limited to a maximum of 12 at any one time. Height above sea level - approximately 60 metres.
Crummock Water.
Permission to dive must be obtained in advance from the Property Manager, Jeremy Barlow, telephone 019468 61235. This is another 'quiet lake' so powered boats are not allowed, nor may air compressors be used on site. Parking is very limited; therefore diving parties are restricted to 12 persons at any one time. Avoid taking more than three cars. Height above sea level - 99 metres.
Tarn Hows, Rydal Water, Loweswater and Buttermere. Diving is not permitted in these National Trust owned lakes.
Haweswater, Thirlmere.
Reservoirs are owned by United Utilities. Diving is allowed upon payment of fee requested. Diving Permits are issued by United Utilities. Address: United Utilities Plc, Northern Estates office, The Old Saw Mill, Thirlmere, Keswick, Cumbria, CA12 4TQ, web site: http://www.Unitedutilities.com, Tel: 017687 72334. Fax: 017687 73712
Derwent Water.
No information, other than shallow and poor visibility. Height above sea level - 75 metres. No special permissions required. 10 metres max depth. Good ice dive during winter. Contact the Property Manager, Shirley Muir - tel: 017687 74649.
Bassenthwaite.
No information. Height above sea level - 69 metres.
Hodge Close Quarry.
Signposted off Ambleside to Coniston road (map reference - Ordnance Survey map 'English Lakes SW area' 318017). The quarry owners will not grant permission for diving - but will not stop divers using the site at their own risk. Access to the lower car park and tunnel can be obtained by paying �4.00 per car at the house with the A Flag in the garden. Access to and from the water is challenging! Height above sea level - 155 metres.
Warning: Several divers have lost their lives in Hodge Close Quarry, mainly as the result of getting lost in the underwater caves / tunnels. Since BSAC training does not prepare members for cave diving, the Club advises divers using this site not to enter the caves unless they have received appropriate training from a specialist body such as the Cave Diving Group. Furthermore, because access to / from the water is so difficult, and because the rock slopes which make up the limited shallow areas are unstable, BSAC does not consider this site suitable for use by divers of less than Sports Diver qualification.
Coastguard to co-ordinate search and rescue on the Cumbrian lakes
From April 2005, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency will assume the delegated responsibility from Cumbria Police for the co-ordination of the search and rescue on four Cumbrian lakes; Derwentwater; Ullswater; Coniston Water and Lake Windermere. If you see someone in difficulty on any of these four lakes, people should call 999 and ask for Coastguard. The existing network of rescue units including rescue boats will remain in place.
HM Coastguard will be responsible for co-ordinating SAR Operations on the four lakes, whereas Mountain Rescue incidents will still be co-ordinated by Cumbria Police. They will continue to respond to requests for assistance from the Police as they do on a regular basis.
Two other sites near the Lake District:
Capernwray Diving Ltd., Jackdaw Quarry, Over Kellet, Carnforth, Lancs.
(2 miles from Junction 35 on M6). The first phase of development of this site as a diving centre is now complete and the site is open to divers every day 10.00 until 17.00 and 09.00 to 17.00 at weekends. Night diving and Bank Holiday diving by appointment only. Contact Chris Collingwood, Site Manager / Warden, on telephone number 01524 735132 or 01524 846345, who will be happy to provide further details and an approach map. Site facilities include a dive shop, air to 232 bar, food and drinks, toilets, underwater training platforms and numerous marked underwater sites of interest.
Do not park in the entrance area or on the road outside the quarry - you might obstruct emergency services access if you do.
Devils Bridge, Kirby Lonsdale.
The River Lune is a salmon fishing river, so diving is restricted to certain times of the year. Diving is allowed between the two bridges on Sundays only in the months of July and August, and on any day during the months of November, December and January. Contact the local Tourist Information Office - telephone 01524 271437
This information was checked for accuracy at the time of publication, but may be subject to change. Do check-in where a name and number are given; and please notify BSAC HQ if you discover anything that should be updated on this document.
Page last modified: 2nd Nov 2006 - 10:05:32