Not all of the sites listed here will be divable and some will be listed just so that there is a record of them. Any diving that takes place is of course at the divers own risk and is not necessarily condoned by nw-divesites.co.uk.
Many of the sites require addition considerations when planning to dive them, such as:
- They may be extremely difficult to access without off-road vehicles (emergency vehicle access may be limited)
- They may be extremely dangerous to access or escape from in the event of an emergency (emergency vehicle/personnel access may be limited)
- Some are Incredibly deep and require specialist training to dive in
- Some are at altitudes which require an adjusted dive plan
- The water is often extremely cold in winter and free-flows become more likely
- Some may require special permissions to dive, especially if used by boaters or fishermen
- In some, diving/swimming may be completely banned
- Some sites may be on private property, in which case the land owners permission is required (if in doubt, find out / don’t dive)
Where possible, I will make an effort to highlight any specific risks associated with specific dive sites in the dive-site directory.
It goes without saying that damaging private property and trespassing are not acceptable – these things could be highly detrimental to the diving community as a whole. Take a considered approach when it comes to gaining access to sites, be forthcoming (some land owners may have no idea why anyone would want to swim around in a cold quarry wearing a drysuit) and make sure to treat the sites with respect. Fewer incidents and less of an impact on the environment makes things easier for all in the future.