Capernwray & the Lake District

Diving at Capernwray is from the shore. Divers register at the centre and buy a day pass or take out a 2 year membership, then kit up and enter from the jetty, either with a giant stride off the pier or by walking down the slipways on either side of it. The centre tends to open at weekends and from Thursdays in winter, and from Wednesdays through to the evening in summer. Training weekends run at the quarry every month of the year, and several clubs in the area also train in the Lake District lakes.

The quarry is a former limestone working, now a freshwater lake. Purpose-built training platforms sit between 2 and 12 m, and the scuttled wrecks lie at depths from 6 m down to 20 m, the deepest point being the Sump, a depression in the quarry floor where silt builds up and careless fins stir up the bottom. Huge shoals of roach and perch and great numbers of extremely friendly trout live in the quarry.

Capernwray suits trainees and newly qualified divers who want wrecks, fish and a controlled shore entry without going past 20 m, and it serves as a base for beginner and intermediate training. The water stays cold all year and dry suits are recommended. Divers ready for natural open water look further into the Lakes: Coniston Water, with gradually sloping entry points, is used for intermediate training, while Wast Water, plunging to 79 m with a remote location and limited surface access, is kept for the final phases of advanced technical training.