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| Location :
Swithland Woods is an old slate quarry owned by the Charnwood Forestry
Commission,
and is situated North of Anstey village, Leicestershire (see map on www.multimap.com.
)
Leicester Underwater Exploration Club hires this 50m deep quarry once a
month so that divers can
experience diving at depth and low viz / darkness.
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Altitude: Not
sure of exact metres above Sea Level but would not class it as an
Altitude dive (less than 100m).
Water Temp: 5-6 degrees (normally
very cold all year round).
Visibility: 1-10m
Gas: Not available onsite - bring
what you need with you.(Closest site to obtain refills would be Stoney
Cove).
Required Experience: Not a place
to take novices, minimum Club Diver with 20+ dives.
Amenities: Nothing at the site,
nearest
toilets down the road at a National Park carpark - 3 min drive from
site. Lots of pubs and Anstey village has usually amenities (Banks/
Supermarket/ Paula's Pantry for diver's breakfast Mug of tea &
Bacon butties).
Site Safety: This site is a medium to high level
risk area. Located in a forest you are open to the elements. Emergency
services can only get to you via the access road from the edge of the
forest, not much chance of getting the air ambulance in either.
Be aware
Definitely bring an O2 kit with you and good surface cover is a must.
Mobile phone reception is not too hot either.
NB
The last 2
times the club has visted a free flow at depth has happened due to the
cold. (Check out the free flow pics in the articles section of the
website).
Wildlife: Some fish have been seen
which we believe are Perch
Attractions: Not actually found
any cars as yet but believed to be a Jaguar on the bottom @ (48m+).
Site Access:Prior permission needs
to be
obtained from Charnwood Forestry warden, its costs the club
£40.00 per day and is paid to the Forestry
commission.You
also need to collect the key from the Warden's Office to gain access to
the site road and the quarry gate. There is a cCar park at South
entrance, no more than 5 cars are permitted at the
dive site so you need to squeeze everything into the cars
allowed
upto the site. It takes about 10
mins to walk to the quarry from the road.
NB - the track to the site from the road is a gravelled one but only
suitable for cars with good ground clearance and the track does get
muddy when it has been raining.
Site Description: The
best way to picture the site is to imagine a figure 8.
The
entry point is at the bottom of the lower loop. There is a small shelf,
just big enough for a couple of divers. The entry is by a stide or
controlled
fall. The first area is about 50 metres deep.
The top loop has a max depth
of about 18 metres. Mostly around the 10metre mark but does have some
holes to its max depth of 18 metres.
The vis in the top loop is often very poor and there is
not much to see other than rocks and lots of trees and branches.
The two loops are divided by a ledge that runs at about 5-8 metres.
The bottom area is the main dive attraction with the deep
areas. The surface often has poor vis
but if you descend below about 10 metres it becomes crystal
clear, but
usually totally black. not much to see (good torches are a must!) there
is an old
Jag car at the bottom in one corner. It is best to use a shot line, if
your on the bottom and try to follow the wall back to surface you will
find yourself under and overhang at about 37 mtrs.
The bottom loop has alot of overhangs at various depths to investigate.
Entry: Walk in access, down muddy
bank.
Issues:
- There is poor phone reception
- most carriers worked but really poor signals.
- There is also an issue of no
visible surface at some points due to overhanging rocks.
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Bottom Loop - Deep End |
Looking to Wall with Writing on |
Looking towards the top loop |
Step to get in |
Looking towards the deep end |
Divers kitting up at entry point |
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Its
a bird / a plane - No its Wigsy
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