![Stoney Cove Diving](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Stoney_Cove_Diving.jpg)
Stoney Cove is a large
flooded quarry which is a popular inland
scuba diving
Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface air supply. The name "scuba", an acronym for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus", was coined by Chris ...
site, located between
Stoney Stanton
Stoney Stanton is a large village in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England with a population of over 3,454 in 2001, increasing to 3,793 at the 2011 census. It constitutes a civil parish.
The village lies some five miles east of Hinck ...
and
Broughton Astley
Broughton Astley is a large village and civil parish located in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated in the south of Leicestershire, about east of Hinckley, about from the centre of Leicester, and about 14 mil ...
in
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Background
Stoney Cove was originally a granite quarry dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. In 1850 a train line was added to move the granite more easily from the Top Pit to the centre of Stoney Stanton. Spring water was a perennial problem for the quarry, but was a boon in 1958 when quarrying at the site ceased. By 1963 diving pioneers were using the quarry to practise their hobby. Over the next fifteen years Stoney Cove was used to train
North Sea oil
North Sea oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons, comprising liquid petroleum and natural gas, produced from petroleum reservoirs beneath the North Sea.
In the petroleum industry, the term "North Sea" often includes areas such as the Norwegian Sea and ...
divers and in 1978 Stoney Cove Marine Trials Ltd was formed to fully exploit the site on a
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television)
** Radio advertisement
** Television advertisement
* (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
basis.
Scuba facilities
Stoney Cove is used for scuba diving training as well as
pleasure dives and
open water swimming
Open water swimming is a swimming discipline which takes place in outdoor bodies of water such as open oceans, lakes, and rivers.
The beginning of the modern age of open water human swimming, swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when L ...
. On shore facilities include a dive shop, diving school,
cylinder filling station and a
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
. The site has a range of depths to , whilst the underwater attractions include:
*
Stanegarth, claimed to be the largest inland wreck in the UK
*Viscount aircraft cockpit, small aircraft wreck a Wessex helicopter
*Nautilus submarine, galleon, wooden boat and a bus
*Archways beneath the pub
*Deep hydrobox
*Submerged trees
*Tower
*Blow-off preventer
*4-metre block house
*APC
External links
Diving information website
Diving quarries in the United Kingdom
Lakes of Leicestershire
Tourist attractions in Leicestershire
Underwater diving training organizations
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