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 Chr ...

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, Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated in the south of Leicestershire, about east of Hinckley, about from the centre of Leiceste ...

in Leicestershire,

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 ...

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 swimming is sometimes taken to be May 3, 1810, when Lord Byron swam s ...

. 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 wa ...

. 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 {{underwater-diving-stub