Stoney-el-Sheikh

Almost everyone who has qualified and dived in the UK has been to Stoney Cove. Almost like a rite of passage.

For the minoritywho haven't been..or for those who are just undergoing Open Water Training and need to know what is in store for them...This is what Stoney-el-Sheikh was like yesterday...

Located in a small village in Leicestershire, travel time is about an hour and a half from Retford, all relatively straightforward and easy to get to.
This place is always packed out at weekends but there are 3 car parks to cater for the masses. If you want to be in the bottom car park at the weekend, I suggest you set off on the previous Friday as it is very popular!!! Having said that, if Middle Rob and Deb had been on time, we would have got a bottom car park slot as they didn't fill it until 7.50am and we got there at 8.10am!

We ended up in the top car park.and then up the hill is the middle car park. Don't worry all you newbies that are concerned about getting your kit from there down to the water's edge...there is a regular bus service that comes along to help you on your way (well so I told Christian many moons ago )
Entry fee is £15 unless you are a member in which case it reduces by £5 ( I wouldn't know, despite how many times we have been, Jessie still has not sorted out membership)

Stoney is very well equipped, it has a dive shop, a compressor for the airfills, Changing rooms, the Nemo bar and restaurant and of course..the usual serving hatch where you can have your dog burgers, bacon butties and the customary teas and coffees. The queue's can get very long and you get the drinks in those really cr@ppy foam cups which means you scald yourself! Prices are not as good value as at Blue Lagoon.

Yesterday's glorious weather meant that people were out in droves but alot of them were doing their first dive of the year..and it showed in alot of instances.

We went with Middle Rob and Deb and parked up near the changing rooms. We did a walk in entry for the first dive down the slip road with the intention of going to the nautilus ( a submarine) and then heading over the ridge towards the Stanegarth ( boat) and if we were all happy, to find the bus. Maximim depth would be about 21m and we said dive time would be no more than 45 minutes. We did all the usual buddy checks and safety stuff and away we went.

The viz was not that good to be honest and we ended up getting completely lost and although we found the helicopter..we missed everything else entirely and so just had a little swim around until it was time to head to shallower waters and do the 3 at 5 stop. The water temperature was about 10 degrees in the shallows but 6 or 7 degrees at 20m. A little bit chilly.

By now the place was filling up so we de-kitted and started out surface intervals..and made the long walk to take the cylinders for re-fill. Costs £3.50 a fill now for normal air fills (21%). We were having at least an hour surface interval...and what glorious weather to do it in!

We were kitted up for the second dive, which was going to be a surface swim to the Stangarth, find the bus, back to the Stangarth and then follow the Anchor Chain back into the shallows for a mess about under the arches under the pub. As we were about to get into the water there was a shout.

Everybody immediately stopped what theyw e doing and I really have to pay tribute to the staff. They were down those stairs so fast and out in the boat to the scene. Basically, a diver had exited the water, de-kitted and then keeled over. When me and Deb saw, they look in a seriously bad way and never moved a muscle. The guys had the mask on and before we knew it the helicopter arrived. Thankfully, as we were just on our surface swim, we saw that she was conscious now and had managed to sit up. Hopefully, she will make a full recovery. We all have to remember that diving does have risks and safety must be of paramount importance at all times.

The second dive was brilliant. We went down the shotline and had a play around the Stanegarth. We then found the bus as easy as anything and had a little play there. The viz was much better and we went back to the Stanegarth before following the anchor chain back up into the shallows. We basically did dive 1!
I was cursing though as I had not taken my camera with me (viz had been so poor on dive 1 that I sacked the job)..and I missed a great phot opportunity of the anchor itself in near perfect viz..

me and Deb decided not to do a 3rd dive but the blokes went back in. While they were under, there was the second shout of the day. 3 guys just yelled "shout" and that was it, stuck thier faces back int he water and looked down underneath them. We just assumed that there was something happening beneath them and they were getting the boat out for when the diver was brought to the surface. Well, the staff scrambled again and then were yelling "where's the shout". The divers inthe water who had raised the alarm gave no further indication (I am sure training tells you to wave your arms or blow a whistle)..and other divers had to point out where the problem was. The boat got there and they said they had lost thier buddy. Their buddy was actually about 10 yards away with SMB in full deployment (the only one in the lake!). 3 embarrassed and very apologetic divers..but once again, it showed how fast the staff were off the mark. I would rather have a false alarm than have a diver in real trouble.

There were many examples yesterday of divers ill prepared for being in Stoney. Kit was in bad condition, proper buddy checks did not take place, simple things like weight belts on the wrong way round, general unfitness of divers, some schools clearly did not have ample safety cover ( ie: instructor in on their own with trainees). All these things are potential risks or accidents waiting to hapen. There were rapid ascents yesterday, we saw all sorts of people "spaced out" after near mises or just sheer terror/panic of a reality check of life in Stoney Cove.

Stoney Cove is a great place to dive, but new divers/trainees/and even people more experienced who might have a tendancy to get complacent..you must be prepared..it is not all nicey nicey like in the swimming pool. It is cold, it is dark in places..and the viz is not always good. It is a big old lake and there are hazards there. Just make sure all your kit is in good nick, make sure you follow all safety rules..definitely buddy check..keep to your buddy pairs..and listen to what you are being told in your dive briefing..and above all, if there is a problem try to stay calm and remember your training. ..oh and Enjoy....I loved it yesterday.