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Diving Stoney Cove, England Inland Dive Site
Reader Reviews:
Dive Site: Disposal Chute
Depth: 3 to 6 metres (18 feet)
Rating: See Stoney Cove overview
Location: From the stern or propeller of the Stanegarth take a 210 degree bearing and expect a 20 minute slow swim across a flat 21m silt floor with little to see. (Note - to get to the Stanegarth take a 190 degree bearing from the Bus Stop entry). If making a perimeter dive with the wall on your left shoulder the disposal chute is a good 45 minute swim from the slipway, past the 4m blockhouse, crane drum and galleon (all located between 4 and 7 metres depth). The shortest route back to the exit points from the disposal chute is a 30 degree bearing and a 30 minute slow swim in open water.
History & Description:
The "Disposal Chute" (if indeed that's what it actually is) appears to be an old piece of equipment comprised of a number of 44 gallon drums joined together and is closed at both ends. Could it be left behind from the days when this area was a working quarry at Stoney Stanton? I recently heard that a very similar structure used to be moored (at the surface) to the quay, just beyond the pub, where the ladder parts held it way from the bank. This could be the same structure, simply moved out of the way. Currently attached to the quarry wall it now hangs out into open water attached to two horizontal ladders. Due to its location on the far south wall of the quarry it is seldom visited by divers, isn't listed as a feature of the site and no information on it is readily available (any clarification of its purpose would be gratefully received). However the fish life here is far more plentiful than the northern side of the quarry and there's plenty of plant life growing on the quarry walls, which makes a good hiding place for large pike.
Rik Vercoe, BSAC Advanced Instructor
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