Dive Team basking in the sunshine at Vobster QuayPlan the Dive and Dive the Plan , that's what we do! Though sometimes we add a little extra to the plan! And so it was with our plan to dive the National Diving Activity Centre near Chepstow. We travelled to Wales on Friday evening (16th) and took up B&B accommodation in a beautiful valley where a field of horses and a couple of farm dogs befriended us (or we pestered them, one of the two)! Saturday morning was dull but dry as we made our way, using the courtesy buses, from the NDAC dive centre to their quarry based dive sites. Our first dive was on the BAE 146 aircraft at 26m , followed by a tour of a variety of other submereged attractions. The second dive that day started with a visit to the North Sea Diving Bell but ended in horror as we stumbled across a small but growing colony of Gnomes (see Go G.N.O.M.E post below).
On a 'wing and prayer' welcome to NDAC's North Sea Diving BellAfter taking stock of the Gnome pollution over a 'pint and a pie' back at Tour HQ , there was only one option. Relocate to Somerset and dive Vobster Quay on the Sunday. At Gnome Free Vobster we dived another aircraft fuselage , then refuelled on bacon & egg baps before diving through their tunnel to the Crushing Works and then onto an aircraft cockpit. I don't know if it was the absence of Gnomes but on Sunday the sun shone warmly and a huge rainbow trout came up to greet us on our safety stop.
Simon contemplates the Diving Bell
So is muddy puddle diving 'proper diving'? The answer is clearly 'yes', there are divers tackling deeper and more technical dives in quarries than I would want to do anywhere, but I don't think it's going to compete with diving in the sea as far as I can see from the views of Meridian Divers. It is nice, however, to be able to freely try-out different diving. Some divers are just 'plain against' fresh water inland sites and consider them not safe. It might seem extraordinary but even those divers will sanction using them when it's convenient! You need to keep an open mind, plan properly and decide for yourself!
10 comments:
Another great time was had by me and enjoyed being with you all again at the weekend long may it continue
I second that Tad. Roll on 'Fives' next adventure
Meridian Divers eh? One big adventure after another! Definately good fun & good company (Gnomes excepted) !
That was good fun everyone. Many thanks to you all and good call to relocate to Vobster, Chris. It made the trip even more interesting. Looking forward to the next escapade to Looe now.
Looks good, which did you guys prefer NDAC or Vobster?
As A set up I prefered Vobster but for water clarity and space I liked NDAC
It may sound strange, but it's difficult to compare the two as they both had different pros and cons. My call would be if it is raining go to Vobster as the car park of NDAC would deposit claggy mud everywhere. If sunny do NDAC. They're about an hour apart.
Thanks.
Jimbob,
My 2p worth ....NDAC better underwater attractions, better range of diving 'sites' and seems a bigger area of suitable u/w topography, but poor facilities aggravated by the need to catch a bus from the 'centre' to the dive pontoons. Vobster better facilities , better tarmaced kitting-up areas but less in the way of variety. Vobster is closer! Sea diving is more appealing than both (to me)! Chris
we use vobster alot in the off season it`s a great facility for all levels of divers with different needs,especially keeping up nitrogen tolerences during the winter so holiday and rare winter deep dives aren`t a problem.
as for the "we don`t do puddles" brigade stay away so i can still park with not much queuing!
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