Stoney Cove is a large flooded quarry which is a popular inland

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

site, located between Stoney Stanton and Sapcote in

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

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 ...

divers and in 1978 Stoney Cove Marine Trials Ltd was formed to fully exploit the site on a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

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. Competitive open water swimming is governed by the International Swimming Federation, World Aquatics (formerly kno ...

. On shore facilities include a dive shop, diving school, cylinder filling station and a

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

. 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