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**Freef** · 31st May 2007, 20:36

It seems strange to be leaving for a dive site at 0700 after only diving Stoney so far this year, but after a quick boomerang to Daventry where I realised I had left the kitty litter at home I head up to Capernwray to meet up with Lee for some Dolphin diving. The roads are quite clear, so I can watch a rainbow form from a sliver of ‘Richard of York gave battle in vain’ to a full blown double kaleidoscope. As I’m on the M6 toll I’m paying three and a half quid for the privilege though. Two hours of ‘Today’, a couple of CD’s, three sets of roadworks and a pee stop later I arrive at Capernwray. I thought the site might be closed as I was stopped by a chap in a yellow jacket before the entrance. There had been a car accident between the main entrance and the top one which is fenced off, and as a car was on its roof the traffic was being diverted through the car park.

Capernwray is a very civilised site, the best one in the UK for not being packed all the time [Stoney], years out of date with surly staff [Guildy], or a grim muddy puddle [Dosthill]. The disadvantage is that it is a 190 mile trip each way for me. The lake itself is about half way between Stoney and Guildy and bottoms out at about 20m. I texted Lee to tell him where I was parked and I started setting up the trusty Dolph and carrying out the checks. Lee arrived as I was finishing up and we went to the café for tea and tiffin. Suitably fed and watered Lee kitted up as quickly as a greased weasel as I tried to remember that a weightbelt is an important item.

We had to pop back up to sort out Lee’s mask but then we were off for a wander around, puching the tame and friendly trout out of the way. A bubble check at 6m didn’t reveal any problems, so I followed Lee around the site. I was diving a 50% mix through the 60% jet, with Lee on 50% through the 50% jet. I was taking notes of pO2 vs depth so that Lee can start playing with his mix and jet combinations. We wandered around the West side of the site, over cars and bicycles and seeing a boat. The vis was easily 15m and the water was very blue, a pleasant change to the green that Stoney has become. We stopped and checked the pO2 readings half a dozen times during the dive so that I could work out Lee’s vO2, and it was during one of these stops that Lee found a snorkel. We slowly ascended towards the slip from the East, and it was my turn to find some treasure-someone’s necklace. It was undone, so I carefully held it and as we got out I took my glove off and dropped it inside so I wouldn’t lose it on the way to hand it in. As it was a way from shore and undone it may have been jetsam rather than flotsam.

We dekitted and went into the café again for a hot drink and, in Lee’s case, a large bowl of soup. At Capernwray you are allowed to sit inside with wet dive kit on, other sites take note! I set up the MM2 for dive two so that I could take a few snaps of the site and Lee on his Dolph.

For dive two Lee was on his 60% jet, still with 50% in the tank. He led me around by the nose again to the oil rig and helicopter, and the Podsnap, which until the Stanegarth was sunk was the only deliberately sunk large boat in an inland site, and it is still the joint holder of the title with the Stanegarth. The gnome garden was next, where Lee posed with the exhibits, and then we were off to see what else we could find. The next object was the Orca, which has ‘Amity Island’ as it’s home berth on its stern, which caused me some amusement as it is the location of the film ‘Jaws’. Lee led the way to the surface, where I admired the reflection of the rocks in the water/air boundary and wondered how far we were from the slip. A bloody long way it turns out, as we were on the opposite side of the lake! I looked at the shore as it was an easy exit and asked Lee if it would be quicker to walk, but we set off for a gentle backstroke to where we should have been.

After we had dekitted, Lee went to get a fill while I changed the sofnolime in my scrubber, then we had another sit in the café before Lee went home and I went to the B&B. The pub recommended by the lady who runs the B&B was packed, and not knowing the area I popped up the morotway to a services to get something to eat. A bunch of planks wearing Aspatria FC tops were busy making Wayne Rooney look intelligent and cultured, and the services were also some sort of checkpoint for a car rally, so it was quite busy. Returning to the B&B I looked out of the window at the rain, which was turning heavy, and the llamas.

Dive data

Dive 1

16.8m
34 min
4 deg C
vO2 0.9

SI 1h 57 min

Dive 2

18m
40 min
vO2 1.2

31st May 2007, 20:36	#6 (permalink)
Freef Custom Title Disallowed! Current Rebreather/s: Dolphin Other Rebreather/s: Dolphin Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Land of the Freef, UK. Posts: 1,455	25th March “It might be quicker to walk back!” [Dolphin dives 46 & 47] It seems strange to be leaving for a dive site at 0700 after only diving Stoney so far this year, but after a quick boomerang to Daventry where I realised I had left the kitty litter at home I head up to Capernwray to meet up with Lee for some Dolphin diving. The roads are quite clear, so I can watch a rainbow form from a sliver of ‘Richard of York gave battle in vain’ to a full blown double kaleidoscope. As I’m on the M6 toll I’m paying three and a half quid for the privilege though. Two hours of ‘Today’, a couple of CD’s, three sets of roadworks and a pee stop later I arrive at Capernwray. I thought the site might be closed as I was stopped by a chap in a yellow jacket before the entrance. There had been a car accident between the main entrance and the top one which is fenced off, and as a car was on its roof the traffic was being diverted through the car park. Capernwray is a very civilised site, the best one in the UK for not being packed all the time [Stoney], years out of date with surly staff [Guildy], or a grim muddy puddle [Dosthill]. The disadvantage is that it is a 190 mile trip each way for me. The lake itself is about half way between Stoney and Guildy and bottoms out at about 20m. I texted Lee to tell him where I was parked and I started setting up the trusty Dolph and carrying out the checks. Lee arrived as I was finishing up and we went to the café for tea and tiffin. Suitably fed and watered Lee kitted up as quickly as a greased weasel as I tried to remember that a weightbelt is an important item. We had to pop back up to sort out Lee’s mask but then we were off for a wander around, puching the tame and friendly trout out of the way. A bubble check at 6m didn’t reveal any problems, so I followed Lee around the site. I was diving a 50% mix through the 60% jet, with Lee on 50% through the 50% jet. I was taking notes of pO2 vs depth so that Lee can start playing with his mix and jet combinations. We wandered around the West side of the site, over cars and bicycles and seeing a boat. The vis was easily 15m and the water was very blue, a pleasant change to the green that Stoney has become. We stopped and checked the pO2 readings half a dozen times during the dive so that I could work out Lee’s vO2, and it was during one of these stops that Lee found a snorkel. We slowly ascended towards the slip from the East, and it was my turn to find some treasure-someone’s necklace. It was undone, so I carefully held it and as we got out I took my glove off and dropped it inside so I wouldn’t lose it on the way to hand it in. As it was a way from shore and undone it may have been jetsam rather than flotsam. We dekitted and went into the café again for a hot drink and, in Lee’s case, a large bowl of soup. At Capernwray you are allowed to sit inside with wet dive kit on, other sites take note! I set up the MM2 for dive two so that I could take a few snaps of the site and Lee on his Dolph. For dive two Lee was on his 60% jet, still with 50% in the tank. He led me around by the nose again to the oil rig and helicopter, and the Podsnap, which until the Stanegarth was sunk was the only deliberately sunk large boat in an inland site, and it is still the joint holder of the title with the Stanegarth. The gnome garden was next, where Lee posed with the exhibits, and then we were off to see what else we could find. The next object was the Orca, which has ‘Amity Island’ as it’s home berth on its stern, which caused me some amusement as it is the location of the film ‘Jaws’. Lee led the way to the surface, where I admired the reflection of the rocks in the water/air boundary and wondered how far we were from the slip. A bloody long way it turns out, as we were on the opposite side of the lake! I looked at the shore as it was an easy exit and asked Lee if it would be quicker to walk, but we set off for a gentle backstroke to where we should have been. After we had dekitted, Lee went to get a fill while I changed the sofnolime in my scrubber, then we had another sit in the café before Lee went home and I went to the B&B. The pub recommended by the lady who runs the B&B was packed, and not knowing the area I popped up the morotway to a services to get something to eat. A bunch of planks wearing Aspatria FC tops were busy making Wayne Rooney look intelligent and cultured, and the services were also some sort of checkpoint for a car rally, so it was quite busy. Returning to the B&B I looked out of the window at the rain, which was turning heavy, and the llamas. Dive data Dive 1 16.8m 34 min 4 deg C vO2 0.9 SI 1h 57 min Dive 2 18m 40 min vO2 1.2 __________________ David. "I've got the whole cast of Fraggle Rock here; they're not happy..."
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