Things to be aware of in Dorethea

AM

The buoys at Dorothea have been tampered with on multiple occasions and additionally lines to certain parts of the quarry removed. Diving to the bottom was made easier by a bouy being added to enable a fast descent to the 90m hut. The swim to the sump then being a much shorter swim than from the plinth, enables divers to undertake longer bottom times.

However, other than the bouys, there ARE major entanglement risks at the bottom of Dorothea, due to the presence of old deco trapeze line and dropped reels. Around 4 years ago I became trapped at 104 metres for around 15 minutes after descending to the bottom and finding myself in extremely bad vis and getting wrapped up in several of these ropes. Not only were there ropes wrapped round both my stages but there was also a birdnested reel floating around which wrapped my legs up. All in all, I was unable to move forward, back, left or right.

Please be careful diving to the bottom whether you use weighted bouys or make a free swim to the bottom. Also, a strong knife is an absolute necessity for this site.

Regards

AnneMarie

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divetheworld

It wouldnt hurt anyone if those who use Dotty carried out a bit of maintennance while they were there. I'm going to try to do my bit.
If you see any drum bouys that are in need of replacement, then please replace them. Only do this if you are going to do it properly. I dont intend to be condecending but a half arsed job can be far more dangerous.

If anyone has any boat bouys (proper ones) that they have surplus, why not donate them to this site.

Be safe, dont engage in underwater maintennance uluess you are up to the task and above all, be respectful.
Take away the crap, we dont want it to be a dumping ground for old Slime drums.

Thanks

brent

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AM

The drums were put there a long time ago (I won't bother mentioning who by but the drums are NOT the problem) - anyway there are other considerations. There is suddenly an assumption that ALL the buoys are faulty - it is the lines underwater that are hazardous.

In regards to the buoys, there were lots of people attempting the bottom before the line to the 90m hut was placed. Without that direct descent line, the sump at 104 metres is a LONG swim away from the plinth. This was meaning divers ongassing a lot on the swim there and back in 4 degree water and many of them getting bent or simply not making it back because they were attempting it on open circuit, ill equipped for the depth and the swim. The line at least provides a reference point back up to the surface, instead of that long swim where people were attempting to get back to the plinth and running out of gas.

No one should be interfering with the buoys there on the assumption that they are doing someone a favour - the real issue is lines floating around at depth. We cannot remove every line, net or rope underwater, which is why divers are taught to carry knives. It's better to be forearmed by warnings. Removing things that we deem to be hazardous is not going to prevent people from dying at this site - by it's very nature people turn up there ill equipped and dive beyond their limits. THAT is what kills them, not the simple existence of buoys and lines.

I do not see it as my responsibility to "police" things underwater. People diving at this site KNOW fine well the dangers and the history of the site.
I have been in there and had open circuit divers on AIR follow me to 80 metres and beyond, narked off their heads. The problem is really that of divers undertaking dives that they are not ready, experienced, trained (by whatever method) or equipped for.

Regards

AnneMarie

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lizardland

One of the biggest problems is the proliferation of lines. Let's put a shotline on every underwater feature because we can't be arsed navigating. It's been ten years since I did my first dive there and the layout looks nothing like it did then. I've lost count of the number of dives I've done at Dorry but I still got lost because of the sheer number of ascent lines.

When I first dived there the lines were simple. Main buoys to the plateau, the buoys to the deep section, one on the pinnacles and maybe a couple of others in the shallow bits. They were also decent marine-type buoys as well. Last year you could walk from one side to the other on stuff floating there, shitty plastic kegs with crap line. The last time I used the deco bars they weren't even at the right depth.

I've pulled a lot of navigation lines out of there too (not shot lines). Typically crap laid lines i.e. drag a reel through the water to where you are going, no belays, no tie offs, nothing, so it just forms nice, big floating loops after a while. I haven't been in the 57m tunnel for a while but the last time I was the line was floating mid water in it. Sorry if it offends anyone, but if you can't navigate your way round a quarry then maybe diving isn't the sport for you.

The state of the area around the main car park is terrible as well. Piles of used lime in the buildings, batteries, disposable barbeques and other rubbish chucked in the water.

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Can you imagine drifting along in the sea with your mouth open and a load of f***ing plankton going in? You'd like it, would you?

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Azerbaijani Association of Technical Divers Publicity Officer and Goat Wrangler

AM

Yes, EXACTLY the problem I mean about stupid bunches of line underwater. Belay? Those quarry warriors wouldn't know a belay if it bit them on the a*s!

Yes indeed. The fact that club numpties class it as a club day trip says it all!

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Gobfish1

No line in the 57m tunnel, one line out side it 57m going up to about 46m
just 8mm line, no boy on it

deco bars has a new big oid drum and still has 2 lines one to 40m and the ladder other going back to top pipe , its a bit of a mess could do with a sort out ,

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Steve G

Apparently not the only gay diver in the village

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http://www.scubatunes.com/audio/vol01/mp3/HiTech.mp3

PhilSiswick

I've always understood that cavers have protocols to prevent just this kind of thing. Could those not be applied to Dorothea? I know it means that someone has to take some kind of action, but does it mean that they take responsibility for accidents? I'd think not - are the people who run gold lines in caves responsible for cave deaths?

There have been calls from on high to ban diving there before - if the users take no action, then it's more grist to the mill of those who would seek to heap regulation on us. That's to be avoided, for the good of us all.

I've never been to Dorothea, so this is just opinion - feel free to fling metaphorical stones at me. It sounds like a dreadful mess to me - not somewhere that UK divers can be particularly proud of.

Cheers,

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Phil

No comment on open circuit... it's an evolutionary dead end not really worth discussing here. Dave Sutton, 2007

I have always felt that the dive I am on is not nearly important as the dives I plan to be on the rest of my life. Tom Rose, 2007

www.hugsac.org.uk

lizardland

I'm a caver, I carry out maintenance on the guidelines that I come across i.e. I remove them whenever I come across them. They serve absolutely no purpose other than making the dive easier for people who either can't navigate or can't be bothered.

I've never touched the lines in the tunnels. I'm in two minds about them. My own preference would be to have no line on the basis that if you are capable of diving them then you should be capable of laying a line. But reality is that people will just dive them without a line or just drag a reel behind them. On the other hand, the tunnels are swim throughs, there is no silt in them, there are no obstacles and they're about as long as my front hall so don't even need a line.

The shot lines are different. I'd happily see at least of them get removed but some of them are serving a good purpose. The rest are a waste of time but there are a lot of people who whinge they are there for safety i.e. you are never more than pissing distance from an ascent line when you're single cylinder of air goes into freeflow at 50m.

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Can you imagine drifting along in the sea with your mouth open and a load of f***ing plankton going in? You'd like it, would you?

www.westons-cider.co.uk

Azerbaijani Association of Technical Divers Publicity Officer and Goat Wrangler

bletso

Strange that this dive site has numerous up lines. I was taught and teach no reference ascents with and w/o lift bags doing long decos. Why don't the technical instructors just remove them?

The more lines from the surface to depth increases the potential for OW dives to do deep bounce dives.

Dale

divetheworld

Until the Pikies use them for target practice and then they come down line et-al.
Then you get masses of line on the bottom.

the other lines on the bottom do need tidying up, but some of it we found is in such a large amount that we are going to have to use lift bags to get it out. No point trying and screwing it up, needs doing properly.

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