Carnforth, England, United Kingdom

Capernwray Diving Centre

Capernwray Diving Centre, near Carnforth in Lancashire, is a flooded former limestone quarry and one of northern England's leading inland dive training sites. Operating as a dedicated dive centre since 1980, the lake reaches 22 metres at its deepest point and offers an extensive collection of submerged attractions, including a Hawker Hunter T7 jet aircraft, a Wessex helicopter, the wreck of the Princess and several training platforms at staged depths. Marine life is freshwater and quite varied: rainbow trout, brown trout, perch, roach, ide, sticklebacks, freshwater crayfish and the occasional pike. Submerged statues, deliberately placed in shallow water, are a popular underwater photography subject. Visibility commonly reaches 5 to 12 metres on calm days and water temperatures range from 4 degrees Celsius in winter to 18 degrees in late summer at the surface, with reliable thermoclines at 10 to 12 metres dropping to 6 to 8 degrees throughout the year. The site offers air and nitrox fills, classrooms, cafe, equipment hire and runs year-round, with strong PADI and BSAC training links.