Vobster Quay - Scuba Diving

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Vobster Quay welcomes freedivers and scuba divers with a range of high quality facilities that provide all you need to enjoy a fun and leisurely diving experience.

READY FOR DIVING ADVENTURE?

SCUBA & FREEDIVING

Welcome to the UK's friendliest inland diving venue! Offering the very best fresh water diving and unrivalled onsite support services, Vobster Quay has something to offer every diver.

Whether you're just getting started in scuba diving or you're an experienced techie looking to polish your skills in preparation for adventures ahead, Vobster Quay has it all. With depths from 6 to 36 metres and a myriad of fascinating underwater attractions just waiting to be explored, we offer a rich variety of diving to suit divers of every level - all accessible via convenient entry points located close to our sturdy kitting up benches and car park.

Topside you'll find a great selection of diving facilities to help you get the most out of your visit. From dive kit hire to cylinder gas fills and retail sales, Vobster Quay offers everything you need to enjoy a great day of diving.

Please note you must be a member to dive at Vobster Quay - do not turn up if you are not a current member and have not prebooked a session through our online booking portal.

DISCOVER A MYRIAD OF

UNDERWATER ADVENTURES

FASCINATING DIVE ATTRACTIONS
WAITING TO BE EXPLORED

Lurking beneath the waters of Vobster Quay you'll find a rich assortment of fascinating submerged objects just waiting to be discovered. What will you discover?

From the fuselage of an ex-Royal Navy Commando Sea King Helicopter to the shell of a British Army Armoured Personnel Carrier and a 15-metre long shipwreck that provides the perfect introduction to wreck diving for less experienced divers, we've got dive attractions to suit divers of all levels. Don't miss our Quarry Crushing Works - it's as big as a house!

PERFECT TRAINING VENUE
FOR STUDENT DIVERS...

Dive instructors looking for a training site that offers a safe, convenient and richly varied training environment need look no further - we've got you covered!

Whether you're teaching entry-level open water students or advanced technical or CCR courses, our lake provides the perfect venue to ensure your students get the safest and best possible training experience. Underwater we offer a generous number of solid training platforms placed at recognised depths and easy ingress and exit from the water.

WHAT LURKS BENEATH:
MEET THE LOCALS

Vobster is home to a wide range of fish and other aquatic species which can add a fun natural element to any dive.

It's not uncommon for visiting divers to encounter shoals of freshwater fish species including large Perch and Roach. These fish can grow to quite a large size and commonly congregate in large groups in the shallows, making them quite a spectacle at the end of your dive.

Working in conjunction with Bristol Zoological Society, Vobster is also proud to be an 'ark' site for the native endangered white-clawed crayfish.

FABULOUS FACILITIES
KEEP YOU DIVING

Vobster Quay offers visiting divers an unrivalled range of onsite support services to keep you diving. From gas fills to servicing and kit hire, we're here to help.

Divers need something to breathe underwater and our onsite gas station is there to satisfy all your breathing gas requirements. Whether you just need an air or enthriched air nitrox fill or something more exotic like trimix or oxygen for rebreather tanks, we can pump gas of any mixture to a maximum of 232-bar. We also offer rental equipment too including tanks (singles and twinsets), weights, computers and fins in most sizes.

We also offer equipment servicing on a range of gear including tanks, regulators and computers. Call us to discuss your servicing requirements.

SAFETY GUIDELINES

STAY SAFE AS YOU DIVE

We like to think that Vobster Quay offers the highest quality, friendly & stress-free place to scuba dive. To ensure your safety and enjoyment, we ask all divers to observe the following rules and safety guidelines...

Always follow your diver training agency’s policy on safe diving practices. At no time should you undertake any dive that is beyond the level of your training or ability unless you are under-going training or supervision from a qualified and fully insured diving instructor.
Solo diving is not allowed at Vobster Quay at any time - even if you are qualified and/or trained to do so. Any diver found to be diving solo will be asked to leave site.
Diving is not permitted outside of the site opening hours without prior arrangement with the management of Vobster Quay.
Divers under 18 must be under the direct supervision of an adult and must meet the mini-mum age requirements of their training agency.
No object may be removed from the lake or the site without the express permission of the Directors of Vobster Diving Ltd.
Portable compressors are not allowed at Vobster Quay. Breathing air, enriched air nitrox and trimix fills are available from our filling station.
Vobster Quay provides a number of entry points which offer a safe means to enter and exit the water. Entering or exiting the water at any point other than those designated for this pur-pose is not recommended.
Always check the area you are dropping into is safe and clear of hazards before entering the water. Pay particular attention to submerged objects such as large rocks - they may be shallower than you think!
Take precautions to minimise the risk of regulator free flows, especially during the winter months. We recommend the use of regulators specifically designed for cold water use. If in doubt, consult your regulator manufacturer.

Even during the summer months, deeper parts of the lake can be dark and very cold. Unless you are confident in such conditions, we recommend that you stay away from these areas for your own safety and comfort. Always use thermal protection appropriate for cold water diving, especially during the winter months.
Do not take on any dive below 30m without an alternative air source such as a pony bottle, a rebreather 'bail out' cylinder or a twinset.
Lakes can be very cold and very dark - always use equipment and thermal protection appropriate for such conditions. A neoprene hood and gloves is recommended at all times of the year.
Do not enter an overhead unless you are properly trained to do so. Due to their confined nature, these areas can silt up very quickly and become potentially hazardous without proper training.
We recommend that all ascents are carried out by following the side of the quarry to the surface. If you do ascend mid water, be aware of surface boat traffic and deploy a surface marker buoy to provide a stable ascent platform. Be mindful of divers above and below you.
Certain sections of the lake can be very silty and visibility can be reduced dramatically if this silt is disturbed. Avoid all contact with the lake bottom - especially with your fins - and be mindful of the ‘wash’ that your fins create behind you.
Most diving attractions at Vobster Quay are marked by a tethered buoy tied off to the attraction by a line of thick rope. If you plan to use these buoy lines for your ascent or descent, be mindful of divers that may be above or below you.

In the event that you or a member of your group is involved in an emergency at Vobster Quay, please inform a member of the Vobster Quay staff immediately.

Our staff are there to assist you in such circumstances. ALL injuries - no matter how minor you think they are - must be reported to a member of our staff. We are there to help!

We employ a very simple diver recall signal that you should listen out for at all times when underwater. In the event of an incident that requires divers to exit the water, a member of our staff will pound a heavy object against one of the metal ladders located at the water's edge. If you hear the diver recall signal, make a safe ascent and exit the water by the nearest safe exit.

You are responsible for the management of your own safety at all times. Our staff are there to assist you but you or a member of your group must accept full responsibity for the management of any incident you may be involved in.

RECREATIONAL ACOP

VISITING INSTRUCTORS

Planning to teach at Vobster Quay? All diving schools, instructors and divers working at the site must conform to the Diving at Work Regulations 1997 and all other revelant standards and procedures laid down by the UK Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and the agencies they operate under.

You must have adequate insurance to cover all aspects of liability and must accept responsibility for provision of all relevant safety cover both above and below water. Our staff and facilities - including oxygen therapy units - cannot be treated as part of your emergency assistance plan.

Professional divers and instructors should visit the HSE website for more information on the Diving at Work Regulations approved code of practice.