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VOBSTER QUAY INLAND DIVING & SWIMMING CENTRE
VOBSTER QUAY
3D MODELS COURTESY OF MARCUS BLATCHFORD & SIMON BROWN
3D MODELS COURTESY OF
MARCUS BLATCHFORD
& SIMON BROWN
SURFACE WATER TEMP:  9.4 °C    UPDATED:  02-12-2023
SURFACE WATER TEMP:  9.4 °C
Select Dive Attraction
WINTER SWIMMING UPDATE - Don't miss these important changes to our swim procedures!
DIVE ATTRACTION
Miscellaneous Stuff
Photos copyright © Jason Brown
Visitors to the area near the second wheelhouse would be forgiven for experiencing a sense of being watched - you may even see a pair of eyes peering at you through the depths! Don't fret, you're not imagining it - Vobster is home to some uniquely odd objects just waiting to be discovered.
Key amongst these are our signature oddities - an arrangement of 8-foot high carnival jesters that form what we like to collectively refer to as 'jester henge'. Located near the deep wheelhouse at a depth of around 25 metres, these truly surreal statues add a spooky something extra to any dive in this area. Originally painted in bright, garish colours, they've long since taken on darker tones but their eyes still pierce through the gloom - some day those eyes follow you around but we think that may be the effects of narcosis.

Below we present a brief guide to the other miscellaneous objects you may be lucky enough to encounter on your next dive at Vobster...
  • CONCRETE PIPES
    Look out for a number of large concrete pipes located near the top of the Crushing Works. Perfect for honing good buoyancy control, they offer a fun swim thru for divers of all levels.
  • TUMBLE DRYER
    Sat overlooking the top of the Crushing Works you'll find a large industrial tumble dryer. With its drying days well and truly over, this curio now offers divers a quick swim-thru fix.
  • TRAINING PLATFORMS
    Vobster Quay offers a generous selection of training platforms at varying depths throughout the lake. Whether you're teaching open water or an advanced tech course, you'll find a platform to suit.
  • DRILLING RIG
    For those happy to go exploring, look out for the remains of a large drilling rig out on the 25 metre area. Looking a bit like an old cannon, this strange looking object was used to drill small bore holes into the rock for the placement of explosives.
  • GLIDER TRAILER
    Swim out past the aircraft sections and you'll find a trailer designed to transport a glider. Sadly the glider is no longer in situ but the trailer body makes for a fun swim thru.
  • SMALL BOATS
    The Peveril Pride and the Jacquin II aren't the only boat wrecks at Vobster - explore a little further and you'll find another four smaller boat wrecks scattered around the lake. Can you find them?
ARC MARINE
THE REEF PROJECT
Some of the more unusual objects you may encounter during a dive on Vobster Quay are piles of concrete cubes. What are they and what are their purpose? All can now be revealed...
Measuring 500mm square, these 'ARC modules' serve a very valuable and worthy purpose - the creation of the world’s first multi purpose, modular artificial reef and marine habitat here at Vobster Quay. Vobster was chosen for this pioneering project by environmental research company ARC Marine due to it being one of the registered Ark sites that host a regeneration program for the UK's indigenous white-clawed crayfish population, which is dying out due to habitat destruction and the invasive, aggressive US breed.

ARC Marine has created the worlds first multi-functional artificial reef solution. With a strong, modular design, their reef systems protect against depth trawling, provide a superior marine habitat, can act as a robust anchor point for cages and buoys, and can protect marine structures and coastlines against underwater currents and erosion.
Photos copyright © Jason Brown
Miscellaneous Stuff
INFORMATION FOR DIVERS
All our more popular dive attractions are buoyed - some even have more than one buoy - which makes finding them very easy indeed. Some of our less visited underwater objects, however, take a little more effort to locate.
For visiting dive instructors, our platforms are the easiest structures to locate. You'll find a number of platforms clustered around the high traffic areas of the lake. Near the quayside for example, you'll find training platforms placed at a depth of 6 metres around the outside of our confined water area. These can get busy at weekends, however, so please only consider using them if you really need to - otherwise leave themm for instructors training less experienced divers.

To help you locate many of our other non-buoyed objects, we've created a handy attractions map available for download. For divers confident with a compass, we also offer a list of compass bearings. If you still can't find an attraction, go exploring - that's part of the fun!
Essential Information
Buoy #
23 - Jester Henge
18 - Pump House
Location
Navigation
Best Bits
Exploration - go look for them!
Hazards
Protruding metal
Overhead environment
Loss of visibility
Entanglement
Cold Water
Depth