Lakeside Diving

[hammerheads]

Firstly apologies if this in the wrong section.

Can I ask if anyone has dived the lake at Lakeside over the last year and if possible could the following questions be answered. I got told by dive school based fairly close that Lakeside lake was the water run off for the M25 and that all the crap from the M25 washed into the lake I have however since found out that this is simply not true.

1. Is it worth a visit
2. Is it as bad as everyone says it is
3. Average Vis say compared to Wraysbury

Everything I hear about the place seems to come from a mate of a mate that dived there once so im trying to get to some hard fact. I suppose i should load my kit in the car and give it a go but was interested to know if there were any opinions on here as I understand that Lakeside diving centre has just changed hands yet again.

[Captain Deco]

I attended there a little while ago to sort some kit and the water looked awful. The then owner stated that every time it rained the lake viz would vanish as the run off ran into the lake, but if you have been told it's not true then I don't know why he said that.

Apparently it's in new hands now, so maybe they want people to dive there

I know some people who used to instruct there and learnt there themselves, so it can't be all that bad. Be bugger all to see there though and the depth might only be about 6m or so.

[Tony F]

Originally Posted by hammerheads

1. Is it worth a visit
2. Is it as bad as everyone says it is
3. Average Vis say compared to Wraysbury

1 - Depends, it's water, very close and the facilities are good. There's shopping over the road for the missus and plenty of ale houses/restaurants. But.....

2/3 - Vis can be awfull although I did see a pike once. Generally better in the bleak mid-winter when there's no bloom, on a good day you may be able to see past your nose. Good shop/showers/toliet.

I go there a couple of times a year in hope.

I'm not sure it's a designed run off from the shopping centre but the rain does make the vis worse and some run off is inevitable. New owner has spent some cash but I doubt it'll improve very much.

[GTRJazz]

Grange waters at South Ockendon was always worth a try for diver training.
Its not very deep though 6 or 7 meters

[Tony F]

Originally Posted by GTRJazz

Grange waters at South Ockendon was always worth a try for diver training.
Its not very deep though 6 or 7 meters

I don't know if it's changed it's been awhile since I've been but diving there was only posible through one 'school' (man in a van) on alternate Sundays and you had to be out of the water by around 11am when the windsurfers arrived. Although so long as you stayed off the bottom vis could be good, I was once told the water quality is exceptionly high there and it's a water supply reserve. What ever that means.

[hammerheads]

I think Grange Waters or Grunge Waters as Ive heard it christened is run by a small club called buddy divers. The water reserve thing was proven to be a myth as I remember.

Friend of mine did dive it and said vis was truly awful

[RonProwse]

Its is run by a club but its only open EARLY saturday and Sunday mornings so your better off crossing the bridge and going to leybourne

[Rod]

Originally Posted by hammerheads

Lakeside lake was the water run off for the M25 and that all the crap from the M25 washed into the lake I have however since found out that this is simply not true.

.

Yeah it is too far from the M25 to be run off from there. It is right next to the huge car parks for lakeside shopping centre so the run off they were talking about must be from them.

[divingniknaks]

Originally Posted by Captain Deco

Apparently it's in new hands now,

Has Kevin moved on ?

.

[Captain Deco]

Originally Posted by divingniknaks

Has Kevin moved on ?

.

I spoke to an old business partner of his recently who informed me that Kevin was no longer at Lakeside.