What to do About Dotty.....??

[Mr T.]

I've never dived Dotty either, and I certainly wouldn't want to see it permanently closed to all divers, but I'm aware that these kind of discussions have been going on for a number of years now - certainly in the just over two years that I've been using diving forums.

And I don't just mean the regular 'incidents' either.

I don't think I'm alone when I say that Dotty could be:

A) a gold mine for the Numptie that owns it (Glynn something-or-other?), subject to him getting his shight together and ensuring all the Boat/surface cover, Pot, facilities etc. were in place. I know I'm not privy to the reasons why they are not, but I'd dearly love to know why this guy has done the visible sum of dick to get things squared away.

B) One of the premier inland deep diver training venues in the UK.

C) Reasonably equi-distant for many UK divers to reach - be they from Land O'Cakes or Cider Country. As it stands, in NW Wales, we've got Vivian Quarry with the temptingly chilling depth of......wait for it.......18 metres! OK, granted it's also a slate quarry and hence the viz is great like Dotty, but as Trimix and Nitrox use ceases to be the preserve of the 'hairy-arsed-Uber-Techies' and falls very plainly into the mainstream nowadays, venues like Capernwray and Vivian just won't cut it for deep-dive training purposes.

What we will have, if the marketing is to be believed, at the end of Jan/beginning of Feb next year is (and I only came across this last night in the back of Diver Mag).......

http://www.nationaldivingcentre.com


which at least professes to carry the correct training depths for the deeper mixes and has all the necessary facilities and First Aid on site.

We can only hope that the media stop carrying articles on "Death at Dotty" and "The Cursed Pit Strikes Again" and other sundry bollox, as this only gives the local politicians and other assorted bizzy-body-fishwives a focus for their knitting mornings over tea and biscuits and prevents Glynn What's-his-face from deploying properly and getting all the necessary permits and licenses he needs for the gig to take off.

Of course, whether he's got the financial backing as well needs to be the next question - one might wager that if he had, then the damned place would have been open an age ago with all the correct facilties and we'd be reading posts on here about assorted divers feelings of triumph of having passed their Trimix ticket in a safe and catered-for environment.

Fingers crossed people and dive safe all - always.

Cheers,

Bren.

[JohnK]

Dotty is an OK dive - you dont have to go to 100m. There are a few areas for dives up to 30-40m - granted not a lot to see but its different and great for `deep dive` practice.

Not been for a year or so but seem to remember that vehicle access was crap if you didnt have a 4x4

Maybe a dive to be revisited

[Dr Stevil]

So do you have to pay to use it? I was under the impression that the owner didn't actually want divers there e.g. big boulders not very friendly,  and therefore wasn't charging them. TBH I don't think I feel like imposing against the owners wishes, being a fairly Meldrew character myself
Steve

[Richard Greenwood]

Must admit that this new centre (National Diving Centre) has the potential to fulfil techie training dives. However, certainly for me from Leeds, it looks like it's going to be a 400 mile round trip.

I've got a relative who does a business trip to Cardiff every now & again (fairly near to this centre). Last time he did it it only took 3hrs to get there, but about 6 hours to get back to Leeds because of traffic.

We need a similar facilty in our neck of the woods!!!

[Mr T.]

Hey Richard,

Don't worry mate, when we finally do go and do this site, we'll be going down in convoy, so you can snag a lift with me or one of the guys.

I'll be going in with Tim for a Recce in the Feb/March time-frame, so we should be in a position to give a decent sit-rep shortly after that.

[JohnK]

There is no charge for using Dotty. There is no air station, cafe, in fact bugger all else. Some mates dive there regularly as do a lot of dive schools.

Access can be a bit iffy if you have a low car - potholes etc and entry/exit is via a very steep path (bout 50m long)

View is great - site is very imposing, vis is great, altogether a different dive.

If you go there take extra tanks (or prepare to travel to vivian for fills)

[Richard Greenwood]

Hi Bren,

Thanks for the offer, but it wasn't really the point I was trying to get across.

I think Steve W hit the nail on the head in another post - we are simply not catered for in this area for training sites of this nature.

Richard

[Mr T.]

Hi Richard,

I think we may be a cross purposes. I wasn't referring to Dotty - I was referring to the new dive site 'The National Diving Centre' near Chepstow. That at least will cater for diving needs and training requirements, from the newbie through to the deep-wallah.

Stay safe mate and look forward to getting wet with the troop just as soon as you can make it.

Cheers,

[Dr Stevil]

Bren, I think you missed Richards bit about "in this area",  being that I'm even further away (100 miles north of Richard) a trip to "Zummerzet" seems just a tad too far for an inland site. Being in Manchester means you're half way there by my criteria.
Chee-az
Steve

[Mr T.]

Yep Steve & Richard,

Feeling I missed the point somewhere! Whether this facility is in Somerset or Gallashiels, there are simply too few to go round for those wanting to train on the deeper mixes.