Cromhall Diving Centre

Cromhall Quarry has 9.5 acres of water and is only 1.5 miles from J14 of the M5.

The slightly undulating rock bottom gives an ideal training depth of 17 metres. It slopes upwards to the former haul road entry, giving a shallow beach area allowing easy access and egress for entry-level dive trainees and rescue training.

At the north end of the quarry is a pontoon floating in 15 metres of water that has been specifically designed for ease of use by divers.

The former limestone quarry has filled naturally and the water quality meets EU bathing standards, with underwater visibility during March 2010 of up to 5 metres, which is expected to rise to 8-10 metres during the summer.

Opening Times & Qualifications

The site is open from 9am on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. Divers to clear the water by 4pm during the summer, the site will close at 5.00 pm. Entrance fee £12.50 per diver.

The site is also open on Thursdays during the Summer from 4.30pm. Divers to clear the water by 8.30 pm during the summer, the site will close at 9.00 pm. Entrance fee £10 per diver.

Christmas opening 2010: The site is closed 25th and 26th December, re-opening on 27th December.

New Year 2010: Closed on 1st January 2011, re-opening on 2nd January.

The site is open to all qualified divers and those undertaking a recognized training course.

There is no need to pre-book entry to the site.

A small class room is available for hire if required for training purposes.

Gas Filling

Double filtered Air is available to 232 bar, as well as Nitrox/Trimix & 100% O2.

With our continuous blending system we do not require your cylinders to be O2 clean for mixes to a maximum of 40% Nitrox.

Cylinders to be filled with mixes greater then 40% O2 are required to be O2 Clean.

We reserve the right to refuse to fill any cylinder that appears to be suspect in any matter, we shall refuse to fill any cylinder without a valid test marking.

Catering

Teas, coffees and snacks are available at the Dive Centre, and if you need something more substantial, The Royal Oak is close by.

The Environment

The site is unique - it is home to EU-protected Great Crested Newts (click here to find out more about the newts), and is a Site of Special Scientific Interest containing, among other fossils, the Cromhall dinosaur.

Features

Current in-water features include:

• two shipping containers used as training tables with the tops in approximately 7 and 10 metres of water
• an aircraft cockpit
• a 105mph racing catamaran
• several cabin cruisers
• a mine
• a torpedo
• two red phone boxes
• the bouyancy gym