Creating your Dive Site Risk Assessment: Detailed information below and in our write-ups for each site will include a mass of information from which you can enhance your Risk Assessement. The lake enviroments are very different from Sea diving. Please read carefully.

Always ensure you dive as a buddy team in the lakes and at any other time! Use all safety devices as you deem necessary.

SMB and Strobe are strongly advised, as are powerful marine torches. In the sea I personally carry one torch, BUT in the lakes I carry FOUR ! (3 attached to my helmet and the big one in my hand).

Every care has been taken with this web site to ensure accuracy. This web site and the highly detailed information it contains have been developed with your interest and safety at heart. However, you use this information at your own discretion.

The owner/author and other experienced divers assisting with this web site hope you find the detailed information, Maps and Site descriptions with photography, both exciting and interesting. However, all readers should be aware that the owner/author and other experienced divers assisting with this web site do not warrant or make representations whatsoever as to the accuracy, content, validity or truth of any information that appears. Accordingly the owner/author and other experienced divers assisting with this web site, cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or consequential loss suffered as a result of any person reading or obtaining access to this web site or otherwise as a result of any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of the information comprised in this web site. This to include in all cases our e-news information service. Pheeew !

Should there be any error in descriptions of sites or other, then we can only apologise.

Distances given are simply estimates from other experienced divers like myself.

Diving in a freshwater lake is quite different from sea diving. You don't need to carry as much lead weight, which is one plus point - so ensure you have your buoyancy set correctly!. Another big plus for many of us is that there's no real need to hose down all the dive gear afterwards - you are not diving in corrosive salt!

Much lower visibility will be found in nearly all lakes due to farming activity, which helps create algae. Rainfall run-off from mountains discolours water, reducing visibility further. Those mountain streams carry much colder water which translates into colder conditions within the lakes. The high mountains around each lake also restrict sunlight and by doing so, restrict how warm the water becomes. Temperatures for each lake are given if sufficient data has been collected.

The lakes offer magnificent surroundings in which to enjoy your diving. But equally, they do create some hazards such as high altitude lakes and road passes (many, but not all, have been identified and can be found in the "High Altitude Diver" section on this web site. It's not just the dive you will have to plan!

Many sites are spectacular, whilst others are akin to crossing a desert. They all offer experience and conditions not found elsewhere and having arrived back safely at your entry point you can now claim with Jubilation that you have "been there and done that" as well as having plenty to enter into your log book. From fish you've never seen before to rare freshwater sponges, and other animals and fauna!

We wish you a very safe and happy diving experience in Cumbria, and should you come across other Buddy's by the lake side, do stop and have a chat, it may just be us you are talking to! - see the "Whats New" page where you can read about who webmaster Paul has been talking to.

Alt navigation:-