Stoney Cove Dive Days – Upcoming Dates & Booking

Qualified divers & training support | 6m–36m inland site | Air fills, rescue cover & guided options

The UK’s most popular inland dive site has a regular Blue Ocean invasion.

Every month we run a weekend trip, perfect for CLUB DIVES to build experience, explore and have fun!

Meeting 6:30am at Blue Ocean to sort kit logistics - We travel up in convoy (or van share) on Saturday morning so we are there at about 10.30am. We will get two dives in [three if you're organised and don't faff too much] - then it's pub time to log the dives and chat about more diving...

It really is a social game after all – and we are the official drinking club with a diving problem!

Then it’s an entertaining evening at a Pub Hotel for a bit of post-dive social, and an option for a full English breakfast in the morning to start the next day.

• Club Dives are from £10 Per Day - £20 for Both Days

On the Sunday you can get at least three good dives in, visiting various wrecks and walls from 5m down to 36m depending on your qualification and experience.

If you’re feeling brave, you could attempt the Blue Ocean Magical Mystery Wreck tour…

Plane Cockpit (Vickers Viscount)

A detached aircraft cockpit placed in the shallower training area, offering a highly visible landmark for navigation practice and a safe, enclosed structure for buoyancy and position control drills. Good for early post‑qualification dives and photo interest without entering confined overhead zones.

Bus

An intentionally sunk bus on the shallow shelf providing an easily located reference for orientation circuits and a memorable mid‑dive waypoint. Its open layout helps new divers refine trim while swimming around fixed structure without depth changes.

Stanegarth (Historic Tug)

The largest inland shipwreck in the UK dive centre environment; an upright steel tug offering multiple external survey passes and abundant surfaces for practicing controlled ascents from mid‑depth. Serves as a progression step before deeper or more complex wreck sites.

Defiant (Tug)

A later‑added tug providing an additional steel hull profile distinct from the larger Stanegarth, useful for comparative wreck survey exercises. Offers varied structure for compass leg planning and buddy positioning around superstructure outlines.

Belinda (Trawler)

A trawler hull that introduces fishing vessel form (bow rake, wheelhouse area) allowing divers to practice recognition of wreck orientation features (bow vs stern) and simulate search patterns in relatively low‑risk conditions.

Armoured Car

A compact military vehicle creating a small, high‑contrast silhouette suitable for navigation “target runs” and controlled approach drills. Its limited size discourages penetration yet adds novelty for buoyancy hover practice.

Van

A deliberately submerged van acting as another shallow/intermediate waypoint, helping divers rehearse square or expanding‑circle search segments between man‑made objects. Offers clear edges for practicing precise stops and fin pivots.

Helicopter (Wessex)

A helicopter fuselage (with large openings) delivering distinctive shape and spatial awareness challenges; ideal for practicing slow circuits, buddy positioning, and photo composition while monitoring silt avoidance. Large apertures reduce entanglement/overhead risk when kept strictly external.

Submarine (Nautilus)

A purpose‑placed mock submarine providing a streamlined hull for practicing mid‑water approaches, compass bearings, and distance estimation along a linear profile. Enhances variety in a single dive plan when paired with nearby wreck features.

That’s 9 wrecks in one dive.

Watch your air & deco limits please!

There are many dive routes possible, maybe visiting the back wall to see the huge pike that loiter there - or over to the far end of the quarry beyond the pit to find the plane, gnome garden and two MG-BGT classic sports cars… depending on your fitness and air consumption, of course.

Alternatively, you can drive up and meet us there for just ONE DAY DIVING ?
- You’ll have to leave Maidstone at 5.30am latest to ensure you’re in Leicestershire by 8.30…
- M25/M1 traffic there and back… need we say more? It’s a long day !

Best enjoyed as a qualified PADI Advanced Diver (Dry suit highly recommended November-March !)

This is a great dive site to build some solid experience of diving in UK conditions before heading out to the Wreck & Reef trips in the Channel.

And it is guaranteed diving – the weather can’t affect you down in the shelter of the quarry !!!

These trips get very busy – you need to be thinking in advance to secure your bed and a seat in the van.

Keep an eye on this page or give us a call to see what’s happening on up-coming dates.

Note:

You’ll need a buddy to dive with – we can pair you up with other Scubaholics Dive Club members so you’ll make new friends and have a great time. Or you can book on for guided dives with a Blue Ocean DiveMaster to help you with logistics and route finding. Just get your name on the list early to ensure you have a space.

*GOLD Club Membership is FREE for anybody who has completed 3 PADI courses with us.

To Join us on a Stoney trip, you must be at least PADI Advanced certified…

How to Book:

Book online now at the top of the page.

Alternatively, pop into the Dive Centre, call us on 01622 212022 or contact us via email at scuba@blueoceandiving.co.uk.