Eccleston Quarry (West Lancs)
ian.wood0	My wife and myself wanted to get our heads wet so we decided a quick dip in a local quarry. Two years ago Eccleston quarry was just a muddy hole in the ground full of wrecked cars and general rubbish and only 6 metres deep. Bought and closed by local business men, they have now cleaned and deepened it it is now a depth of approx 16 metres and is expected to reach 20+. Arriving at the site we where met by builders still working on the buildings housing the air filling station ect and where told the guy (John) running the operation would be back soon. On his return we parted with the cash for the dive (£2.50 a fill, £5.00 to register and £2.50 a dive). After kitting up we headed for the water just looking forward to the dive. It was only after the dive we realised that John the bloke running the place had left the quarry which started me thinking about safety. We had asked him if he dived which he did not, there was'nt a rescue boat or a land line telephone, there probably was'nt oxygen although I can't be sure of this. If there had been a accident we could have been in trouble even if he had been there he would'nt have known what to do. I am sure that this dive site we be fully operational in a few years when he intends to open legitimately but at the moment the quarry is not quite ready. I think he is leaving himself wide open for a law suit if there is a incident especially as he is charging for diving. I do wish John all the best with this venture as the area needs a facility of this sort and he must have spent a fortune transforming this site into the promising dive site that it is going to be. If you do decide to dive this site before it is officialy open I suggest that you take experienced shore cover with you and your own rescue equipment. By the way the dive was freezing, 3m vis nothing to see apart from a van and oil tank (yet) but it was worth getting wet for. Happy Diving Ian
Bren Tierney	Hi All, For a heads-up on the Delph, check out this URL and see what the script is and what progress is being made. http://thedelph.com/plans.html Dive safe all - always. Bren. ** I thought Country & Western was the death of music......then I heard rap!!! [indeed, the only thing Rap 'music' is missing is the letter 'C'].
parahandy	A good point Ian, i well remember the place before in the latter stages, there was a lot if dog shite on the shoreline and the local T leafs spent most of the time eying up your gear in the car. The guy you mention John as i understand it is not the original owner, another person pulled out of the project last year an hes taken it over. It would be nice to have an alternative to Capernwray, and avoid the congestion of Stoney. I would expect if this place kicks off as a dive venue at the very least the owner should have an o2 kit and i would be thinking in terms of a rescue boat. Agree i would think it rather foolish on anyones part to charge or use of a dive site and not have the required liability insurance. I do however wish the new owner the best in its developement and look forward to a local venue for me when completed.