Maldives dive-sites

Dorothea Quarry, North Wales

Dorothea Quarry: North Wales:

Dorothea is a disused slate quarry in North Wales. There are absolutely no facilities at Dorothea. No dive-shop, no airfills, no shop or burger-van and most lacking, no on-site emergency facilities or services! On the plus side there is no entrance, dive or carpark charge either. Diving is not formally permitted as I understand, but the owner appears to turn a blind eye to the diving that takes place here.

So why does it attract divers. Simple, the attraction of this site is depth. And I mean depth! The quarry is some 110m's deep! This is not a place for the faint-hearted and is probably bordering on unsuitable for novices.

Being an inland site the water temperature can plunge dramatically. Thermoclines here are very, very noticeable. On my last visit I went through one at about 16m's and its a remarkable difference. Stretching your arms up and down you could feel the 2C difference! The water temperature reportedly plunges to 3-4C when you go 30m+ .

Web-links:

View from the 'new' carpark
The concrete path down to the waters edge can be seen in the bottom left of the photo. Don't be fooled by the photo, the concrete path is quite steep and parts are covered in shale. Be very careful going down the slope kitted up! Strenuous exercise after diving can bring on a bend. Also be careful lugging you kit back up that slope!

The "new" car-park at the top of Dorothea. The original carpark is in the background.

In late 1998 a consortium based in London bought a 'share' in the quarry from the local owner. I understand their aim was to develop the site in a number of stages. The first part of the work which was reported to have cost up to £100,000 was the creation of a larger carpark, installation of a concrete path down to the waters edge and a concrete jetty. Unfortunately, the work upset the locals and in particular, the local council, and work has now ceased at the site.

Download this Dorothea Quarry photo
(93K JPG file)

I have no information on when (or what angle) this photo was taken of Dorothea. Or how accurately it reflects current underwater topography. But it gives you an idea of the sheer slate walls of the quarry. Get your buoyancy wrong here and start to sink and you could be deep trouble.

The site is known locally as "Dorothea pool of death" (said in a North Wales accent!) in a reference to the number of deaths at the site when it was an active slate quarry.

But since its 'second-life' as a dive spot, there have been several tragedies here and many, many more helicopter trips to the nearest chamber in Liverpool.

Download this Dorothea underwater map (130K JPG file)
Again, I have no knowledge of the accuracy of this map so use it as an aid. DO NOT rely on this map for dive-planning!!! (Also see the map on the link above.)

Dorothea is used pre-dominently by 'techies' (technical divers!). You'll have seen them at other places, all black drysuits & hoods, a Nx twinset on their back and a couple of stages of Nx slung on their front, and a really flash expensive torch!!! Joking aside, they invariabley known what they are about and are regular sub-40m divers. It is not unusual to see trimix and Inspriration rebreathers here. Its more unusual to see the single-tank 'scubby-doo' diver!

So is Dorothea suitable for your ordinary recreational diver?

In my opinion (for what thats worth), for relatively experienced, dived-up in the UK, Sports/AOWs, treated with upmost respect and under the guidance of a seasoned visitor, I'd say, probably!

I was going to put a map and directions to the Dorrie here on my website but decided against it. If you want to go there - go with someone who knows both the directions above and below the surface!