The three man dive team comprising DaveP, PaulR and RobM tried out the North Yorkshire dive site at Ellerton Caravan Park near Catterick. Less than a 2 hours drive up the A1, the small and friendly Caravan Park site offers good value at £6 for a days diving with plenty of underwater features to keep the most avid diver interested. Site facilities are basic – a toilet and changing block, with very little else (no air stations).
The team entered the water via the wooden jetty and headed out the the 5m training platform. Navigation around the site features is relatively easy given the that the lake makes use of ropes to interconnect each underwater object – just pick a rope and off you go!
The team attempted to identify bearings for each underwater object – this made the dive much more interesting! Many underwater objects were visited – cars, vans. caravans, pipes and a couple of boats.
On a slightly serious note, those who remember the 1970’s Steven Speilberg marine horror, ‘Jaws’ will be glad to hear that the shark is happily living out retirement in an underwater caravan in this very lake! ‘Jaws’ is a five-foot long Pike with Stonehenge size teeth that are as sharp as industrial diamonds. Ok, I exaggerate a little, but suffice to say that the dive party kept a respectful distance (DaveP defended himself with a pointy stick – that’s how serious the situation was).
The site is recommended and would be ideal for Ocean and Sports Diver training. The advantages – proximity, cost, and, underwater interest outweigh the disadvantages of depth <=10m, sparse facilities, travel time, and vicious underwater predators.
