A recreational and / or exploratory dive from the shores of Windermere for all grades of diver on a new site…..
Please Book via the website to confirm interest and attendance in order to arrange access to site and perhaps arranging some car shares.
Meet 10am. Entry from gentle gravel shore line. Parking close by. Different dive lines to take along N-S ridge or down northerly or southerly wall to c 20m. Option of one or two dives. It’s a nice spot for a picnic during the surface interval!
Dive Manager – Duncan Scott.
Compass, torch, line cutters and DSMB recommended.
Access to the shoreline at Hill of Oaks has been conditionally granted by special arrangement. This is a new dive site and one that is steeped in maritime aeronautical history
Prior to WW1 experimental sea planes were built and tested from especially constructed hangers on the shores of Lake Windermere at the hill of Oaks. The first flights took place on 25th November 1911. The Admiralty took an early interest and on 20 January 1912 performed their own test flights and supported the development of a flight school and the head quarters of the Royal Naval Air Service on Windermere moved there and by 1916 the sire was known as RNAS Windermere. It operated until June 1917. Most recently the site has been used as a holiday complex of lodges and caravans.
A reconstruction of the first sea plane water flew from the Hill of Oaks https://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/23150068.waterbird-project-returns-windermere-lake-district/ and a celebration of the key role Windermere played in the development of seaplanes will be held on the lake next week May 10 -13th
A team has carried out a lot of research along with Allan King, who wrote the book Wings on Windermere and believes he knows of a number of likely sites where aircraft or parts of aircraft might be found. A preliminary dive has already taken place after a sonar search off Hill of Oaks, using the ROV and hand-held units and they found a wooden barge, which they believe is one used for transporting seaplanes which is in itself of interest. Further targets of interest exist including a pile driving barge have been identified probably of more recent origin.
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