Staffordshire quarry rescue drama as woman caught underwater
A diver a was rescued in an underwater drama after getting into difficulty at a Staffordshire lake this morning (August 5). The woman was caught below the surface at Dosthill Quarry in the south of the county when her equipment got snagged on a rope.
Her diving buddy managed to free her and bring her up to the surface at around 11am at the Tamworth beauty spot. Dosthill Diving Centre is based at the historic quarry, which is the oldest inland diving site in the country and recently named one of the best spots for snorkelling.
Quarry owner Ian Forster said West Midlands Ambulance Service[1] was called to the scene. Paramedics treated the female diver at the scene before taking her to hospital as a precaution, BirminghamLive[2] reports.
Mr Forster said: “There was an incident at about 11am this morning but it wasn’t a major one. The diver in question was able to recover ok and was treated on site by first responders. As a precaution, an ambulance was called out.
“She was already stable when they arrived but as a precaution, she was taken to hospital. Her equipment snagged on the up and down line, which are the ropes to the surface that divers can hold on to.
“Divers never dive alone here and her diving buddy brought her safely up to the surface. Safety is of the utmost importance to us at Dosthill Quarry.
“We are the only natural inland diving site in the country to have never had a fatality.”
Activities were halted at the lake until the ambulance had left the scene. Divers had been using the spot since 8am today and were allowed to re-enter the water soon after.
The pure water lake is popular with both divers and wild swimmers. It now has over 30,000 people registered to swim at the stunning spot, which is open from Wednesday to Sunday.
Dosthill Quarry was opened for diving back in 1958. Mr Forster also owns the second oldest inland national dive centre in the UK at Gildenburgh near Peterborough, which dates back to 1961.
It was named as one of the seven best snorkelling spots in the UK by the Sunday Times last week.
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References
- ^ West Midlands Ambulance Service (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ BirminghamLive (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ Man ‘viciously beaten’ on Zante holiday remains in hospital one year on (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
- ^ or click here (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)