Vobster Quay

Vobster is a small village in Somerset, UK. The next bigger city is Bath (and the next – Bristol), the nearest airport is about 45 minutes’ drive, Bristol International Airport. Once a coal mine and quarry of the same name operated in Vobster but are now closed. The old quarry now has a Vobster Quay dive center and it was here that we took our first dives this year.

We have been to Vobster many times before, but we are happy to return there for several reasons: the diving center is well equipped, provides decent conditions and does not drain our wallets too much. On site you will find two parking lots, a food truck, a store with the most necessary equipment for divers and swimmers and a piece of shore sufficient for everyone to easily enter or jump into the water. There is also a well-organized entrance to confined waters – limited on all sides and with the ground at different depths. It is also possible to rent a piece of necessary but missing equipment.

At the end of February, the water temperature oscillated around 7°C. Vobster’s bottom is not very deep (up to 35 m), but is very attractive and interestingly equipped (helicopter, tunnel, plane, various wrecks, truck, etc.), so you can train, check and test your equipment. During our stay, we could observe the work on mapping the bottom of the dive in 3D, so probably you will be able to view a realistic map online soon, to have a more accurate view of this place.

We mainly tested new Kubi rings and Orcatorch D910V torches. Kubi prooved themselves perfectly. We are planning also a separate article about the rings because it seems that all is already written about it, but when a person is looking for something, there is nowhere to check. We will try to describe the models of different manufacturers (SiTech, VDS, Santi and Kubi) and present their most important features from many different perspectives.

Both Orcatorches have achieved similar success. Photos and videos were taken with GoPro 8 suddenly appeared in completely new, intense colors. In Vobster at this time of year, the water has quite a good transparency (unless we have the misfortune of meeting the “clever” groups rising the tons of sediment ahead of us).

From the few previous autumn-winter trips to Vobster and especially the last one we have the following conclusions: a lot of warm clothes for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are diving or waiting on the shore. It was cold in Vobster. Unfortunately, there is no closed, heated room (except for changing rooms and toilets) where you could spend some time to warm up and reduce the blueness of your fingers. It’s a good idea to take at least two changes of gloves, socks, a hat and a warm sweatshirt, even a blanket. Own thermal mug is scored very high on cold days … coffee, tea or hot chocolate do not cool down in 3 minutes, service understands this and willingly pours drinks into the given mugs. There are no paper cups in Vobster! In general, a trip to this dive is a bit like going out for a walk in the mountains. It’s nice to have your snacks and drinks, although you can buy a warm sandwich and candy bar on site. One returns home as after walking through Połonina Wetlinska (well-known spot in Polish mountains), to repent with moments of muscle pain for the pleasure of spending a couple of hours on a bottom. It’s worth going to Vobster for the whole day. The center opens at 9:00 am and is open until dusk in winter or until 7:00 pm during the summer. There is a charming city, Bath nearby, and on the way to London, you can see Stonehenge even without getting out of the car. It is also worth mentioning that Jenson Button grew up in Vobster. He was an F1 driver in Williams, Benetton, Renault and McLaren teams, driver of Super GT and FIA World Endurance Championship 2018-19. Well, probably during his childhood, there was no diving spot nearby yet and therefore he became an F1 driver, not a diver. Vobster is famous for one more reason. Some of you probably know that VMS rebreathers – VMS RedBare CCR – are designed and manufactured here. We will also write about this sport separately because the topic is becoming more and more popular not only among technical divers. www.vobster.com

Olga

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Absolwentka Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. Do 2020 r. sekretarz redakcji czasopisma „Szkło i Ceramika” (ICiMB, SITPMB). Zafascynowana szkłem i ceramiką w każdym aspekcie ich powstawania i wykorzystania, w tym historycznymi technikami i technologiami wytwarzania, zdobienia i łączenia z innymi materiałami. Obecnie prowadzi własny portal Szklo-Ceramika.ONLINE i angażuje się w projekty tematyczne