ood news for divers - the slate quarry at Portroe, near Nenagh in Tipperary is pen for diving activities. The owners and backers have invested significantly the quarry to make it safer and more accessible for diving. For many years ivers have been asking for the quarry to be developed as an all weather dive ite with safe access and on-site facilities. It is now open on a feasibility basis to gauge its business viability. he facility is an excellent water is accessed via a gravel walkway, locality- the local villages of Newtown, resource for divers in the Mid- a small "bridge" to a ramp (the top of Portroe and Garrykennedy all provide T West and Southern Regions and which has been concreted), with metal excellent fare in terms of food/lunches :2Illbers from diving clubs from both steps from the ramp into the water while on a break between dives. ions gathered on the opening day to providing a good stepping off point. Accommodation can be sourced locally X€ and tryout the new dive centre. For those of you familiar with the in Nenagh and Dromineer, """:a '5 from the Killaloe Coastguard quarry as it was, gone are the days of With depths ranging from 10m to ~ Killaloe/Ballina Search and abseiling down the muddy slope to the ISm, 25m, 30m and 37m, Portroe has ::'=<:overyDive unit were also present to water's edge! Water quality is excellent something for all levels of divers. """::ebratethe opening, along with and visibility will be good - provided There are some good underwater drop e Helicopter 115, which divers manage their buoyancy and offs to experience and some workers ~ ~ rmed a flypast. firming technique. huts, from the time when it was a - ervices on-site include parking, The quarry has always been well working slate quarry, and a couple of -_ ressor, changing rooms, toilet known as a facility for keeping active shafts to be seen. The underwater - .. es and a coffee machine. There over the winter or for a dive after work environment consists mainly of gravel, = c.:so staged depth marker buoys and on a summer's evening for those who slate and large boulders. Silt and weed e boat and 02 on standby. The live nearby. For those not from the have not taken over and the water is Portroe Dive Centre ments were horrendous, as it was then mid winter. But, it was worth it, as anybody who has dived there will testify! I remember Andrew being really adventurous in thoroughly exploring other diving locations within _ the quarry area. There is reference in official Limerick Sub Aqua Club records to at least 3 Club dives in the quarry during season 1980/81 and some water sampling undertaken by member Ute O'Gorrnan. In November 1999, Dr. Tom (McDonnell) undertook some further water sampling, assisted by Brian Kearney with Michael Hogan of Lough . Derg Sub Aqua Club. This testing was •. written up by Dr. Tom in the Spring '99 Brian O'Leary & Paul Doherty of LSAC in Portroe. Photo by Brian Donnelly issue of Sub'Sea" quite clean. There are a couple of There are further articles on the sunken vehicles resident - a car and a Lough Derg SAC and Limerick SAC van - and they have been there for a ((1went out to have websites: long time. Sightings of some fish and www.loughdergdiving.com eels (hard to spot) been reported and it a look and 1 www.limericksubaqua.com seems there was an effort to stock the Initial opening hours for the quarry quarry at some stage. remember being are lOam - 6pm, Saturdays, Sundays, Thanks to Ronnie Hurley of and Bank Holiday Mondays, with last Limerick Sub Aqua Club for his awestruck by the dives taking place at 4.30 pm. Charges permission to reprint his material below are €20 a day or €10 for afternoon. from LSAC website which outlines the amazing blue tinged Registration is required and a small fee start of diving in Portroe Quarry. (€5 per annum) applies. Only certified "At this stage, with the exciting visibility of the divers or divers in training under direct prospect of the commercial supervision will be allowed access to development of the Quarry in Portroe, water." the water. See www.diveportroe.com it may be of some interest to place on for more information. record a little of the known origin of Good luck to all concerned .• the area as a diving site. In 1980, as a diving equipment trader and member of a small diving archeological research group from within the Limerick SAC, I heard about a firm based in Pallasgreen called "Location Technology Ltd" which was manufacturing underwater metal detectors. I called to see them and they told me of a spot where they were doing their product testing in a quarry beside the Tubex factory near Portroe. I went out to have a look and I remember being awestruck by the amazing blue tinged visibility of the water. As I recall, Diving Officer Andrew Hendrick and Mike Kerrison, were first to dive it. This was truly an adventure because they had no foretaste of the awesome depths into which they were venturing. Accessibility and togging out arrange- The Furlongs from Hook SAC. Photo by Brian Donnelly.