In October 2006, on my way home to Folkestone from Manchester, I could not resist the opportunity to dive Stoney Cove in Leicestershire for the first time.

Stoney Cove has a reputation as being the UK’s best inland diving centre and I was keen to see it for myself. My buddies for this dive were Ian Towers and Barry Collins who offered to show me some pike. Our underwater route took us south from the slipway along the quarry bed where we followed a chain to The Stanegarth, the U.K.'s largest inland ship wreck. Continuing southwards we reached the far side of the quarry where we ascended into the shallows. A pair of large Pike awaited us. I had selected my Nikkor 60mm lens for this dive, a lens which has proved reliable both for overseas photography in good light and for close-up photography in the UK. However the light underwater was simply not good for the auto focus to lock onto the pike and I could not get close enough to allow both of my flashgun lights and my focussing light to illuminate the pike. It was a great shame because not only did Ian and Barry show me the pair of large Pike but also several other smaller Pike, two large Ghost Carp, Roach and Perch none of which I could get close enough to photograph.

The three of us gradually made our way around the edge of the quarry in an anti-clockwise direction. Entering the shallow recess under Nemo’s Bar Diner, Ian and Barry pointed out some resident crayfish which I was able to successfully photograph.