Exploring Wastwater’s Secrets

The perfect test dive for fourth element’s HALO A°R

Most people enjoy the Lake District for its breathtakingly stunning views of English countryside. As a diver we literally get the best of both worlds, both above and below water. Wastwater, the deepest lake in England bottoming out around 74m, is situated just on the outskirts of a mountain range called Southern Fells.

You might be forgiven for wondering what there could possibly be to see underwater in the 3mile long, 1/3 mile wide lake. Well, it’s quite interesting what you’ll see as you scooter along at a brisk 85 meters per minute. I’ve been diving Wastwater for many years, following older guidelines placed, while also venturing off at the depths to see anything unusual. Traversing the 1/3 mile lake to the other side is best done on a scooter with gas management in place. The ‘other side’ is a very different topography to the ‘road side’ that meanders along the coastline of the lake. Maybe even better visibility. The downside of doing such extensive deeper and longer dives is the challenge of staying warm. Fortunately I have a plethora of undersuit garments to wear, including a heated vest (when it works). So I stick to what I know gives me the best advantage in these temperatures over long dives.

What anyone would have noticed in February 2021, was that the water temperature was an earthy 4 degrees celsius, although it felt more like -4, when bombing around on the SUEX XJS throttle! But that February, I entered the water in my fourth element Biomap-fitted Argonaut 2.0, complete with my trusted J2 baselayers that in my opinion have the best wicking ability, coupled with Xerotherm top ’n bottoms, then finally the new HALO A°R undersuit. I wish I knew what this undersuit has got inside it, but it’s different. Old NASA technology from their space suits keeps being brought up in conversation though! Unlike the HALO A°R’s predecessor, the HALO A°R does NOT have any flexible honeycomb layers that insulates the diver, therefore does not require more lead in comparison to a set of Arctics. Pound for pound, the HALO A°R works out around the same as Arctics.

Visually it looks very different to other suits, zipper up the side of the chest to reduce heat loss is the most obvious. Fourth Element went to great lengths (10 years or more I believe) to understand the details of heat loss in conventional suits. The zipper goes up and down at the crotch for preference. There’s also an alternative pee valve access through inside the pocket, and in the waistline stitching to suit your preference with comfort fit throughout the size range that even suits a tall, long arm, leg and torso diver like me.

Having the privilege to test this suit for the last 2 years in all kinds of temperatures, summer to winter and everything in between, I am pleased to say I have found myself doing 3.5hr dives in 4 deg celsius on a rebreather without that heated vest!  For the best part of those dives I was very comfortable, although at the end of 3.5 hours I was feeling the chill!

To put things into better perspective, I got my heated vest working the following week while searching and finding the tail section of a Grumman Avenger MKII from WW2 in this lake. This dive was 4.5hrs long and the battery gave out after an hour of constant use.

Diving the Wastwater plane wreckage

On 16th January 1945, a single Grumman Avenger MKll JZ390 flew on a night training exercise, with 3 crewmen on board from RNAS Inskip 763 Sqn, HMS Nightjar, Lancashire.

Pilot – Lieutenant Bernard John Kennedy RCNVR, aged 23, from North Hamilton, Ontario, Canada… Navigator – Midshipman Gordon Fell RNVR, age unknown, from Accrington… Wireless Operator – Leading Airman Philip Royston Mallorie RN (FX.578011), aged 18, of Harrogate, were all sadly tragically killed during the crash.

The crew flew their American-developed torpedo aircraft and light bomber aircraft over the Irish Sea, but became lost and disorientated due to poor weather. Heading inbound over the west coast, they inadvertently flew into high ground on the southern end of Wastwater. The aircraft impacted into Great Gulley about half way up Whinn Rigg peak. The folding wings broke off, as the rest of the fuselage broke up and fell into the gulley and down the scree.

For years, one of the wings was believed to have rested at the bottom of the scree next to the Wastwater pump house but disappeared by 2000. By accounts, the engine block was believed to rest at the bottom of the scree but later found itself in Wastwater. The tail section was rumoured to be in the lake somewhere. For the last 15 years I’ve wondered about this incident. Wastwater is a huge lake and the deepest in England. Now with the aid of rebreathers and scooters and undergarment technology for the long dives required, finding wreckage like this is made more accessible.

Back in 2013, a small group of divers from Keighley club had reported and photographed the engine block to the media, but as yet, has not documented they had found or photographed any other remains of the wreckage underwater. This led to the research, which is extremely limited with no eye witness accounts, to try and find the remains of this WW2 plane. Now continuing the mission to find anything else that may have landed in this lake.