Lake Coniston Water is the fifth largest of the lakes, at five miles long, and with a maximum depth of 56m. It is 50m above sea level and easy accessed from the south. Like most of the lakes the water is cold and often dark. There are watercraft to be aware of.
There are numerous access points and dive sites around Coniston Water easily accessible from good car parking areas pus others accessible by boat. The most well know is Bayliff Wood / Underwater Cliff . Sites include
Baliff Wood / Underwater Cliff A great dive site with a wide range of features and depths to suit most divers. Quite a few novelty items located here including a bath, toilet, shells, signs, a skull and various gnomes, as well as a memorial.
Location: East shore of Coniston lake. If heading north, go past Rigg Wood car park and Bailiffs Wood is the next car park. If heading south Bailiffs Wood car park is about one mile south of Brantwood. Parking: Free. Limited parking – 12 vehicles, so aim to be relatively early at weekends.
Access: Short walk south along and across the road (20yds), looking out for traffic and cyclists and a few steps through woodland to a shingle shore. Entry is by a prominent rock next to lake side tree.
Diving: The site has a platform at 6-7m with a cliff to the west of the entry point dropping sharply to 
28m with a further gentler slope to 35m, by swimming 100-150m west 40m can achieved. Pike, winter char, eels and trout are often seen A torch is essential at all times, as Coniston is a very dark lake. There is boat traffic along the lake, so a DSMB should be carried to deploy if coming to the surface in anything but very shallow water.
Brown Howe Easy parking (subject to arriving early or late) in popular lakeside National Park car park with toilet facilities (a fee is payable by card or cash)
Short flat walk to shingle beach – Lake shelves gently to 25m – mostly silt, a few small outcrops, tree remains and pieces from human water sporting activity plus an almost intact 1960’s wooden motor boat – Shy Talk in 17m of water just off the shore line.
Is north of Brown Howe opposite Piel Island with laybys along its length – Steep scramble access down to shingle beach and gentle silty descent to 30m
Parking in large car park on opposite side of road. Easy access to a Shingle beach then a relatively steep descent to 25m before easing off towards the middle of the lake at 40m – Beyond the beach there is a silty bottom and the odd BT / Power cable to follow.
Easy access to shingle beach across road from car park soon becomes silty. Gentle descent with some rock outcrops to 25m and beyond upto 50m.
Difficult to park here now it’s discouraged, Easy access to a shingle beach and a relatively steep descent to 30m. Care with watercraft.
A parking slot for two cars opposite the beach and room for a few long road side. This gets full quickly. Easy access down steps to shingle beach – slippy rock entry and a gentle descent to 23m. A rocky promontory extends into the lake with a rock pinnacle at its end.
Parking at the boating centre or bluebird café. A large shingle beach gently slopes away. Dive around the jetty or out into the bay to explore the moorings out there. One for winter when there is no boat traffic.
