CAERNARFON, North Wales, UK (12 Mar 2007) -- A diver drowned in a former slate quarry known as the "pool of death" yesterday after becoming entangled in rope, police said. The woman, 44, from Manchester, who has not been named, had been diving with a male companion when she was snared by the rope in Dorothea quarry near Caernarfon, North Wales. She is the 22nd diver to have died in the quarry since 1994. Her co-diver had tried to free her and stayed with her as long as possible, but was forced to surface, North Wales police said. He was treated for shock and the effects of the bends, or decompression sickness, but was otherwise unharmed. Police, who arrived at the scene at 3.30pm, were still trying to recover her body last night. Dorothea quarry, known affectionately as Dotty by divers, is popular because it is on private land where they can practice in unregulated waters, a feature that also makes it a dangerous location to dive. It is a flooded slate quarry located between the villages of Talysarn and Nantlle, Gwynedd, with a depth of around 108 metres (300ft). Mining stopped at the site in the early 1970s and divers are also attracted by the two tunnels at 21 metres and at 56 metres. The last person to die there was Jason Deans from Wallasey, Merseyside, in March 2004. He had been diving with four friends when he got into difficulties and vanished. His body was recovered the next day. The owners of the quarry say they have repeatedly tried to stop divers using the area because of the risks, but say their requests are ignored. | 
