A group of experienced open-water swimmers have jumpedin at the very, very deep end of one of Aberdeen’s most historic sites.
The squad of athletes were invited to take a dip at the 465ft-deep Rubislaw Quarry, at one time one of the biggest man-made holes in Europe.
It was the brainchild of businessman Hugh Black, who is seeking to transform part of the site into a visitor centre to celebrate Aberdeen’s granite heritage.
He stressed that unsupervised swimming in the quarry – which is sealed off from the public – would be “very dangerous”.
But he said the event highlighted the potential for safe organised activities in future.
First opened in 1740, the quarry yielded millions of tonnes of granite over its more than 200 years of history – which led to Aberdeen taking on the name of “The Granite City”.
One of the swimmers was triathlete Mike Adams, 28.
He said: “To get the chance to swim here is incredible, it is such a unique location and to be part of the first swim is really special.
“That said, there are greater risks when compared with pool swimming and open water requires planning, specialist equipment and supervision.
“Quarry swimming especially can be very dangerous, and so needs to be carefully controlled and monitored at all times.
“Rubislaw Quarry itself is so unique and such an important part of Aberdeen’s history.
“It would be great to see the visitor centre move ahead and more events happening around the site in the future.”
While they were in the water, the swimmers were aided by canoeists who were on hand in case anything went wrong.
Mr Black said: “The swim was a great success for these experienced, high performance swimmers.
“It is important for us to stress as owners that access to the quarry is prohibited and swimming without permission, experience and proper supervision is a very dangerous activity.
“The swimmers who took part had a fantastic experience at one of Aberdeen’s most famous and iconic landmarks, and this highlights the potential for safe recreational activity at this historical site.”