Observations of a Vacuum Spark discharge plasma are presented when driven from a 1.5&OHgr; 120ns Coaxial line at peak current up to 180kA. The line may be operated with the line gap shorted allowing the Hybrid Vacuum Spark mode, or with the line gap operational giving a rectangular voltage pulse. In both cases the rate of rise of the current is 1–2×1012A/s, however the initial voltage conditions are different. A Nd:YAG laser may be focused onto either the Anode or onto the Cathode to initiate the discharge. With the Laser focused onto the Anode intense electron beams are generated, with the formation of a low density gap plasma, except near the anode where the density is much higher and where filamentary density structures are observed. On applying the laser to the Cathode in the Hybrid mode, the additional formation of a very dense narrow pinch near the cathode at peak current is seen. For currents in excess of 90kA, Hot Spots form in this channel and are associated with the generation of energetic electron beams. The observations presented here differ with comparable work in the initial conditions required for the formation of dense Hot Spots, in their position and in their reproducibility. The electron density in the channel is measured at 1019cm−3over 0.5mm, whereas the Hot Spots have dimensions of 50 &mgr;m and temperatures of approximately 700eV.