Great lakes tech diving advice

[Teleopsis]

Hey guys

Uk diver here. I'm contemplating the thought of organising a trip to do some Great Lakes diving with some friends and I was wondering if any one might like to recommend some suitable boat operators and/or locations and/or people to speak to. GUE divers probably diving T1 depths so up to 50m or 164.041995 feet if you prefer

Any guidance on prices would be helpful as well: how much might one pay per person for a day's tech diving and suitable fills, roughly speaking?

Thanks for any help

Rob

 

[grantctobin]

It depends on where in the Great Lakes you’re looking. DoubleAction has boats out of three or four different venues. Jitka w shipwreck explorers is another option. How many are you? You’re looking ~£2.4/cuft ~£0.085/L for helium at retail level in the Chicago area, likely at least that if not more towards Milwaukee. Unsure what prices are closer to Detroit.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Three tech focused operators worth considering. You can't go wrong with any of these folks. They can provide up-to-date info regarding all of your questions.

Blackdog Charters - Lake Huron Shipwrecks, Great Lakes Shipwrecks

Michigan Diver LLC.

Shipwreck Explorers - Great Lakes Scuba Diving Charter Boat

 

[HKGuns]

I think @Marie13 is pretty active here and does a lot of Great Lakes diving, she may have suggestions as well.

 

[<*)))><]

Charters – Scuba North

Scuba North is a Northern Lake Michigan dive shop. It may be useful to contact them for info. Good luck and enjoy the trip.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

We were happy with Double Action boats and crew. Dive Right In Scuba will also rent tanks and weights and deliver them to the boat with some advanced notice. Not sure about Trimix, but they are a tech oriented shop so probably not an issue. Our first day of diving the trip was canceled due to a small craft advisory. The weather was beautiful down South, (Hammond) but must have been bad up North. Our second day was great. If you can find 4 divers, their website says they will go so that would be some insurance against a canceled trip due to not enough divers. You could always pay for a ghost diver as well. With 4 divers, you could do weekday dives and probably have the boat to yourself. We didn't fly across the Atlantic, but we did drive 13 hours so I had lost of questions. Despite numerous calls and lots of stupid questions, everyone was always happy to discuss our plans and help plan our trip.

The closest fills we found would have been about 20 miles South of Hammond and I think that was air only. With the expenses of hopping the pond, having tanks delivered daily would not be out of line.

What ever you do.....find a Giadornos and get a pizza. It will change your life....maybe a heart attack too!

#1 Lake Michigan Dive Charters - Double Action Dive Charters

Technical diving gear

Chicago's Famous Stuffed Deep Dish Pizza | Giordano's

Good Luck, Safe Travels....seriously, get the Pizza.
Jay


Here is a link to my trip report. Not tech oriented, but some info there.
TRIP REPORT- Lake Michigan Dive Trip- Long, get comfortable-PART 1

 

[rddvet]

You could also message Becky Kagan Scott on Facebook. She does a lot of diving up there and sets up trips. She may be able to give you some basic guidance.

 

[tbone1004]

In addition to the above, I would get in touch with James Mott at Mott Underwater. He is an active UTD instructor in that area and will be able to help guide you as well.
Mott Underwater

 

[Divin'Papaw]

COMMENT DELETED

 

[tmassey]

Three tech focused operators worth considering. You can't go wrong with any of these folks. They can provide up-to-date info regarding all of your questions.

Blackdog Charters - Lake Huron Shipwrecks, Great Lakes Shipwrecks

Michigan Diver LLC.

Shipwreck Explorers - Great Lakes Scuba Diving Charter Boat

Of those three, the only one I personally have dove with is Michigan Diver. Mike (@BoneCrusher) and his wife Cindy are great people to dive with. I know they are slowly coming out of lockdown this month.

They are actually my preferred people to dive with, but most of their stuff has been until recently just a little bit past my capabilities, so I haven’t been able to get out with them much. But I have probably done four or five trips with them, and all of them have been great. Technically capable divers but with a very patient and laid-back attitude. A rare combination!

My understanding is that all of their trips have been bought up by dive shops, so you would actually go through the dive shop. But if you get in touch with them, I’m sure they can coordinate with you who to get in touch with.