Dive sites

[RPanick]

They are also a place to socialize, I think I spend more time talking diving, football and other things at the quary then I do actually in the quary. Also, the quary is a lot closer than most of the good diving spots in the Great Lakes, particularly if you are in Southern Ohio. For me Alpena is 4 hours, Mac is 5+ and even Cleveland is 2.5 hours. In contrast I can be at Whitestar in a little over an hour.

Many of us dive the quaries also to keep our skills sharp between trips to somewhere nice. Lets face it keeping neutral and having good skills in cold water with poor vis makes you appreciate nice dive locations even more.

 

[Oldpirate]

I was initially attracted to this forum because its name led me to believe it was specifically for Great lakes wreck diving. I do check in every day, but the quarry divers seem to be much more prolific! And while I might enjoy an annual trip to Gilboa, my heart lies in the wrecks of Lake Michigan, the Straits, Alpena and Whitefish Point.

Here's a short trip report. On Thursday I was was privleged to be in a small group of three divers to be invited on the inaugural trip of the new Grand Haven-based dive charter. Wreck Roamer is owned by Gordon Chapman of Obsession Diving Charters.

I had not been on the Ironsides since 2001 and it's still a fun dive. The wreck lies in 120 feet of water, upright but not so intact anymore. I dove her on a single steel 100 with air, and a 30 cu. ft. ponyw/air for back up. My buddies were Todd White and Ross Richardson. I planned about 15 minutes on the bottom, with a decision to stay longer at that point based on air consumption, water temp,etc.

Gordon drove us right to the wreck and, since it is not buoyed yet, we caught her with a grapple within a few minutes. The descent was a bear as a current was a running. The vis on the way down was not great, but the current ended and the vis cleared up at about 90 feet. Once on the wreck we had 50 foot vis and no current at all.

The Ironsides has settled a lot in the past 15 years, but remains a nice dive. The engines and boilers stand straight up --reaching up to100 feet and the ship's hallmark "hogging arches" are collapsed inward. (Doug Welsch and I documented this wreck in the early 90s and you can read about it here.)

I ended staying on the wreck for 24 minutes before heading up slowly with about 6 minutes of mandatory deco time at 10 feet. It was a glorious autumn evening and the sun was streaming down through the water, making the deco stop a pleasant event -- especially since the water was very warm. Total time in the water was 39 minutes and minimum water temp was 44 degrees at the wreck.

You'll be hearing more from Gordon as he begins to advertise his new charter service. His boat is comfortable and well equipped.

There...a posting that's NOT about a quarry!

 

[do it easy]

Here's another non-quarry dive report that I posted in another forum...

OK, I made it back alive and scubacamp was a blast!!! On Saturday, the weather was crummy, so some of us went to the Wisconsin Maritime Musuem and took a tour of the USS Cobia- a US sub that is an historical landmark. This is an excellent museum and showcases all kinds of ships that sailed the Great Lakes.

After the tour, the weater was better, so we made it out to dive. The lake was churning, but it was manageable. We dove on the Vernon- the first dive was 193', 65 min runtime. I don't think that we needed to do that much deco, but but I was diving with an instabuddy, so we used his longer deco tables. The vis was in 60' range, the bottom temp was 40f, and the wreck is amazing. We dropped on the stern, looked at the nameplate, then moved forward to enter the hull. Inside, we could see the steamers, wooden bowls, glass bottles, and other artifacts. We came out of of the loading door in the bow and looked at the ornate scrollwork on the bowspirit, although the actual bowspirit is missing. There are also a pair of anchors laid neatly on the top of the bow. We made our way back to the stern mooring line as we swam above the wreck, and I was able to see just how long she was.

The next day, we were only planning one dive since one of the divers had to catch a ferry to Michigan. This dive was picture perfect, although we cut the dive short since my instructor was having ear problems. I did get to see the rudder and the steep rake of the stern. Max depth was 203', time 42 min. Same temp and vis- cold and amazing.

The lake was so calm that we decided it would be a shame to only do one dive, so we took one diver back so that he could catch his ferry, and, after some lunch and fills, we headed out for the second dive. We spent 20 minutes in the bow- right on the tip of the bow is the a brass? star, just above the wooden anchors. There is so much detail on the wreck- I wish I had a camera. We penetrated the ship and headed to the crew quarters- we could see bunk beds, wooden pitchers, glass bottles, a brass lantern, and a glass globe for a different? lantern. The Vernon is listing on the bottom, so it's disorienting when inside since my mind wanted me to orient to the ship instead. We came out of the side cargo door and crossed over the deck- there was so much ambient light outside the wreck that I could read my guages without my light. Before heading up, we stopped to look at some of the ship's china- it was a large cup, or maybe soupbowl with a blue insignia on the bottom. We then made our ascent to the surface. Max depth was 188', time was 58'.

This ship went down in a accident- the ship was so full that they left the cargo doors open, and she sunk because of it. This is another excellent Great Lakes Ghostship. This website has some excellent pictures, including the anchors at the bow.
http://www.nordicdiver.com/vernon.htm

 

[cork2win]

I thought I posted this in my original message but after re-reading, I see I didn't.

I certainly understand that there is diving in the Great Lakes around here, mostly wreck diving. I'm not nearly qualified to do that type of diving yet so I was more interested in inland lake diving since I assume that would be more my speed, but I never hear anything about someone taking a trip to a place that isn't typically considered a "dive site".

I do understand the appeal of the quarries. I personally think Gilboa is great, even my husband thought so and he hates quarries. I understand the draw of the social aspect and I certainly understand the appeal of it being "safe" to a degree. We know the depth, we know where the attractions are, we have air fills on site and a place to shower! I guess I'm just addicted enough to diving right now that I wonder where else there is to go that doesn't include a 4 hour drive or a plane trip! There are so many little lakes around Ohio... I'm guessing visibility sucks.

 

[Dean810]

I think your thread got hijacked a little!

 

[cork2win]

I think your thread got hijacked a little!

Yeah, that's ok. The wreck diving reports are interesting and I hope to be doing that kind of diving someday.

I was just hoping to maybe still get some input on my original question.

 

[Coachwah]

My dive buddies and I make it a point to find decent "mud puddles" to dive in MI.

Higgins Lake south of Grayling, Foote Pond in Oscoda are two that are at the top of our list so far.

We have dove several lakes and ponds in the Flint area and several up north as well.

We dove Lake Fenton (just south of Flint) yesterday and had a very nice dive with about 30 feet vis (horziontal as you could not see past the thermoclines).

We dive the Great Lakes/wreck sites as well and enjoy them too.

Our diving primarily centers around aquatic life and vis and not so much how deep we can go.

Some of our locations are shore dives, some we drag our boat along to get to them.

What we have found with the smaller inland lakes is that it is best to hit them in the spring and fall, before the phytoplankton soup things up and the vis drops.

 

[diver_paula]

Sorry... it's my 19th year diving the Great Lakes and the only underwater time I've had this year was in Mexico. I've had to cancel 5 wreck diving trips this year. By far my worst year of diving.

More next year for sure!

Paula

 

[engdiver]

I have dove some inland lakes in Michigan. By name they were Clearwater, Granite, Hemlock and Posie lake. I have wondered the same thing why more divers don't explore all the many lakes in the region. Most likely do to the visibility and boat traffic.
I have found things on the bottom of these lakes that people have lost over time from boats and shore. Namely anchors and golf balls.
One thing to note about diving inland lakes is some require a dive flag at all times due to the boat traffic. One lake I have heard of divers visiting is Devils Lake also. Although I have not been there.

 

[biloy53]

I led eight charters on Lake Michigan this summer. When I wasn't diving there I was in Haigh Quarry. I love the ease of use and support you get from the staff. When I do check out dives for new gear I like the predictable conditions so I can focus on gear, not the changing waters. Then there is the wide variety of experience you get to rub shoulders with at Haigh.