How big is your group going to be? You really need to book both charters and hotels early. If you're going to have 4-6 divers, you can book the boat for just your group (if the boat is a 6-pack). This is what I've done. I booked my June 2019 trip in July 2018. We have the entire boat. That is with Shipwreck Adventures out of Two Rivers, WI. They have a boat that is trailerable. They come very highly recommended, friends did a trip with them last year. Greg Such is the captain (also tech diver/instructor) and goes to Huron, Michigan, Superior. I'm going with Shipwreck Adventures for a Straits of Mackinac trip in June. Greg told me he's often filled up by October for the following year. Early bird gets first dibs on dates.
I can highly recommend Capt. Jitka Hanakova of Milwaukee. Her boat is the Molly V. She goes out of Milwaukee in April and May/Sept-Oct. She spends July and August on Huron and Superior. Another trailerable boat. I did a charter on the Molly V out of Milwaukee in September. Jitka is excellent and very helpful. She's a tech diver herself and also does incredible underwater photographer. Her boat is sidemount friendly. A big plus, if you like dogs, is Deco, the Boykin water spaniel who is always on the boat. Adorable pooch!
Other friends have recommended Blackdog Charters. They do Michigan and Huron.
Shipwreck Adventures Shipwreck Adventures LLC | Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Shipwreck Explorers Shipwreck Explorers - Great Lakes Scuba Diving Charter Boat
Blackdog Charters Blackdog Charters - Lake Huron Shipwrecks, Great Lakes Shipwrecks
For southern Lake Michigan, including the Thomas Hume wreck, Double Action Dive Charters (DRIS' charter arm) has a new boat out of Hammond for this year. A 16 diver boat is replacing the 6 pack! DRIS also has a boat out of Sanilac, MI / Harbor Beach, MI on Lake Huron, on the Thumb.
Home - Double Action Dive Charters
For Alpena, MI/Thunder Bay, I can recommend Thunder Bay Scuba. Capt. Joe Sobczak is quite the character and his boat doesn't look like much on the outside, but he gave us an excellent time in August. Very helpful. Ton of knowledge. His shop is a very odd mix of dive gear and computer parts (he runs a dive shop and computer business - you do what you have to do to survive in a small town). He has some steel HP100s for rent. He will do fills at pretty much any hour with a bit of advance notice.
Thunder Bay Scuba
The NOAA museum in Alpena is free and excellent. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary | Home
Wreck mooring map with links to wreck info Story Map Tour
For Alpena, I can really recommend the Days Inn. Clean, comfortable, and pretty affordable.
Something to remember if you're doing the more northern parts of the Great Lakes - they have three, maybe four, months for their tourist season, pretty much Memorial Day to Labor Day. So plan accordingly for hotels.
Fills can be a problem in some areas, so I'd investigate fills before doing anything else. Greg Such of Shipwreck Adventures actually has a small compressor in the back of his truck.
I can highly recommend Capt. Jitka Hanakova of Milwaukee. Her boat is the Molly V. She goes out of Milwaukee in April and May/Sept-Oct. She spends July and August on Huron and Superior. Another trailerable boat. I did a charter on the Molly V out of Milwaukee in September. Jitka is excellent and very helpful. She's a tech diver herself and also does incredible underwater photographer. Her boat is sidemount friendly. A big plus, if you like dogs, is Deco, the Boykin water spaniel who is always on the boat. Adorable pooch!
Other friends have recommended Blackdog Charters. They do Michigan and Huron.
Shipwreck Adventures Shipwreck Adventures LLC | Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Shipwreck Explorers Shipwreck Explorers - Great Lakes Scuba Diving Charter Boat
Blackdog Charters Blackdog Charters - Lake Huron Shipwrecks, Great Lakes Shipwrecks
For southern Lake Michigan, including the Thomas Hume wreck, Double Action Dive Charters (DRIS' charter arm) has a new boat out of Hammond for this year. A 16 diver boat is replacing the 6 pack! DRIS also has a boat out of Sanilac, MI / Harbor Beach, MI on Lake Huron, on the Thumb.
Home - Double Action Dive Charters
For Alpena, MI/Thunder Bay, I can recommend Thunder Bay Scuba. Capt. Joe Sobczak is quite the character and his boat doesn't look like much on the outside, but he gave us an excellent time in August. Very helpful. Ton of knowledge. His shop is a very odd mix of dive gear and computer parts (he runs a dive shop and computer business - you do what you have to do to survive in a small town). He has some steel HP100s for rent. He will do fills at pretty much any hour with a bit of advance notice.
Thunder Bay Scuba
The NOAA museum in Alpena is free and excellent. Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary | Home
Wreck mooring map with links to wreck info Story Map Tour
For Alpena, I can really recommend the Days Inn. Clean, comfortable, and pretty affordable.
Something to remember if you're doing the more northern parts of the Great Lakes - they have three, maybe four, months for their tourist season, pretty much Memorial Day to Labor Day. So plan accordingly for hotels.
Fills can be a problem in some areas, so I'd investigate fills before doing anything else. Greg Such of Shipwreck Adventures actually has a small compressor in the back of his truck.
