Great Lakes Shore Dives

[ScubaGypsy]

http://www.diversden.ca/ds_map.html

This is a very good website, don't know how I missed it in my searches. Besides the wrecks that you mentioned, I'm rather intrigued with the [URL="http://www.diversden.ca/ds_jacinto.html"]San Jacinto as I had been hoping to see an old wooden schooner with a crows-nest! Apparently it is a little further out but they do have an inflatable available for a maximum of 6 divers.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Here's the website for the shop we used. They have a boat with a platform that lowers into the water--really nice! The boat is the Joseph Simon.

I don't know if you were aware of it but all divers have to buy a pass to dive the marine park. We paid something like $15 for an annual pass since we were diving three days and a daily pass was $5 anyway.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[ScubaGypsy]

Here's the website for the shop we used. They have a boat with a platform that lowers into the water--really nice! The boat is the Joseph Simon.

Out of curiosity, how come you didn't use the Divers Den charters? I personally like the idea of diving off of their inflatable boat Renegade.

I spent some time looking through your previously referenced website and think that I'd like to do the following dives during our 3 days: Shore dive on the Tugs, and then 2-tank charters on the Niagara II/Caroline Rose and San Jacinto/City of Cleveland. Though the Niagara II and San Jacinto are abit deeper than I had wanted, it appears that they are at reasonable depths for diving along the upper portions.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

They are both good shops. The university I teach scuba for has been diving with G&S for 20+ years so that's who my husband recommended we go with. I was glad we did because the second day the weather kicked up and Divers Den did all their dives on shallow sites because there were 5-6 foot waves and they evidently didn't want to take their boat out in them. The wind was blowing so bad it was hard to get the boats away from the docks, we watched Divers Den's boat get blown into a moored fishing boat as soon as they released the lines and the blow left a nasty mark. We couldn't do the Arabia with G&S because the boat would rip the moorings off the wreck but the Joseph Simon was big enough to handle the waves and get to the Forest City which was on the lee side of an island and the water was dead calm.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[Ber Rabbit]

You don't have to go below 60 feet to have a great dive on the Niagara II. The Caroline Rose was nice too. Usually the shops run out to the Arabia in the morning and do the Niagara II as the second dive. We were the first ones booked on our charter so G&S let us pick the itinerary and we chose Niagara II and Caroline Rose instead of the Arabia the first day then tried to get the Arabia the second day but weather forced us to the Forest City which we enjoyed. It never hurts to ask the operation to change the planned dives if you don't see the ones you want.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[diverbrian]

Actually, my favorite boat up there is the Deep Obsession chartered through Diver's Den. I haven't been up there in a couple of years now, but still remember the Arabia and Forest City. The San Jacinto is a long ways out and most of it is on the bottom as the ship has started to split apart at the seams over the years. Still a San Jacinto/ City of Cleveland day is a great dive day.

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Deep Obsession was the one that smacked that fishing boat, couldn't remember the name.
FYI, Arabia and Forest City are no place for kids.
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[ScubaGypsy]

The San Jacinto is a long ways out and most of it is on the bottom as the ship has started to split apart at the seams over the years. Still a San Jacinto/ City of Cleveland day is a great dive day.

Have you dove the San Jacinto?

FYI, Arabia and Forest City are no place for kids.

I had gathered that reading the Diver's Den site though they certainly look like very cool dives for Dad!

Looking through the different underwater wreck pics, it appears that the visibility is 30'+, is this true? Also, what are the likely temps at 30'-50' down in late July?

 

[Barracuda2]

Even though it's a long ride, the City of Cleveland and the San Jacinto are well worth the trip. The City of Cleveland is a big wreck and shallow. I dove the San Jacinto the year they found it. Lots of stuff on the deck, depth about 80 ft. The sides have collapsed pretty much under the deck. I'll bet there's some neat stuff under that deck.

 

[diverbrian]

Have you dove the San Jacinto?


I had gathered that reading the Diver's Den site though they certainly look like very cool dives for Dad!

Looking through the different underwater wreck pics, it appears that the visibility is 30'+, is this true? Also, what are the likely temps at 30'-50' down in late July?

I have dove all of the above. Barracuda's post backs my observations about both wrecks.

The Arabia sits in one of the coldest parts of Georgian Bay. It is also one of my favorite dives and a known widowmaker to the unwary. It's not a difficult dive, but it will bite you hard if you do not respect. The Forest City is much the same. Those were my first "big boy" wreck dives . The water temp on that wreck looks to in the low to mid 40's that time of year.

The shallower stuff that you refer to is likely to be low to mid 50's by my recollection.