Great Lakes tech diving

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Who is planning to do any tech dives in the Great Lakes this season? Lake Erie area and Lake Huron are the closest to me. I can do the other regions as well if the trip up there would be worth it. I will be finishing Trimix so Id love to buddy up with some seasoned Great Lakes tech explorers.

 

[grantctobin]

OC? CCR? Will end up on some trips out of Milwaukee but no defined plans outside of that.

 

[rhwestfall]

On the east end of Erie, it is "shop" charters. I'd suggest contacting shops to see what/when they are doing stuff. Osprey Charters is the usual boat the shops use, and their schedule will get posted on their website, with links to the shops for reservations/information. You won't find "walk on" technical charters, and even recreational trips are rarely "walk on" either. Discover Diving here in Buffalo (Depew) reserves a couple technical charters each year along with other trips (this end of Erie is deeper diving, mostly all at the recreational limits as a starting point as stuff worth going to begins in the 110' range), and some shops out of Ohio typically do the same. Deep Six in Akron(?) comes to mind as one I have been with on dives, IIRC.

With the border closed due to the pandemic, I'm not aware of much available with other options on Huron ( @fullytek is a Canadian based charter heavily into Tech Diving ).

Western Great Lakes may have more opportunities, but I don't know.... Some of that diving is booked a year out from what I recall.

Curious tto see other responses.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

OC? CCR? Will end up on some trips out of Milwaukee but no defined plans outside of that.

Open Circuit. Who does not love the feel of doubles and deco bottles?

 

[grantctobin]

Open Circuit. Who does not love the feel of doubles and deco bottles?

All about oc doubles and deco bottles. Not about the regional wholesale (or even worse retail) Helium costs burning so much on a dive.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

All about oc doubles and deco bottles. Not about the regional wholesale (or even worse retail) Helium costs burning so much on a dive.

Ya man. This is why deep air diving is back from the grave. There are CCR divers and then there are OC-Extended Range divers. OC Trimix is on a ventilator.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

Lake Michigan (my homewater) has a decent variety of shipwrecks at technical depths (150-330', 45-100 m) or technical-advantaged depths (say, extended stay at 90'/30 m).

There's one such wreck out of the Chicago area (the Thomas Hume), served by Double Action Dive Charters. There's a much larger handful in the Milwaukee area, which is served by DADC and several other operators.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I am aware of the charters and the diving opportunities. I was looking to hook up with some local divers because I am near Richmond VA and most people from this area head South for diving and not up north. My local tech diving buddies are all Atlantic shark chasers. If anyone wants to buddy up this season, let me know where you are and what are you planning to do. I will see if I can drive up there.

 

[dewdropsonrosa]

Most of us follow along with posts on the Midwest Dive Buddies group on Facebook! Let us know when you're ready to come out and we can probably fill an entire boat with buddies for you.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Most of us follow along with posts on the Midwest Dive Buddies group on Facebook! Let us know when you're ready to come out and we can probably fill an entire boat with buddies for you.

Awesome! That would be so cool. First time in Great Lakes!!!