Information on Great Lakes wreck diving wanted

[tw369]

There are a few of us from the Indy area that would like to do some wreck diving up north. Any info would be appreciated. We would shore dive or use a boat op. Also we need to know the best time of the year with visibility being the most important consideration.

 

[do it easy]

There are a few boats that I know of:

Chicago Area
N'pursuit
Dive Chicago
Windy City Charters

Milwaukee Area
Lender
Cap't Dales
Nordic Diver

Shipwreck Adventures Greg can trailer his boat and offers trips at various sites around the Great Lakes.

There are lots of preserves on the Michigan side of the lake

 

[Divin'Papaw]

There are a few of us from the Indy area that would like to do some wreck diving up north. Any info would be appreciated. We would shore dive or use a boat op. Also we need to know the best time of the year with visibility being the most important consideration.

The Great Lakes cover a huge area and there are many great locations for wreck diving. The closest options to us in central Indiana include the several ops out of Chicago, Waukegan and Milwaukee as Tony has mentioned. The diving up off of Door County, WI is also great, but is a 10-12 hour drive from us. I'd recommend Dive Diva out of Gills Rock, WI. I'd also highly recommend Port Sanilac, MI on the Lake Huron side. I'd highly recommend Gary Venet. These options are just scratching the surface but are the closest to us here around Indianapolis.

I dive with quite a few buddies in central Indiana who love to wreck dive. Where abouts are you at?

As far as time of year, water temps and storms are really the main considerations and not visibility. Typical visibility is 30-50', but it can often be better or also worse. The visibility also varies significantly by location. I'd recommend any of Cris Kohl's books on diving the Great Lakes to learn more about the areas and their unique wrecks.

Most boats are out on the lake from early April through late October. Late fall and winter are just too rough for diving. The storms that hit during that time of year are the main reason for all of the shipwrecks.

 

[bladephotog]

I'd second taking a look at Cris's books. They will help narrow down where you want to go. There are just so many great places to dive that it's hard to suggest anything without an idea of where you want to go.

 

[tw369]

Thanks for the information. I will check out the book.

 

[UWDoc]

The Straits of Mackinac has some great wrecks. I was there last summer with a group, we used this charter: Straits Scuba
Highly recommended, though it is a bit of a drive from Indy.

I'm originally from west Michigan and have done some charter boat dives there as well using this op: Advance Scuba

Gordon also does a nice job:
Obsession Charters, L.L.C. - 1-616-847-2908 - West Michigan Shipwreck Diving

Scuba North also does charters, though I have not personally been on any of their trips:
Index

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Thanks for the information. I will check out the book.

You can find them here as well as places like amazon.com.

I'd specifically recommend:

Kohl, Cris. The 100 Best Great Lakes Shipwrecks, Vol. I. Second Edition. Seawolf Communications, 2005.

Kohl, Cris. The 100 Best Great Lakes Shipwrecks, Vol. II. Second Edition. Seawolf Communications, 2005.

Kohl, Cris. The Great Lakes Diving Guide, 2nd Edition. Sea Wolf Communications, 2008.

 

[DOkie]

tw369 - It also depends on what type of diving that you want to do. If you are looking for great wrecks within reasonable limits, Mackinac is beautiful. If you're looking for something on the deep side, Milwaukee offers some incredible wrecks (Walter B. Allen, etc.). If visibility is a concern, the Green Bay can change on a daily basis (some days excellent, others less than a foot) - the further north you go, the worse this seems to get. If you've never been wreck diving in the Great Lakes, it's a real treat. I hope you guys really enjoy yourselves.

The books are an excellent resource.....

 

[dab]

your best bet is to get ahold of the books mentioned, look them over and see if you can narrow down your preferences. There is so much to choose from up and down both sides of Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and all around Lake Superior. Then you can look for charter operators in the areas your interested in. Each area has it's pluses and minuses.

 

[alpenadiver]

Chris's books are a great help, The Alpena area has a wide range of depth's for the wrecks. Although shore access is some what limited. As for Charter's Great Lakes Dive Charters do an awesome job, they cover both the Alpena, and Mackinaw areas. Also Great Lakes Divers in Rogers City do tech, and rec diving.