Lake Michigan in April

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Thats pretty balmy! If you head up towards the Door County area (the thumb) it rarely gets that warm.

So is the Southern area just as full of Zebra Mussels as the North?
 
Titletowndiver once bubbled...
Thats pretty balmy! If you head up towards the Door County area (the thumb) it rarely gets that warm.

So is the Southern area just as full of Zebra Mussels as the North?

Lots of Zebra Mussles. We did some diving in Lake Superior (around Whitefish point) last year and I was suprised by the lack of them.
 
Have you been up to the Alger Preserve yet? No Zebra Mussles, Awesome Viz (50+ usually), and a couple of AWESOME wrecks. Water temp is usually pretty cold until late summer but definitely worth doing. We did a couple of dives last June and the water temp was about 40. Brrrrrrrr:D
 
I've had dives off of Chicago where the water temps (above the thermocline) were in the upper 70's! Not many, but it does happen late in the summer if the sun is shining and the wind is just right. You guys diving Door County year 'round have got to have some hair on your cojones - if for no other reason than you need the insulation!

A couple of years ago the zebra's seemed worse at the southern end of the lake, maybe due to the overall shallower depths and warmer water. Last year the zebra population seemed to start to crash, however. They're still everywhere, but the layers of living ones are thinner and the deposits of dead shells are definitely growing rapidly. Kevlar is still a good idea for kneepads and gloves, however.

We're starting to see algae and (gasp) seaweed growing in our end of the lake, thanks probably to the sunlight being able to penetrate the clearer water. The goby populations are also dwindling quickly (smaller specimens and fewer) and the burbots are returning to the undersides of many of the wrecks. A little more weed cover and even the perch may start to make a comeback. Too bad there's nothing native left, but overall ecosystem seems to be getting livelier. At least the vis is better than ever!

Ten years ago, who'd a thunk it would be possible?

Steven
 
jepuskar once bubbled...
I dove Lake Michigan in October....temp was around 60 or so..viz was 5-15 feet....personally, I dont think thats much fun, but gotta stay wet to stay purdy.

5 to 15 is what is used to be all the time before the zebra mussel infestation. We still get poor viz here and there. I did four dives on the carferry MILWAUKEE last year. Two of those dives were in October. October 20th to be exact. We had fifty foot viz for those dives. I remember popping over the bow and being able to see all the way to the bottom. By the way air temp was 42 that day and bottom temp was fifty. I remember it being a chilly ride out, but once in the water it was great.
Anyway thats one example. Theres alot of great dives on Lake Michigan. Give it another shot or two, I think you really like it. If you get up to Milwaukee get a charter out to the Prinz Whilhelm. Its a steel frighter that went down in 1954 about three miles out of Milwaukee. It lays on its side in about 90 feet of water. That will get you going. Want to go up north farther? Door countys a good bet. TITLETOWN can line you up with some good spots up there. By the way, put the blinders on the misses if she goes along. There are alot of quaint(expensive) shops up there too.

Keep Div'in

Jim
 

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