May be moving to Chicago from Portland

[rakjar]

Hello,

I am up for a promotion and if I get it, I will be moving to the Chicago area from Portland, OR. I have 300 dives, mostly in the cold waters of Puget Sound and Hood Canel, WA.

Just wondering what the diving is like in the Chicago area. Can someone/many someone's please give a good guide to diving in the area?

Thank you......

 

[captndale]

You will find some of the best wreck diving anywhere in the great lakes. Lake Michigan offers some truly unique diving.

 

[rakjar]

thank you

 

[drl]

Cold water, lots of shipwrecks. Not the marine life that you're used to in Puget Sound (we mostly see gobies, burbot, occasionally largemouth bass or a bait ball of alewives. And zebra mussels. Lots of zebra mussels.) but the wrecks are cool. Capn Dale (above) runs good charters out of Waukegan harbor. There are several other charters out of Chicago harbors or Milwaukee.

There are also 2 quarries in the Chicago area for practice--Haigh Quarry to the south, and Pearl Lake to the northwest.

Deborah

 

[Dean810]

I am also a transplant from Portland to Chicago, but unfortunately, didn't dive the Pacific Northwest until after I moved here! There is a lot of diving in the Mid-west, but you don't have the shore diving opportunities that you have in Puget Sound.

The Great Lakes in general have a lot of shipwreck diving. That's the reason you dive here. Some of those 18th century boats are in pretty good condition. Dale is one of several charters located in the Chicago area. There is also great diving outside of Milwaukee, which is less than two hours away from here.

If you want to see fish, I recommend Haigh Quarry in Kankakee. There is bluegill, muskie, northern, perch, black crappie, and if you are lucky, paddlefish, which can get up to 5 feet long.

Check out my dive club when you get here. We can go diving with you.