Need some info on Great Lake Diving

[bladephotog]

You can check out some photos on my site to get an idea of what Great Lakes diving looks like.

For mussel-free diving look at Lake Superior. Sanilac Shores Preserve in southern Lake Huron, Thunder Bay and Kingston, Ontario all offer a wide range of wreck types and depths, as does Tobermory. But don't think Lake Superior is only for deep diving. There are some fantastic shallow water wrecks in Superior.

 

[Lone Frogman]

Thanks everyone for the good information. First thing I realized is that one week is hardly going to scratch the surface. I see several trips in my future. Right now I'm looking at Lake Superior around Keweenaw Bay or Tobermory, Ontario. I am leaning towards Lake Superior. And making a stop near Mackinaw City for one dive in Lake Michigan and one dive in Lake Huron. Great pictures bladephotog, they are making wait even harder. Now I need to do some more reading and making some phone calls to get things going.

 

[bladephotog]

I haven't been to Keweenaw Bay yet but I'd recommend looking at Munising. The diving is first rate and Pictured Rocks is right there for day excursions. Munising is home to the Bermuda, or Murray Bay wreck, which is super cool. It's a completely intact schooner sitting in 17 feet of water. You won't see anything like it anywhere.

 

[dab]

Thanks everyone for the good information. First thing I realized is that one week is hardly going to scratch the surface. I see several trips in my future. Right now I'm looking at Lake Superior around Keweenaw Bay or Tobermory, Ontario. I am leaning towards Lake Superior. And making a stop near Mackinaw City for one dive in Lake Michigan and one dive in Lake Huron. Great pictures bladephotog, they are making wait even harder. Now I need to do some more reading and making some phone calls to get things going.

Air fills and charters are a lot more difficult to find around the Keweenaw peninsula. If Lake Superior is where you are leaning, you might want to consider the ALger Preserve and look at the charters out of Munising Scuba Diving Alger Underwater Preserve, Munising, MI, Upper Peninsula. Pete Lindquist runs a great operation. Shipwreck Tours, Glass Bottom Boat Tour and Lake Superior Wreck Dives - Munising, Michigan. Good luck wherever you go, you'll have a great time. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is absolutely beautiful and a great place to vacation.

 

[divingjd]

Many of the best areas and operators have already been identified, so I will try to answer some of your other questions. Munising, Michigan could fill many of your requirements. Pete Lindquist does run a good boat and the diving is top-rate. There are several shallower wrecks in pretty good shape around Munising. Many of the wrecks are in the lee of an island (based on prevailing winds), so you are generally less likely to get blown off the water at Munising than you are at other sites. The proximity to Pictured Rocks, some nature preserves, and parks with nice waterfalls are big plusses. You can do some shore diving in the area. Tobermory also has a good selection of wrecks in various depths. Because the dive sites are scattered around a number of small islands and a narrow peninsula, you can usually find something that is sheltered from the wind. Unfortunately, Ray Davis is no longer running the Dawnlight liveaboard out of Tobermory, so I can't recommend a dive operation. There is definitely shore diving in Tobermory. The entire area is very scenic. It takes a while to get there; it's all two-lane roads with low Ontario speed limits (as I recall, 80 kph or less). Some of the best wrecks in the lakes are in the Straits of Mackinac and Straits Scuba is a great operation. Those wrecks tend to be deep, though. The shallowest is about 70 ft to the mud. Many of the wrecks are in the 100-130 ft. range. Weather can be an issue in the Straits. If the wind is up, there is no shelter and no diving. I've only done Sanilac once and the viz was bad that day, so I can't say much about the wrecks or the diving, but Gary Venet runs a good boat. I would go with him any time. Like the Straits, everything is pretty open to the wind, which can make the water murky or cancel the dives altogether. By the way, don't assume that nitrox will be readily available. Many of the operators at these sites will only offer air for refills. If you want any other gas, you have to bring it with you. Check with the specific operator about nitrox.

 

[dab]

Unfortunately, Ray Davis is no longer running the Dawnlight liveaboard out of Tobermory, so I can't recommend a dive operation.

What happened to the Dawnlight?

 

[divingjd]

Ray got a real job running a working tugboat and he was putting the Dawnlight up for sale. The last I heard about it was when we were up there this past summer. I just checked his website, tobermory.com domain name for sale - serious inquiries only, and it says the domain name is for sale and that they have closed their doors. No word on the fate of the Dawnlight. It sounded like a good deal for Ray, but bad news for all of us who have enjoyed a weekend with Ray, Courtney, and Sailor.

 

[dab]

Ray got a real job running a working tugboat and he was putting the Dawnlight up for sale. The last I heard about it was when we were up there this past summer. I just checked his website, tobermory.com domain name for sale - serious inquiries only, and it says the domain name is for sale and that they have closed their doors. No word on the fate of the Dawnlight. It sounded like a good deal for Ray, but bad news for all of us who have enjoyed a weekend with Ray, Courtney, and Sailor.

How unfortunate for the diving community. There are very few liveaboard's on the Great Lakes and it's sad to see one less. Hopefully it all works out well for Ray. I never dove off of his boat but I did see it around, especially when in Tobermory.

 

[Mr B]

We dive the wrecks out of Port Sanilac most weekends from April through October on my boat the Great Lakes Diver. They range from 20' to 120' in depth and are good, as other people here have already said. The Michigan Preserves have their own website here and one of my instructors put a bunch of pictures up on my website last summer. Come and join us!

 

[b1gcountry]

Milwaukee also has some pretty good wrecks that are conveniently close to shore, and easily accessed. You have the benefit of being close to Chicago, if you want some topside sightseeing.

Kinston also has some great wrecks, I've heard, but hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet.