Shore Dive Lake Michigan

[Butchbs1985]

Hi,

A couple of Co-Workers and I are looking for some dives to do in Lake Michigan around Chicago. In particular, we want to dive the George F. Williams. This Wreck is located 300' - 600' off shore just west of the Hammond, IN marina. It is a stop for a couple of the local charters but is it legal / possible to dive from shore in the Northwest Indiana / Chicago / Southwest Michigan area?

We are thinking not but nobody can remember why we all think that. A 300' - 600' swim is really nothing and I would love to save a buck on not getting a charter. I can't find any details online so let me know what you think please!

-Brian

 

[Busdiver]

A good reason to use a charter is that they put you right on the wreck. Personal experience has resulted in missing a wreck by 10 feet and never finding anything but mud. Yep. I am that good.

 

[Butchbs1985]

Gotcha. My plan is to put the coordinates in my waterproof GPS and leave it tied to my dive flag as it isn't rated for diving. Do you have any insight regarding the legality of shore diving in the lake?

Thanks,
Brian

 

[luckydays]

Shore diving in Illinois to Lake Michigan is not allowed except from a place in Skokie and North Shore Beach. From Indiana, I have done some shore diving from the Hammond marina but we only stayed at the wall and looked for the small wreck about 75 feet off shore. (looked for means we still have not found it or seen it) Its there but we have missed it by xx feet and have yet to see it.

We were not stopped from doing the shore diving that we did and there were life gaurds there to say something if it was not allowed so I am assuming that if you knew were to go, then you could shore dive from the marina. Enter from the beach and have a flag and you should be ok.

I am not sure I would want to wade in 300-600' of Lake Michigan water on the hope and a prayer that I would see the wreck. I would probably just take the charter or ask a friend with a boat to take me out. That is a far swim. plus there is a big difference between 300' and 600'. I am just to lazy to swim that far without know exactly where I am going.

Anyway, Have a great time. let us know how it works for you. If you are interested in doing a night dive off the marina, let me know as I think my buddies and I will be taking the plunge this saturday night for a afternoon/evening/night dive off the beach. At least that is the proposed plan.

Have a great day!

 

[DiverBeth]

The shore dive in Illinois luckydays is referring to is the George Morley. It's off the Greenwood Beach in Evanston and is about 100 yds offshore in about 15 feet of water. It's marked by a buoy. There is an entrance fee to the beach for non Evanston residents and you have to show a C card and have a dive flag

 

[Butchbs1985]

The shore dive in Illinois luckydays is referring to is the George Morley. It's off the Greenwood Beach in Evanston and is about 100 yds offshore in about 15 feet of water. It's marked by a buoy. There is an entrance fee to the beach for non Evanston residents and you have to show a C card and have a dive flag

Thanks. I saw that online last night as well. Looks like it would be neat but is there anything else to see off of that beach? It's a bit of a drive for just one dive. If there's not, perhaps I'll stop there on my way up to Pearl Lake sometime.

 

[Reallydg]

Regarding the shore dive in Hammond, other than the wreck (found it once, missed it twice - so I'm not sure I'd want to do a long surface swim with those kinds of odds ), other than the wreck, diving the break wall can be kind of interesting (so far found three fishing poles in three dives), but that's about it. Don't know about the George Morley though since that's not the one Luckydays is describing. Sounds a lot simlar though - 15 feet of water. Just wish the one we dive had a marker! Would have made it easier to find!

 

[diverchet]

I had info on shore dives in sw michigan St. Joe? but can't find it now. 1 was an old pier usually done at night and someplace called the clay mounds.
Chet

 

[ScubaInChicago]

I had info on shore dives in sw Michigan St. Joe? but can't find it now. 1 was an old pier usually done at night and someplace called the clay mounds.
Chet

This one will link will give you the pier your talking about and many others along the state of Michigan's coasts of the lake. I too wish that Illinois had something similar. Let me know if this helps.

Great Lakes Shipwrecks: Michigan Underwater Preserves

 

[h2odragon1]

Scuba Beth is correct on the Morley.
The Chicago Scuba Meetup Group (Chicago, IL) - Meetup.com
if you're available on the 8'th.