Two lake huron dives for inspiration!!!! And maybe a wreck diving book? Or great beginner scuba book?

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

Are there dives in Lake Huron that you think have it "all" for divers- one for beginners, and one for next season that is for intermediate level divers? I'm thinking of recommendations for shipwrecks that have a well-documented and interesting story that I can read up on, and that is also visually interesting/beautiful. If the wreck is near Tobermory all the better because that's less than 7 hours drive for me. Or Alpena, MI or Saginaw Bay maybe? Crazy old shipwrecks are very interesting to me as I studied history in school!!

I'm only 22 days from my open water course in Cancun with Alvaro Gonzales at Alwaysdiving.com. I'm reading Jill Heinerth's book "Into the Planet" right now and will follow that with "Diver Down" by Michael Ange. I'll probably finish both of those this weekend so is there a great beginner wreck-diving book that I should read or general beginner scuba book- or something that will teach me a bit about cold water diving? I do understand that to actually learn cold water I need to dive cold water, just wondering if there is a primer out there that might introduce me to some of the concepts and/or challenges of cold water diving. My plan is to do some quarry diving in Gilboa with an instructor once I get back from Mexico- Gilboa is only an hour away from me!!

 

[mbs]

Not sure this one will teach you anything, but Shadow Divers is the best!

 

[DOBY]

Diving Gilboa will get you used to cold water. Advanced open water, idry suit & deep specialty would be a minimum requirement INHO. Most L. Huron wrecks worth seeing start at ~ 90 feet (Regina) and go to 200+ feet. Lots of Gilboa dives in cold water w/ dry suit & dry gloves, and a pony bottle is also wise.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Are there dives in Lake Huron that you think have it "all" for divers- one for beginners, and one for next season that is for intermediate level divers? I'm thinking of recommendations for shipwrecks that have a well-documented and interesting story that I can read up on, and that is also visually interesting/beautiful. If the wreck is near Tobermory all the better because that's less than 7 hours drive for me. Or Alpena, MI or Saginaw Bay maybe? Crazy old shipwrecks are very interesting to me as I studied history in school!!

I have a bunch of Cris Kohl's books on Great Lakes Shipwrecks.

Amazon.com

 

[DogDiver]

I dove out of Port Sanilac Michigan for years. Many good safe charter boats. A nice pair of shipwreck sites for a 2 tank trip. Include The Regina in 66 feet. And The Sport in 57 feet. I took my advanced open water students there to complete their class after going to Gilboa Quarry the weekend before.

 

[tmassey]

My favorite of the recreational Lake Huron shipwreck is the Regina. 70 feet of water makes it very approachable with plenty of bottom time. For those with the training and skill, it is a very easy wreck to penetrate, yet allows you to grow into more advanced penetration opportunities as well. For those who do not want to penetrate but willing to peek under, there is still plenty of wreck to experience.

My favorite of the baby technical Lake Huron shipwrecks is the Dunderburg. From the intact bow spirit with its creature to the lengthy deck to the intact upright hold that you can easily explore, there’s plenty to see. 150 feet of depth makes it just deep enough to keep the riffraff out but it is still a nicely approachable wreck for a beginner technical diver.

Another wreck that is a great dive for a beginner to intermediate technical diver is the Glenorchy. It is a turtled (upside down) steel wreck, so there’s not much to see on the outside: all of the fun of this wreck is in the penetration. It’s in the 130+ foot range, and the significant overhead makes this squarely a technical dive. But for those who like to penetrate into steel wrecks, it’s a great step up from the Regina when you develop the proper skills and capabilities.

Like most divers here in the Detroit area who dive locally, I dive lake Huron a fair bit during the summer. If you ever make your way up this way, make sure you put out a post: there’s plenty of us who would be happy to help make that happen. @Tracy operates a boat on Lake Huron that’s great to dive off of, but difficult to get onto: he tends to be booked a year or more in advance. But he’s also a good resource for information, and there’s always the opportunity to fill in an empty spot.

 

[tmassey]

I just reread your post. For me, “Lake Huron“ means the tip of the thumb, because I live in the Detroit area. But if you mean the whole lake… There are so many possibilities!

Alpena is a great place with lots of wrecks. There is a wreck called the Nordmeer: A 471 foot long freighter in 40 feet of water. Even without penetration, there is so much to see, but if you like penetration – and if you can’t tell, I do! – there is so, so much to see and do. And at 40 feet, you have so much time to do it.

That wreck alone qualifies as your beginner dive one year/intermediate dive the next year. First of all, it’s so long, there’s plenty to explore. And second of all, once you see the outside, then you have to see the inside!

Technically, there’s a bunch of wrecks in Lake Huron in Mackinac as well. I don’t remember if these are Technically in Lake Huron or Lake Michigan, but in Mackinaw there really isn’t a difference…

The Cedarville is a wreck to consider. It’s another steel freighter: 600 feet long, and depth from 50 to 100 or so feet. The sand might be a little deep for a beginner, but there’s still a decent amount of wreck that a beginner could approach. For an intermediate diver, the whole thing is in play.

For an advanced recreational/beginner technical dive there is the Eber Ward. 110 feet to the deck, 140 feet to the sand. Wooden, two decks, and it’s sitting upright. Very picturesque.

These are just some of the highlights. Check out the Thumb underwater preserve, Sanilac Shores underwater preserve, Thunder Bay national Marine sanctuary, and Straits of Mackinac shipwreck preserve. There’s probably four dozen recreationally interesting shipwrecks between those four places.

 

[davecampbell]

Can't beat Tobermory. It's our "2nd home" during the dive season.
my profile pic is on the Forest City.

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

Not sure this one will teach you anything, but Shadow Divers is the best!

That was already in my Amazon cart- looks fabulous!!!

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

I have a bunch of Cris Kohl's books on Great Lakes Shipwrecks.

Amazon.com

I always try to find books used on Amazon and often the prices are very good. Sometimes not. Rarely if ever are books cheaper on eBay it seems. BUUUUUTTTTTTTTT...

As long as the actual pages are not as blurry as that image of the book I will be good to go!!!!!