Wreck Diving

[panhandvr]

I do plan on diving the great lakes. We have as many wrecks as anyone but the preservation doesnt compare. Thanks for the link .

 

[Steve_Dives]

Diving the Great Lakes is on my "to do" list for this year. I hear rave reviews for a number of locations listed in the thread. I'm hoping to figure out why some people like wrecks so much, and if they're not for me, at least broaden my experience.

The issue with it becoming as popular as Molasses Reef, to pick an example, cold & wet. Many people don't like the cold, and things like arthrytis can make it harder. Dry suits are an option, but require some skill and relatively major coin. I don't see the casual diver wanting to develop those skills or fuss with the extra gear. There's also an increased risk of DCS in cold water, and if it is someones first time on cold water they may be panic prone to begin with.

 

[grumpymedic]

What kind of water temps could one expect in the summer? I am from Michigan and would love to go back and dive the Great lakes..

 

[CDNScubaMoose]

What kind of water temps could one expect in the summer? I am from Michigan and would love to go back and dive the Great lakes..

Southern lake Huron in the middle to end of August can get in the low 70's as long as you stay above the termocline (in August the 1st thermocline is around the 40-50' mark).

The Brockville/St. Lawerence will get in the low 70's but because it is a river there is no thermoclines.

Below that first themocline in August you are in the high 50's to mid 60's. But on deep dives there is that 2nd thermocline which can be a rude awakening (usually around 90' that time of the year).

 

[divingjd]

Typical temperatures at depth (i.e., where the wrecks are) are usually between 42 and 52 degrees at places like Munising (Lake Superior - Michigan's Upper Peninsula), Tobermory (Lake Huron and Georgian Bay - Ontario), or the Straits of Mackinac (Lakes Huron and Michigan, between Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsula). It can be 65 or 70 at the surface and 55-65 at the first thermocline, but wrecks above the first thermocline are often battered by waves and ice. The best ones tend to be fairly deep and really cold.

The cold water preserves the wrecks, but it is also going to keep away a lot of divers. I won't do those dives wet and lots of other people won't either. A dry suit is an investment of time and a lot of money, so it can be a hard sell to get somebody to try Great Lakes diving. It is very interesting diving, but it's always going to be for a relatively dedicated minority.

 

[Ocean One]

IMHO I believe you folks in the GL's area have answered this question.. THe year round cold by most folks standards is the first downer, the cost of having all the protective clothing and cost of training is the second, and the depths of some of the more desirable wrecks is the third.
Having said that, I hope to get there this year and make a true determination on my own. Are there enough wrecks in the recreational limits to make it worth my while, as I am not a tech diver?

 

[DudleyNMU]

yes there is, a lot of the wrecks are in rec limits.

 

[TheHobster]

I would LOVE to dive some wrecks in the great lakes... but I don't know where to begin! It's so easy to find charters in florida and what not, but up there it's different. I don't know what's good for me to dive, what my experience need be, how advanced the wrecks are.... nothing.

our club has 3 trips to Great Lakes - to me it's a mind set - I learned to dive in SoCal and getting ready to dive Lakes is same as Catalina etc - dress for bear!

I lived in midwest for 26 years before I finally got to Lake Mi and actually dove - had trips cancelled, weathered out, I was sick, etc - first dive on the Mack in 75 degree water to the deck, with 60' viz was awesome - all hail the Zebra Mussell (and the wind)

as far as marketing the problem comes in the cost - if ya go up the night before, have 2 days of diving, 2 nights in a hotel, 2 tanks, meals etc - it's a 3-8 hour drive, boats are pricier that FL boats, hotels are charging summer rates; many people will save their money and vacation days and do a long weekend in Panama City for $400 as opposed to $250-300 in Great Lakes -

and of course there is the wuss factor - only 55 degrees? Viz on 30 ft? it's NORTH??

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I did my first GL wreck dives last year and I'm hooked! I've recently purchased a drysuit (it quickly becomes almost a necessity in the Great Lakes) and have made plans to take a wreck diving course this summer with an avid GL wreck diver. I'm so looking forward to more of it! I also hope to join at least one of Preston's dive trips as I'm a member of the same club (Indy Dive Club).

 

[DOkie]

My only advice to anyone considering diving the great lakes is to be honest with the dive shop regarding your skills and you experience in diving cold water. For instance, if you're nervous and diving in Mackinac, maybe you should start out on the Sandusky (which is beautiful) instead of the Eber Ward. There are many, many wrecks within recreational diving limits in all of the lakes, it's just a matter of what you are looking for. Do some research before you come. The problem that I see is when you look up wrecks in a book, or magazine, most are listed as advanced/technical. Personally, I think that is because of the vis and cold. In Mackinac and Superior visability can range from 30 - 60 feet. Excellent for us but less than normal for someone from Florida. In the Green Bay off of Lake Michigan, a good day of vis is 10-15 feet. Anything below 70 - 80 feet might as well be a night dive most days. I agree with everyone that the 2nd thermocline can be a bugger at times, but I've even done a few deep dives in a wetsuit (and I'm a BIG chicken when it comes to being cold). The other consideration to make is the Zebra Mussels. Where they don't seem to be much of a problem in some places, around here, they are so concentrated that sometimes it's just like you're looking at a big mound. It could make for a disapointing trip. If I'm thinking right, there are no zebra mussell's in Lake Superior.

As the joke goes, if you can dive here.... You can dive anywhere. Today's water temp was 34 degrees and the ice was 14 inches. But it sure was pretty....