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You’ve gotta be pretty well suited up in a 7mm wetsuit or drysuit (if you get cold easily) to be ready to take on a 100 foot deep wreck in 40 degrees farenheit freshwater for a total dive time of 30 minutes !Brrr!…But the rewards are well worth all the effort! |
Ahhh diving in the freshwater lakes of Ontario, Canada…
You don’t really dive there to see fish (you’ll be hard pressed to see any except for the occasional pike or trout and dozens of identical bottom-dwelling gobies).
And it’s not warm bathtub diving either… as temperatures can easily get as low as 40 degrees Farenheit (~5 degrees Celcius) 80 feet below in the middle of August versus 70-80 degrees Farenheit in the Carribbean! You’ll need to make sure you equip yourself with at least a 7 mm wetsuit, a hood and 5 mm gloves to stay comfortable.
So why do we bother to put ourselves through all this torture?
We choose to dive in Canada freshwater lakes because 1) you can’t fly to the Carribbean every weekend, 2) we love to get wet any opportunity we can – some would say we are almost amphibeous, and 3) there are some of the oldest, most unique and best preserved shipwrecks in world grounded in Canadian mainland waters.
Many shipwrecks are over a hundred years old and were sunk during the war or the making of Canada. You may ask.. what is Canadian lakes’ secret to eternal “wreck” life, especially comparing the region to the warm waters of the Carribbean where a shipwreck barely lasts more than a few decades.
Several factors help to preserve the wrecks in Canadian freshwater lakes…
- freshwater erodes ships much more slowly
- the cold water helps to preserve them by preventing the growth of damaging algae on the surface of the ship (just like your fridge and last week’s leftovers!)
- the lack of currents and volatile tides keep the sides of a ship from being pulled apart or having other objects flung out at them
As a result Canadian freshwater lake shipwrecks are amazingly well preserved some for over a hundred years, particularly shipwrecks located in very cold parts of the lakes at 90+ feet deep.
Shallower wrecks in warmer waters however are in danger of somewhat faster erosion due to a relatively new problem these days. Zebra mussels. Brought in by overseas trade ships a dozen or so years ago, Zebra mussels have since proliferated to the nth degree and have now completely covered the entire surface of many wrecks. On the plus side however, much of the algae in the water has been vacuumed up by the little guys and now the visibility is much better than many years ago (gained about 10-30 feet in visibility depending on the day).
Either way, if you’re feeling tough, have your Advanced Padi or Naui Certification (which usually includes Wreck Diving) and have always dreamt of exploring sunken ships (sorry, you can’t take the treasure chest with you!)… then call a local dive shop in the area to get you set up with the right equipment and charter boat facilities, throw on that 7 mm wetsuit and jump in!
You’ll never be happier for a warm cup of coffee or tea, then after a cold and crisp Canadian fresh water dive.
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Some Must See Shipwrecks in Ontario
Niagara II – Tobermory, Ontario (Advanced Level)
Steel Ship with lots of machinery. 100 feet deep. Low 40s Farenheit. This shipwreck was sunk in 1999 purposefully for Dive Tourism. Lots of swimthroughs. Bow sprit, doors, rooms, walkways, pulleys, radar/computer room. No zebra mussels. Wreck is in fantastic condition with lots to see!
The Arabia – Tobermory, Ontario (Advanced Level)
100 feet deep. Low 50s Farenheit. No Zebra mussels. Algae. Two large anchors on deck, bow sprit, creepy looking dead-eyes look like skulls, especially covered with algae. Big eerie hole for large cargo entry. Bring a flashlight.
Marsh Wreck – Kingston, Ontario (Intermediate Level)
80 feet deep. Low 50s Farenheit. Supposedly you can see are pots and skulls but I couldn’t find them. There is also a zebra mussel-encrusted steering wheel on deck – still up in its original position.
Wolfe Islander – Kingston, Ontario (Intermediate Level)
70 feet deep. Low 50s-60s Farenheit. Sunk for Diving Tourism. Swim-through staircase. Lots of odds and ends to play with : Bowling Ball, Motorcycle, Laptop (I think it has been removed), Bicycle, Fac.
Comet Wreck – Kingston, Ontario (Intermediate Level)
Paddle wheeler. 70 feet deep. One of my favourite wrecks due to its two 30 foot high paddle wheels, one of which is still mostly vertical.
City of Sheboygan – Kinsgton, Ontario (Intermediate Level)
90 feet deep. Mid-Low 40s Farenheit. – very cold. Very few zebra mussels. 19th Century ship. Beautiful bow sprit, plaque, dead eyes. A must see on the shipwreck is a glass plate laid on the deck. The 3×10 inch plate is actually a prism and interestingly refracts the beam of a diver’s light.
Olive Branch – Kingston, Ontario (Intermediate Level)
85 feet deep. Mid 40s – Low 50s Farenheit. Stove, Steel Iron, Steering wheel, Shoe, Anchor, mast & rigging. Very nice wreck in good condition.