This Month's Diver Magazine Looks At Canada's best sites from sea to shining sea
Best
Dive Sites In Canada: This month's Diver Magazine is completely dedicated to showing divers were the BEST spots to dive in Canada. I contributed with the best sites in Ontario. Due to space reason, not all the sites made it into print. What follows are all my 5 favourite spots to dive in Ontario - two that you would not have seen if you read the Diver Magazine article.
Best/Easiest
Shore Dive in Ontario
What: The
wreck of the twin side-wheeler Rothesay
Where: Shipwreck
near the shore. North side of the St Lawrence River. Prescott, Ontario. Town of Prescott has made it easy for
divers to visit the wreck. There is free parking, a port-a-potty and a privacy
wall for changing. This park for divers is at the intersection of Highway 2 and
Merwyn Lane, west of Prescott. Divers can see the markers for the wreck from
the riverside park.
Why: The
61 metre long Rothesay is a very popular checkout site for divers from Quebec,
Ottawa, Kingston and upper New York State. Free. Ample parking. There is a strong iron staircase
leading right to the water’s edge and directly facing the wreck. The site is
well marked. It is a 10-metre dive and the visibility is very good. The
Rothesay is an interesting 19th century wooden shipwreck with parts of its hull
still intact.
This
is a dive site that is busy year round. Night dives. Winter dives. Checkouts
and photo shoots, keep the parking lot full every weekend. This is the site
preferred by picture taking divers in the know.
The
Rothesay was launched in 1867 and sank in 1889 after colliding with a
tugboat. In the early part of the
20th century cadets, from the nearby Royal Military College in Kingston,
blasted away part of her deck. Now
much of the ship’s upper decking lies scattered on the rocky bottom around her
hull. The wreck attracts large
schools of fish. The Rothesay is considered a very safe dive site.
She
is a scant 50 metres from shore. There are floating markers on the bow and
stern and a line run from the midsection to land. She is easy to find and is
usually void of current. In the summer and fall the water is warm and the Viz
usually good. In winter, with ice floes drifting by, dry suits are preferred.
How: Change
in the riverside park maintained by the town. Take the strongly enforced steps
down to the River and walk in.
There is a rope that leads right to the wreck. The site is well out of the shipping lanes – you might hear
the big grain boats chugging up and down the Seaway but rest assured they are a
long way away.
More
Information: www.prescott.ca
BEST
SHIPWRECK DIVE IN ONTARIO
The
Wreck of the Arabia
What:
One
of the most picturesque deep water wrecks in the Fathom Five Park in
Tobermory. The Arabia is a classic 19th
century wooden barque. She is
found in deep and cold water, and as a result the shipwreck is in very good
condition. The bow section and bowsprit are intact. The windlass and anchors
make for perfect pictures. The masts lie on the deck and the rock bottom
nearby.
The
Arabia was built in 1853. She was an ocean going 3 masted barque some 40 metres
long. She regularly sailed between
Ontario and Europe. She sank due north of the town of Tobermory (which is
situated at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula) and now lies on the bottom of
Georgian Bay in an upright position.
She
is the poster child for Fathom Five diving – Fathom Five being the name of the
shipwreck underwater park maintained by the Federal Government in the waters of
Lake Huron and Georgian Bay near Tobermory.
This
is considered the best wreck dive in the province. However, prior to advent of
drysuits and robust all-temperature regulators for sport divers, there were a
large number of dive deaths on the Arabia and she was labeled a death ship. The
cause of the accidents was in part because of the depth 37+ metres, the numbing
cold (temperature at bottom can approach zero), currents and a lack of light.
As a result Parks Canada, which administers the Park, lists the Arabia as only
recommended for advanced diving groups under the direction of a dive master.
Where: Most Ontario divers
consider Tobermory the end of the earth.
The village is at the tip of The Bruce Peninsula. There is a highway
running from Tobermory to Owen Sound and eventually, 4 hours later,
Toronto. Tobermory is also the
terminus for a ferry service that links the mainland with the huge Manitoulin
Island, and on up to the city of Sudbury
The
Arabia itself is near Echo Island. Because the Arabia lies in the Fathom Five
Park all divers wanting to visit the Arabia must register with the park and
purchase passes. There are hotels,
restaurants, campsites, public launch ramps, dive charter boats, a dive boat
and a hyperbaric chamber in the village of Tobermory.
How: The
Fathom Five dive registration area is open 7-days a week. Annual tags may be
purchased for $20. Two day and one day passes are also available. Divers can
use their own boat but must have passes prior to getting in the water. The
sites are well policed by Parks Canada. As well there are charter boats
servicing the wreck. It is strongly recommended that divers reserve their spot
on the boats. Weather can be bad
(hence all the shipwrecks) and as a result, the Arabia is not always open for
diving. However there are other
wrecks in the park and there is good shore diving too! Diving is all-year round. Dry suits are
recommended.
www.gswatersports.net/
www.diversden.ca/
www.pc.gc.ca/amnc-nmca/on/fathomfive/index.aspx
BEST CAVE DIVE IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO
Dive
Site: The Caves
What: There is virtually no sport cave diving in Ontario. What few caves and sumps that can be dived are considered dangerous, cold and difficult to locate, with little to see or to enjoy. In Fathom Five Park there is a site called the Caves that is dove either from shore or by boat. The Caves are in reality a large Grotto with some areas open to the skies above. The Grotto was created over time by waves crashing into the limestone wall that lines the shore.
 |
| Dive boat moored near the entrance to the "Caves" |
The entrance to the Caves is through a passage 6 metres underwater. It leads to an open area inside the cliff and there are short hidden passageways leading off from the Grotto. The visibility is always good. Recommended for all levels of diving experience, and snorkelers too.
It is a safe, picturesque dive, except on a hot summer’s day when people like to climb down to the edge of the caves and cannonball into the water!
WHERE: This a favourite second dive for visitors to the Fathom Five Park. The caves are east of Tobermory along the limestone cliffs that line the south shore of Georgian Bay. Divers and snorkelers can take a half hour hike from the Cyprus Lake campgrounds along a well-marked trail to the cavern, but most prefer visiting the site by boat.
-->
Most
Overlooked Diving Region in the Province
WHERE: Prince Edward
County, Lake Ontario. PEC is a
large peninsula jutting out into Lake Ontario. In the 1ate 1800s, a canal was dug separating the land mass
from the mainland, making the area
technically an island complete with 500kms of shoreline. The Canadian Forces Trenton Air Base,
Trenton and Picton are on the island.
The cities of Toronto,
Belleville, Kingston and Ottawa are relatively close.
Ignored
for most of the 20th century, Prince Edward County (PEC) has quietly
become an artists’ retreat, a new wine region, a boater’s paradise and a centre
for deepwater sport and technical wreck diving. In the waters off Prince Edward County shipwrecks continue
to be discovered, and, more and more divers are coming to see and photograph a
number of well marked sites.
WHAT: According to the Prince Edward
County tourist board over two-thirds of the shipping accidents that took place
during the early steam era took place east of the island.
Due
to this large number of sinkings, the area has been dubbed the Graveyard of
Lake Ontario. PEC’s imaginative tourist board refer
to it as the Marysburgh Vortex because of the number of unexplained marine
disasters recorded (and also because of many reported UFO sightings too!)
There
are over two dozen identified shipwrecks that divers have noted. As well, there are new wreck
discoveries that are being studied and photographed in hopes of identifying the
remains. There is one dive lodge –
Ducks Dive – operating in Prince Edward County at the southeastern tip of the
island. There are public launches throughout the PEC. Dive shops from Kingston,
weather permitting, will head down the St Lawrence and into the Lake to visit
these wrecks.
Best
known for their intactness, beauty and visibility are: Annie Falconer – a 2
masted 37 metre long schooner that sank
in 1904 close to False Duck Island. This upright wreck sits in the mud
rock bottom at a depth of 27 metres. She is in good condition complete with
deadeyes, anchors and the ship’s wheel.
 |
| City of Sheboygan - photo Warren Lo |
The
City of Sheboygan
was a 45 metre long 3 masted schooner
built 141 years ago. She
sank in 1915, with considerable loss of life. At 32-meters, this is a deep wreck, located near Amherst
Island (between PEC and Kingston). Because of the cold and the depth, she is in
amazing condition with parts of her masts, riggings and railings all still on
board. There is a thick layer of
zebra mussels covering her deck winch. The wreck attracts dive boats from both
Kingston and Prince Edward County, dependent on the weather.
http://www.warrenlophotography.com
The Kate Eccles is a new wreck as far as Lake
Ontario sailing vessel sinkings go.
She went down in 1922, and at the time was one of the last sailing
schooners working the waters around Prince Edward County and Kingston. She sits upright, in 33 metres of dark cold water near the southeastern
end of PEC (Point Traverse).
The Kingston based Preserve
Our Wrecks has been maintaining a buoy on the
2-masted schooner, and as a result it is a popular wreck for dive groups
from both Prince Edward County and Kingston. This is only for divers equipped to
dive deep in extreme cold water conditions.
The
ship itself sits on a stone and mud bottom, more out of the mud than in
it. The deck, covered in zebra
mussels in mostly intact. The bowsprit is still attached and points menancingly
to approaching divers. Divers have recovered artifacts from inside the ship and
from a debris field beside the ship. Pots, china
and tools have been left on the deck for divers to see!
How: There
are dive charter services in Kingston and Prince Edward County that offer trips
to the wrecks from late Spring to the Fall. There are hotels, campgrounds and
cottages for rent throughout the region. There are launch ramps on PEC and up
and down the St. Lawrence River.
BEST
WRECK DIVING NEAR AN ISLAND THAT SHOULD BE IN ONTARIO BUT ISN’T (CURSE YOU
BRITISH CROWN).
Where: There
is no good reason that the huge island of Isle Royale is part of the United
States. The 60km long island,
located at the west end of Lake Superior is just off shore of what is clearly
Ontario. The City of Thunder Bay
is nearby. And, while we are complaining about our land-grabbing neighbours,
let us say that the island is about 16 kms from Minnesota yet is part of
Michigan, 80 kms away!
 |
| 5 Finger Tug. Photo - National Parks Service, Isle Royale |
If
it wasn’t for the map challenged British back in 1783, and overly generous
Ojibwa tribal elders (1842 Treaty of La Pointe), divers wouldn’t have to pack a
passport to visit this cold water wreck Mecca.
Isle
Royale is a huge island, third largest in the US, and second only in size in
the Great Lakes to Mantioulin. The
land was rich in copper and as a result there was considerable marine traffic
to the island in the 19th century. And, because of treacherous
close-to-the-surface rocks and unpredictable weather (remember “the gales Of
November” often come early) a lot of ships have sunk close to shore.
 |
Henry Chisholm wreck. Diver examines the engine.
180ft down. Photo NPS, Isle Royale
|
WHAT: The US government
has created a National Park and protects the wrecks found underwater
nearby. There are nine notable
shipwrecks that are buoyed and dove by charter boats and individual
divers. The diving is always cold,
the water is clear and the experience is memorable.
The
wrecks of Isle Royale include bulk freighters, passenger steamers. These large
ships – the largest is 175 metres long - went down between 1885 and 1948. All
are close to shore and most have either the bow or stern close to the surface
of the water. You can start 6 metres and work your way down to depths
approaching 55-metres. Seasoned dry suit divers in-the-know ask for the wreck
of Henry Chisholm,
because it is deep and much of her oversized power plant is still intact.
The
Chisholm
was built in 1980 and sunk in 1897 near the Rock of Ages Lighthouse. She was carrying a load of barley and
was towing a smaller boat. The
boat broke away during a storm – the Henry Chisholm sank while looking for her.
She is 88 metres in length and built out
of wood. According to the US Park services a dive on the Chisholm starts at
42-metres and goes to 50-metres and beyond. The steam engine, drive shaft and prop are intact and are
the high point of the dive.
The Chisholm is a two-fer! The remains of the wooden hull are scattered amongst the remains of another diveable shipwreck – the Passenger Steamer Cumberland. She sank in 1877 and her boiler and side-wheel rest in much shallower water nearby. Both the Chisholm and the Cumberland have the same
 |
| The Deck of Chisholm. 130 ft. Photo NPS Isle Royale |
The Chisholm is a two-fer! The remains of the wooden hull are scattered amongst the remains of another diveable shipwreck – the Passenger Steamer Cumberland. She sank in 1877 and her boiler and side-wheel rest in much shallower water nearby. Both the Chisholm and the Cumberland have the same
How:
There is ferry service to the island from both Michigan and Minnesota. There is camping on the island and a
number of lodges. Divers must
bring their own gear - including a portable generator to refill tanks.
The
Park registers all divers wanting to visit the wrecks. They warn divers that Lake Superior
never gets warm and that temperatures below 20 metres are close to freezing. Ontario divers can visit the island
provided they clear customs before entering the water.
There are three dive
boats that offer trips – including live aboard service – to Isle Royale. Some of the charters accommodate tech
divers. Charters tend to sell out
quickly.
Park Diving
Information: http://www.nps.gov/isro/planyourvisit/scuba-diving.htm
Comments