Where to dive the Great Lakes

[Wojo]

I live in northern Michigan, in the northeast Lower Peninsula, and dive frequently with the folks at the Northern Michigan Dive Center. They're located in Cheboygan, at the mouth of the Cheboygan River, with easy access to the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve. They have frequent charters to shipwrecks on both the Lake Huron and Lake Michigan side of the Mackinac Bridge. They run a good operation.

Diving in later July and in August will get you warmer surface temps, around the low to mid 70's. At depths of 80-90' and deeper, I haven't seen the temps get much warmer than the low 40's. I dive with a 7mm Bare Velocity wetsuit, with 7mm hood/boots/gloves. Quite a few folks dive dry suits, but I haven't felt the need yet to make the change.

The Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve website has a bunch of good info, and feel free to ask me any questions you may have about diving in the area. In fact, if you still need a dive buddy when you get up this way, shoot me a message. It's rare that I'll turn down an opportunity to dive.

 

[USdiver1]

At depths of 80-90' and deeper, I haven't seen the temps get much warmer than the low 40's. I dive with a 7mm Bare Velocity wetsuit, with 7mm hood/boots/gloves. Quite a few folks dive dry suits, but I haven't felt the need yet to make the change.

Michiganders are not like the rest of us. They don't feel cold.

 

[rjack321]

I was out near Preque Isle, MI - Lake Huron, for a week this summer and really enjoyed those wrecks which were in the 165 to 200 range. Don't expect water below about 50ft to be warmer than 40F. It was 39f for us. 20ft stop was about 58f though which was welcome.

The museum in Alpena, MI is free and worth a visit, especially if you can go there first to help understand water you'll see diving better. (assuming you got to Alpena for instance)

 

[fish149]

Dove with osprey charters in eastern lake Erie. Boat is the biggest and nicest I've been on in any of the lakes. The wrecks we dove on were awesome to boot and all were around 110-130. There are deeper wrecks as well.

 

[Marie13]

Michiganders are not like the rest of us. They don't feel cold.

Correct. I was born and raised in Michigan (although I've been in the Chicago area for 20 years now). Much prefer cold weather, although I do have a dry suit on order for the cold water.

I'm planning on diving Thunder Bay and visiting Alpena next summer.

 

[rhwestfall]

Dove with osprey charters in eastern lake Erie. Boat is the biggest and nicest I've been on in any of the lakes. The wrecks we dove on were awesome to boot and all were around 110-130. There are deeper wrecks as well.

Which wrecks? Mike & Brandy Cochran (successors to Jim Herbert) on the Osprey run a great boat, and treat divers excellently.

 

[pinshootr]

Go up to the Straits Late August to Sept. enough wrecks to do both rec/tec. Good thing is if it is to rough on the Lake Michigan side you can usually do some dives on the Lake Huron side and if you get really lucky you will get a day or two of flat Lake Michigan and do some really good ships on that side. We started my in-laws out there after there OW so there first dives after being certified were shipwrecks from the late 1800's and one of the largest steel freighter wrecks in the great lakes (Cedarville) so big bragging rights right from the get go.

 

[fish149]

Which wrecks? Mike & Brandy Cochran (successors to Jim Herbert) on the Osprey run a great boat, and treat divers excellently.

John Boland, trade wind, crystal and Dean Richmond. Had a blast. The boat we as awesome and so was the crew. Had great weather the whole weekend and the water was like glass. I'll definitely dive with them again.
I've also had a good time diving port sanilac MI on Gary Venet's boat.

 

[Marie13]

Just to have the info handy for next summer - which charters would you recommend out of Alpena? I want to do Thunder Bay and I also want to do the Nordmeer wreck.

 

[al248005]

Dove with osprey charters in eastern lake Erie. Boat is the biggest and nicest I've been on in any of the lakes. The wrecks we dove on were awesome to boot and all were around 110-130. There are deeper wrecks as well.

+1 for Osprey...heading up Friday to hit those same wrecks...hopefully the weather holds out