Great Lakes Help Needed

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Diversauras

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Scuba Instructor
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Myrtle Beach SC
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Being a newbe to the mid west I am trying to find out about diving in the Chicago area. I figure that is in the weekend distance from St. Louis and with what I have heard about the condition of the wrecks in the Great Lakes, well lead on.

I am an ocean diver and have no real idea of the conditions in the GL but am assuming that a dry suit is the order of the day. I did a quarry in Southern Il. this past weekend, Mermet, and I can't remember ever being in water that cold since I was in Iceland 15 years ago.

Any help / information woulld be greatly appreciated.
 
Don't dive as far south as Chi-town but dive in Lake Mich a lot farther north. This time of year a seven mil wet suit usually works just fine in lake Mich. Unless, your spending much time below 70 to 90 feet, where the second or third thermocline resides. A lot depends on surface conditions, wind direction etc.


This time of year we usually have a rather warm surface condition in the 60 to 70 degree range. The first thermo is usually around the 30 to 40 foot mark and will usually drop 10 to 15 degrees. Next thermo is usually around the 50 to 60 foot mark and again will drop another 10 degrees or so. As noted the third cline is usually in the 70 to 90 foot range and can drop another 10 to 15 degrees.

This is what i have found to be typical in lake Mich. But remember
surface conditions affect the great lakes to a much greater degree than oceans. When the wind is blowing toward the shore your diving, warmer surface water blows in and affects the temps all long that shore & the opposite shore.

Dry or wet really depends on what you prefer in most cases. This time of year you usually don't get below the 45 degree mark unless your spending time below 90 feet. 45 degrees is usually my switchover point from wet to dry.
 
A few of us are planning to do a dive August 24th in Two Harbors. The plan is to check out the Medera wreck that weekend. You are more than welcome to join us. There is more info at the link in my signature.

Happy Diving!
Chris
 
http://michiganshipwrecks.com/

Here is a link for G.L. wrecks. My favorites are the Straits, Whitefish, & Alger preserves in that order.

Good hunting!
 
I appreciate your inputa but until I can really schedule some vacation time for this I think I am pretty well limited to Milwakee south.

I am really surprised at the thermoclines, an eye opener so to speak, bit almost through one of the bite wings on my mouthpiece Sunday, think it was involuntary chattering teeth supression.
 
dkigreg once bubbled...
I appreciate your inputa but until I can really schedule some vacation time for this I think I am pretty well limited to Milwakee south.

I am really surprised at the thermoclines, an eye opener so to speak, bit almost through one of the bite wings on my mouthpiece Sunday, think it was involuntary chattering teeth supression.


LOL!!! Wait till you guess wrong about cline depth, decide to not wear a hood & get punished for your stupidity. Can you say mondo ice cream headache?
 
There is a dry suit in my future, maybe my near future, I did that gorilla stuff when I was a kid, now it;s time to dive smart.
 
Around Chicago there are alot of wrecks in the 30 - 40 foot range. They're nice dives if you've never seen them. Aug - Sep water temp can be in the upper 70's at the surface and these shallow wrecks can be done easily in a wet suit without hood and gloves. I have done them in half a suit and I get cold easy. Some even use 3 mils. The deeper wrecks are cold of course. On another thread there were some folks arranging a trip with Hank at Chicago charters. I have customers that dive with him alot and I can get you his number if you want.
 
I just hooked up with someone who will probably do a once or twice a month jog to the windy place so I / we are interested in getting hooked up with someone in the area. If the wrecks are that shallow are the trips half day type? Assuming so we could come up from St. Louis on Sat AM and do the PM trip, the Sun AM trip and return Sun in time to get reasonable sleep. Thanks
 
Usually half day, two dive, trips.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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