Michigan Divers...

I live in metro detroit area, i was wondering if anyone knew any good dive locations. Ive hear of Stoney Lake in Oxford, but would like to know more about it as far as visibility, whats there, and where to go to access a dive spot. Any information on anything would be greatly appreciated

There are lots of well preserved wrecks in the Great Lakes, with a number of shallower ones in eastern Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence. I don't know if there are any in Lake Huron at recreational depths, but if there are, you should visit them. When I say well preserved, think sailing vessels with tackle and lines still present!

(I just noticed your location--I grew up just north of Mt. Clemens!)

We do most of our local diving in the quarries in Ohio. They are great for a while, and we still go 4-6 times every year. Excellent for getting cold water experience. You can get there in under 2 hours. Otherwise, we sometimes dive out of Port Sanilac whenever the charter aligns with our schedules in the summer.

If you are limited to shore diving and don't want to drive to Ohio (although the advice to get some cold water experience there is good) you could look into the St. Clair River. The current in the city of St. Clair isn't bad and a good place to get some river experience. The current in Port Huron is pretty fast so I wouldn't start there. Do a search here for the St. Clair River (sometimes spelled Saint Clare or Saint Clair) and you will find a lot of info. Lake Huron has a lot of wrecks that are within recreational depths but you will need a boat to access them, some are near shore (Eli Strong 25 FFW depth out of Lexington) and some are 12 miles out (New York 117 FFW depth out of Port Sanilac). There are some inland lakes that people dive but it gets cold quick and not lots to see. Stony Lake near Oxford is all private now so you will need access to dive there. You could dive Spring Mill Pond in Island Lake Recreation Area near Kensington Metro Park (35 FFW depth) but vis can get bad quick.

You can have a lot of fun in the local lakes. Visibility can vary greatly. Have a good dive float/flag with you all the time. I suggest a flag on an innertube. I feel it's a little more substantial than some flags with their own little float. Still be careful - jetskis can be a PITA.

I like to dive the dropoffs where there's more fish life and things to find. The lake bottoms are usually pretty barren unless you know there's a sunken boat or snowmobile or something.

Visibility will probably improve again in the fall and the boat traffic will drop off too.