Who wants to dive Cedarville?

CAPTAIN SINBAD · Feb 10, 2014

Guys:

This thread is an off-shoot of the following one which ended with a lot of folks showing interest in Cedarville ...

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/gr...-there-private-boat-diving-great-lakes-2.html

Basic info ...

Cedarville is one of the biggest wrecks in all the five great lakes. 588 foot long steel ship sank in 1965, taking down 10 out of the 35 crew-members. The cause of sinking was a collision with a Norwegian ship due to fog and radio communication problems caused by bad weather. Due to the size of the wreck, it is impossible to dive it in one dive. It is resting on its starboard side with its cargo of limestone spilled all over. The max depth is stated to be 106 feet.

If there is enough interest then we can put a scubaboard charter together preferably in May? Thoughts and ideas welcome.

Cheers -

CS

Doppler · Feb 10, 2014

That area of the lake will be bloody cold in May... I expect to be up that way in August... There are several charter boats operating out of that area, by the way.

Some of the other wrecks worth checking out include: Eber Ward, Sandusky, and the Uganda (but this one is deep).

jbark · Feb 10, 2014

Since I was a participant in the previous thread I thought I would post my thoughts: I would like to go dive it with you, but it's just outside of my comfort zone depth wise and I would need a drysuit up there in May, which i do not own or have any experience with.

I hope you get a trip going to dive it, that part of the state is worth a visit.

Maybe next time.
Jerry

CAPTAIN SINBAD · Feb 10, 2014

Doppler:
That area of the lake will be bloody cold in May... I expect to be up that way in August... There are several charter boats operating out of that area, by the way.

Some of the other wrecks worth checking out include: Eber Ward, Sandusky, and the Uganda (but this one is deep).

Thanks for confirming my greatest fear (i.e May = brrrrr.) I am open to other months as well except August. There is another trip being planned for Jackfish Bay Ontario and the dates for those need to be finalized but they would be in August. Anything other than August is fine with me.

---------- Post added February 10th, 2014 at 09:48 PM ----------

jbark:
Since I was a participant in the previous thread I thought I would post my thoughts: I would like to go dive it with you, but it's just outside of my comfort zone depth wise and I would need a drysuit up there in May, which i do not own or have any experience with.

I hope you get a trip going to dive it, that part of the state is worth a visit.

Maybe next time.
Jerry

Hey Jerry. If you are AOW certified, then you may be able to dive this with drysuit course and a few practice dives with a drysuit. Chris Kohls book lists this as an intermediate dive. There is some structure above 40 feet but most of the wreck is in the AOW depth.

If someone who has already been on that wreck could comment more on the depth and dive conditions that would help.

M-diver · Feb 10, 2014

I dove Cedarville in end of May timeframe. As was mentioned, this is big wreck and IMO the stern section is more interesting, plenty to see starting 40 ft if I remember correctly. No need to go all the way to the sand. As far as water temp, I think dry suit is the way to go. Other than that, viz can be challenging, we had probably around 30ft but it was just that day.

Another factor might be the current, those are the Straits, west wind will run water thru the channel. But that's the nature of local diving, you won't know until you jump in

As Steve (Doppler) mentioned there are more excellent wrecks to explore in this area if you already made the effort to get there and have a charter arranged. Have fun!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

dsc2679 · Feb 12, 2014

I would second or third the chilly May condition warnings. Shoot for June or July. July, if your doing it in a wetsuit. I also agree no need to go to the mud. Lots to see between 50-80', on both the stern and bow. The vis on the C'ville is never as good as it is on most of the other wrecks in the Straits. 30-40' vis is average. Also, as it is almost upside down, it can be dark. Bring a light. I also second or third the recommendation to check out some of the other wrecks up there too. You could easily do a three day trip up there and get a bunch of great dives in.

CAPTAIN SINBAD · Feb 12, 2014

Yes. June or July seems to be the best time frame even though I dive dry. When you say 30 - 40 vis is average, are you talking about Cedarville or the other wrecks with better vis?

KD8NPB · Feb 13, 2014

May is a great time to dive actually.

You can get near Caribbean water visibility on deeper wrecks, thanks to the lack of algae bloom, lack of particulate, and lack of boat traffic. Especially if the week is calm weather leading up to the dive.

Water temp would probably be about 42F?

Viking Extreme + Halo 3D + Xerotherm + 12mm hood + dry gloves...I could care less what time of year the dive is!

CAPTAIN SINBAD · Feb 13, 2014

If it is only 42f then I can manage. I have the drysuit and thermals that can take that temperature pretty well.

dsc2679 · Feb 16, 2014

CAPTAIN SINBAD:
When you say 30 - 40 vis is average, are you talking about Cedarville or the other wrecks with better vis?

30-40' vis is average for the C'ville. The C'ville isn't know for great vis, but she's big, so you can only take in a little at a time anyway. It is a great wreck! I think it is the way she sits and the prevailing wind and current flow.

The vis is usually better, 50-70', on most of the other wrecks up there. That all said, all of this is very weather dependent and can change day to day.

There is a lot to do up there après-diving. Mack Island, Icebreaker Mackinaw, Mack City lighthouse museum, Valley Camp ship museum in the Sault...

Who wants to dive Cedarville?

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