Chicago dive sites

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Scuba_18

Registered
Messages
62
Reaction score
0
Location
Windsor, ON
I have been looking into some interesting diving to do this summer and talking to some "buddies" of mine, pardon the pun. I am looking to go to chicago with 3 other divers and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions, most of us are university students so cheap would be nice. Thanks for your help in advance
 
Scuba_18:
I have been looking into some interesting diving to do this summer and talking to some "buddies" of mine, pardon the pun. I am looking to go to chicago with 3 other divers and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions, most of us are university students so cheap would be nice. Thanks for your help in advance
If you're considering coming to Chicago for some diving, my advice would be that you reconsider. :wink:

The diving in Chicago is all shallow, which means it's been pretty well pounded by the winters and by the sheer numbers of divers. It's not horrible diving but not worth the drive from Windsor.

Instead, consider heading North a bit. The water starts getting deeper at about the Wisconsin state line and the diving is much nicer. Better wrecks, better conditions, etc.

None of this is cheap, however. There is no shore diving in Chicago and, due to the short season, the boats rides are relatively expensive.

Are you tired of Toby or are you just looking for a deep dish pizza fix?
 
i don't know about the deep dish pizza fix, i am just looking for something a little new. I have the toby trip planned. where would you suggest i try for some nice shore dives.

thanks for your help
 
Shore diving in the Great Lakes can be a problem, since most of the diving is on wrecks and they rarely occur close to shore and don't last long if they do. There is, for all intent and purpose, no shore diving in Chicago - with the exception of one pointless 1/2 miles stretch near downtown, it's illegal.

Diving in Wisconsin is pretty good - more wrecks in better condition in deeper water, but that still translates into a boat ride. The best Lake Michigan diving is up in the Straights of Mackinac, but that's definitely boat diving. Whitefish Point in Lake Superior is pretty fine diving, too. Then, of course, there is Toby, which reigns as one of my three or four favorite places to dive in the world.

Sorry to be such a poop, but I'd rather you know the scoop than waste the drive to find out for yourself. There is a guy named Cris Kohl that has written a number of books about diving in the Great Lakes, you might want to see if you can get your hands on one of them for some ideas.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

Back
Top Bottom