Great lakes tech diving advice

[rhwestfall]

Pick a Lake first. There are 5 to chose from and they are BIG. And the Rivers associated with them too..

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Of those three, the only one I personally have dove with is Michigan Diver. @BoneCrusher and his wife are great people to dive with. I know they are slowly coming out of lockdown this month.

They are actually my preferred people to dive with, but most of their stuff has been until recently just a little bit past my capabilities, so I haven’t been able to get out with them much. But I have probably done four or five trips with them, and all of them have been great. Technically capable divers but with a very patient and laid-back attitude. A rare combination!

My understanding is that all of their trips have been bought up by dive shops, so you would actually go through the dive shop. But if you get in touch with them, I’m sure they can coordinate with you who to get in touch with.

Indeed. Mike and Cindy are AWESOME divers and even better people. They are personal friends.

I've also dived with Shipwreck Explorers (Jitka) several times. She's fantastic!

Blackdog is who Becky Kagan Schott frequently dives with. I know them from reputation and understand that they are also fantastic.

Again ... you can't go wrong with any of these three.

 

[tmassey]

Pick a Lake first. There are 5 to chose from and they are BIG. And the Rivers associated with them too..

Or, maybe pick a wreck or two in a specific area. In the 160 foot or shallower area, my personal favorite here in my area is the Dunderberg. 140 to 150 feet to the bottom, upright, very large, easily penetratable, a unique figurehead, what’s not to like?

@Marie13 would probably put her vote in for the Thomas Hume. But she would be wrong. I’ve done both: the Hume is a shadow of the Dunderberg. And I think the other diving in this area gives you more wrecks in a closer area.

Here is a link to a page that lists a number of wrecks available off the thumb of Michigan, including the Dunderberg:

Thumb Area Bottomland Preserve

The wrecks available to advanced recreational and entry-level technical divers here are solid. There are other places that have a number of solid wrecks, too but at 180 to 220 feet they are beyond what you’re asking for. I like the thumb area for the approachability.

Now, if you’re also wanting to consider things like nightlife or sightseeing… The thumb area doesn’t win here. It is a very quiet rural area. if you want nightlife, you can narrow it down to Chicago, or Chicago, or Chicago. Unless you’re considering River diving, which there may be more nightlife toward the New York side, but I haven’t personally done any diving out in that direction.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

The challenge with the Lakes as others have mentioned is the vast geography and lack of logistical support in many areas. You do really need to zero in on what area(s) you want to hit. Western Lake Huron (various locations on the Michigan coast), Western Lake Michigan (various locations in IL or WI), Straits of Machinac (a personal favorite), St. Lawrence (another favorite of mine), Lake Superior/Whitefish Point (wrecks are probably too deep), Eastern Lake Erie (Barcelona/Westfield), etc, etc. Really need to pick a geographic location and then plan from there. The location will determine what charter options are available.

 

[Hartattack]

We have a Facebook group for the GUE Midwest folks: GUE-USA Midwest_ish feel free to join, and you will be able to see our planned get together and group outings as well. Also, I can link you up with our google group if you would like. I hope this helps and I look forward to diving with you soon!

 

[Divin'Papaw]

We have a Facebook group for the GUE Midwest folks: GUE-USA Midwest_ish feel free to join, and you will be able to see our planned get together and group outings as well. Also, I can link you up with our google group of you would like. I hope this helps and I look forward to diving with you soon!

There you go! Fantastic idea since they are GUE folks. ScubaBoard at work.

 

[Teleopsis]

Thanks all of you so much! This is fantastically helpful. If you're ever coming over the pond and seeing some of the channel wrecks give me a shout!

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Are you coming to the Canadian side or US side? Which lake are you planning on diving, they cover a massive area.

 

[shoredivr]

Tech diving on the Canadian side of Lake Huron and Ontario:

Fully Tek Charters

Canadian side of Lake Erie:

Aquaholic

Canadian Side of St Lawrence River;

Thousand Island Pleasure Divers.

 

[Kohanbash]

In Lake Erie there is also
Osprey Charters (large boat, 25+ people)
and
Home - Lake Erie Adventure Charters (6 pack type boats, good to charter yourself for a small group)

A little north in Canada is Tobermory (with some awesome diving)
Divers Den – "Divers Serving Divers Since 1967"