So, who wants to go diving in Chicago/Milwaukee this summer? Long discussed, its time to put your intentions to the test. Heres a chance to take the plunge in Southern Lake Michigan 4 dives, 2 days, meet some scubaboard types and have tons of fun
its a small party because I really want to make sure it happens, if all goes well Im sure that there will be more opportunities in the future!
Saturday, July 19th
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Two dives, 2pm departure, $80.00 per person if we fill all six seats on the boat.
Dive #1: The Prinz Willem V (the Willie)
Depth to Wreck: 45 feet
Depth to Bottom: 60 feet
Maximum Depth: 95 feet
The Willie was a 258 foot Dutch freighter headed home from Milwaukee with a miscellaneous cargo in October 1954 when she collided with another vessel under tow. Today the Willie sits on the bottom of Lake Michigan about 3 miles off the coast of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is one of the most popular wreck sites in the southern basin. The bottom is heavy clay marl and the mild currents have dug a hole about 25 feet deep that the Willie has settled into, listing heavily to her starboard side. For those with penetration training (really this ship has killed a number of divers that thought they could macho it out) this is a great wreck with lots of passageways and silt and all that good stuff. For those without penetration training, this is a great wreck with huge open holds and lots of nooks and crannies to check out without putting anything between you and the surface.
Dive #2: The Dredge 906 (a/k/a the No. 6 Dredge)
Depth to Wreck: 30 feet
Depth to Bottom: 75 feet
The 906 was a large crane barge that capsized during a storm in May 1956 taking nine members of her crew to the bottom with her. The wreck now sits upside down on the bottom, held up by the crane, with equipment and debris scattered across the bottom beneath her. This is a great wreck for new and intermediate wreck divers lots of pass-throughs and easy twilight zones that dont require any line.
Sunday, July 20th
Chicago, Illinois
Two dives, 2pm departure, $90.00 per person if we fill all six seats on the boat.
Dive #1: The St. Mary
Depth to Wreck: 90 feet
Depth to Bottom: 105 feet
A 120 foot wooden schooner built in 1848, the St. Mary foundered in a storm one night in September 1860 with a loss of seven lives. Carrying a load of pig iron, she wasnt rediscovered until recently and is one of my favorite sites in Chicago. Partially collapsed, she isnt a penetration dive, but has a fair amount of her original gear still intact, including capstans, deadeyes and even some rigging. Some say that this wreck might not be the St. Mary, but ultimately who cares its still a great one.
Dive #2: The Lady Elgin
Depth to Wreck:
Depth to Bottom: 55 feet
A 252 foot wooden sidewheel steamer that collided with the Augusta during the same storm that saw the St. Mary founder, the Lady Elgin was bound for Chicago with 400 members of the Milwaukee Militia. Nearly 300 of the passengers lost their lives when the ships boilers blew up after the Augusta sliced her engine room open. Discovered just recently, the ship has been the subject of intense litigation between the salvor that discovered her, Harry Zych, and various governmental agencies trying to wrest control of her. Largely smashed by storms, she lies in three distinct fields and there is a lot of pottery and other miscellaneous stuff to be found (and left) on the bottom.
Important stuff:
Reservations for seats will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, with preference given to folks that want to dive both dates. As soon as I have enough bodies to fill the charters I will send the winners a congratulatory email with instructions on where to send your money. Money not received within 10 days will mean that your seat goes to a standby diver. Im setting this up, but Im not making any money from it and will ask that you send two checks in payment, one for each of the charter operators. If you have any questions, post them here or PM me and I will get back to you as quickly as possible but it may take a day. Complete instructions on how to get to the charters and so forth will be sent out to the participants.
General conditions: Lake Michigan below about 50 feet is cold year round, drysuits are a good idea but certainly not required. Bottom temperatures will be in the low to mid-40s for these dives, even though the top water may be getting close to 70 degrees by mid-July. Storms can and do crop up and surface conditions include short-cycle waves that are routinely 2 4 feet. Visibility is normally somewhere about 30 feet, occasional good days can see it approach 50 feet, bad days can see it drop to 10 or less. Zebra mussels, a/k/a Natures razor blades, infest everything, so heavy gloves and kneepads are in order. On the other hand, you never have to wash the salt-water off your gear.
If you need it, gear is fairly easy to rent, nitrox and argon is readily available and He mixes can be had with some advance notice, although we wont be going deep enough to really justify it. If you need gear, let me know what and Ill try to help you make the arrangements.
If youre coming from out of town (way cool) please remember that Lake Michigan may be smaller than the ocean, but still can kick up pretty good and cancellations are always a possibility. I would really love to have some out-of-towners, but I cant promise that the weather will smile upon us. If the charters cancel, you will get your charter money back, but I cant help with your other travel and hotel expenses. PM me and I can help with some suggestions for places to stay, how to rent gear, and whatnot. The meal program will be determined by the participants, but if you come from out of town I will surely see to it that you dont have to eat alone. If we dont have any out-of-town participants, Im still up for at least a Saturday night yeehaw, if anybody cares to join me. Tizi Melloul would be fine, but I dont really care where.
The charters going to hold these dates for us for about a week before theyre going to want to hear from me, so if youre interested, act fast! Let's get wet together this summer.
Steven Anderson
Chicago, Illinois
