Diving the Madeira Wreck - Exposure Protection?

[Russoft]

Haven't found a ton of info on this dive site.

I'm still new to Minnesota and as yet haven't had a chance to explore the local diving. I've read about the Madeira wreck on North shore Lake Superior and am interested in diving it this summer (mid-August). What sort of exposure protection do I need? I'm sure the LDS will convince me to take a drysuit course and buy (or rent) a drysuit, but would a double-layered 7mm wetsuit be adequate? I've dived in Alberta (Canada) in September with a wetsuit and been quite warm, but it was a very shallow dive not exceeding 12 ft.

Anything else about the dive site I should know?

 

[Jared0425]

I would recommend at least a 7mm. You should be fine with that, but I would consider getting a drysuit if you are going to be doing the lakes often especially Superior below 60ft. There is a gate off 61 in which you have to get a permit to park there. There is a few hundred foot trail down to the lake where you will have to swim out to the wreck which is buoyed sometime, so take a good bearing.

 

[Russoft]

Thanks! I will indeed get drysuit trained if I end up enjoying my dives. Time will tell how much local diving vs. vacation diving I do.

 

[nimoh]

If you are comfortable in Alberta lakes in a 7mm, then you will be fine on the Maderia in a 7mm.

Keep in mind that if you get cold on the dive, your best bet is to go up on the buoy line as it will be warmer on the surface (especially on a warm August day) and then surface swim back to shore. If you decide to swim along the bottom back to the entry point, you will likely get a lot colder.

The Madeira is my favorite North Shore Dive most of the time. After the dive when I am walking up the path in doubles, it is my least favorite dive but that quickly fades

 

[Russoft]

Thanks for the info!

I've tried to find dive shops along the North shore but am turning up empty. I'm planning on renting 2-4 tanks for the weekend trip to the north shore, but was hoping to find someone locally who can do tank fills so we're not limited to 1 or 2 dives over the weekend.

 

[claymore]

I believe the closest fill station is in Duluth. If you are on the north shore for the weekend you may want to dive the Hesper in Silver Bay.I dive in the Crosby iron ore mines frequently. If you are interested let me know.

 

[Russoft]

I believe the closest fill station is in Duluth. If you are on the north shore for the weekend you may want to dive the Hesper in Silver Bay.I dive in the Crosby iron ore mines frequently. If you are interested let me know.

Okay, I figured Duluth may be the nearest place. Yes, my plan is to make a weekend out of a trip to the North shore and dive both the Hesper and Madeira.

Definitely interested in diving Crosby mines as I've heard the water clarity is good. Right now we're just getting outfitted and figuring out "new" equipment close to the city, but I'll certainly look you up when ready to venture northward!

 

[ScubaAl]

I had my gopro along diving the Maderia a year ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo0yk4CBGQE

 

[Russoft]

Just a report on our dive on 8 AUG 2015:

Water was flat, waves were <1 ft. Lots of fog made seeing the buoy difficult. Water temp was 4 C / 39 F on the thermometer. We didn't notice a thermocline, though we stayed above 12 m / 40 ft, exploring the bow and wreckage surrounding it.

Both myself and my wife had 7 mm two-piece wetsuits, gloves, hoods, and booties. The exposure protection was adequate for our torsos, but our hands were uncomfortably cold bordering on numb. During the long swim back to the entry point, our feet got so numb that we stumbled a bit while trying to get our footing on the rocky bottom.

Definitely thinking about taking a drysuit course. We were so drained from the cold, we thumbed our planned second dive for the day. The dive site is massive. Far larger than I had envisioned. I'd studied plans of the dive site and figured it could be done thoroughly in 2-3 dives. I was wrong. I underestimated the size of the ship that sunk there and how much wreckage is on the bottom! There's definitely lots to see!

Thanks everyone for your input, it was a great dive!

 

[MN Lakeman]

I've been to the Madeira site four times over the course of the last 10 years, & I would always wait until after Labor Day. Looking @ my logs, the September water temp was around 50 degrees F until 60 to 65 ft, when the thermocline dropped the temp just a couple degrees. I wear an O'Neill "J suit" which has an integrated 5 mil vest in the 7 mil one piece suit, along with an integrated 5 mi hood. I am JUST comfortable for a half hour dive, wearing snug 5 mil gloves & booties. You may consider looking @ the DUI dry suit website & checking out the next time they come through with their nearly free demo-days every summer. I've taken advantage of this twice, once @ Crosby & the other @ Lake Wazee - which BTW you should definitely check out for Midwest diving. I do a couple trips a year in WARM waters, so local diving is hit or miss for me - I just can't justify a dry suit, but I totally understand the benefits.