Wow what a great weekend on Lake Michigan. My buddy and I did our PADI deep diver specialty. We dove out of Milwaukee on the Nordic Diver through Underwater Connection in Menominee Falls WI. We went down on the Willie three times and the Milwaukee Car Ferry once. Visibility on the Milwaukee was over 50 ft and on the Willie, it was between 30 and 40. Water temp was 45 on Saturday and 46 on Sunday. We dove wet and surprisingly, it wasnt bad at all in our 7mm suits. I was very pleased with my new Poseidon Odin. It worked flawlessly.
We dove the Willie twice on Saturday. The waves were 1 3 ft and there was no current. The Willie is tipped on its side and was spectacular. We descended down mid ship on all three dives. On the first day, we dropped down the deck side which is vertical and swam back and fourth, peeking into portholes and exploring every crook and cranny. We had to be careful here since there are plenty of obstacles to get hung up on (at least is seemed like it to me but Im a newbee). Then we swam down the topmost part of the wreck towards the pilot house. What a site to see
On the second dive, We swam from mid-ship around to the bow. Off the bow and up around 60 ft or so, we saw a large school of alewives practicing their synchronized swimming skills. When I gave a burst of air into by BC, they all fluttered around while remaining perfectly in synch. Very cool For a minute, I thought that I was in the Caribbean on a reef. Ok, maybe it was more like a second or two.
On Sunday, the water was like glass. We didnt have much bottom time on the Milwaukee but what little we did have was excellent. The boat sits flat on the bottom. We only covered a small section of the bow which seemed to withstand the test of time pretty well. Thats one huge ship...
Our second dive on Sunday was back on the Willie. We descended mid-ship again and explored the bottom side of the wreck swimming around to the stern. Theres a hole on the bottom side of the stern for anyone interested in penetration. Theres so much more to explore and I cant wait. Were going back out to the Willie next week for more. What a thrill.
Happy Diving!!!
We dove the Willie twice on Saturday. The waves were 1 3 ft and there was no current. The Willie is tipped on its side and was spectacular. We descended down mid ship on all three dives. On the first day, we dropped down the deck side which is vertical and swam back and fourth, peeking into portholes and exploring every crook and cranny. We had to be careful here since there are plenty of obstacles to get hung up on (at least is seemed like it to me but Im a newbee). Then we swam down the topmost part of the wreck towards the pilot house. What a site to see
On the second dive, We swam from mid-ship around to the bow. Off the bow and up around 60 ft or so, we saw a large school of alewives practicing their synchronized swimming skills. When I gave a burst of air into by BC, they all fluttered around while remaining perfectly in synch. Very cool For a minute, I thought that I was in the Caribbean on a reef. Ok, maybe it was more like a second or two.
On Sunday, the water was like glass. We didnt have much bottom time on the Milwaukee but what little we did have was excellent. The boat sits flat on the bottom. We only covered a small section of the bow which seemed to withstand the test of time pretty well. Thats one huge ship...
Our second dive on Sunday was back on the Willie. We descended mid-ship again and explored the bottom side of the wreck swimming around to the stern. Theres a hole on the bottom side of the stern for anyone interested in penetration. Theres so much more to explore and I cant wait. Were going back out to the Willie next week for more. What a thrill.
Happy Diving!!!
