Video of Lake Michigan wreck dives

[glennster]

great video!! you had good viz and a calm day!!! we dove off chicago for many years on the wrecks. i had my own boat, and it was prior to the zebra mussel invasion!! its a shame the wrecks are all covered in clams. what town are you near?, i am by plainfield.

 

[Marie13]

It looks like everyone is wearing wet suits. Were you in 7mm or semi dry? I'm a midwesterner and I haven't done a lot of local diving because it's too cold. We wore 7mm suits for our checkout dives in a local quarry, and remember it being uncomfortably cold after the second thermocline at 30 feet, at about 52°F. I just joined the local club, so I need to figure out how to handle cold water.

First charter most in wetsuits, but 2 dry. Afternoon I was the only one diving wet.

 

[Marie13]

great video!! you had good viz and a calm day!!! we dove off chicago for many years on the wrecks. i had my own boat, and it was prior to the zebra mussel invasion!! its a shame the wrecks are all covered in clams. what town are you near?, i am by plainfield.

I’m in the NW burbs. DRIS in Plainfield is my shop.

 

[glennster]

I’m in the NW burbs. DRIS in Plainfield is my shop.

i am about 10 miles fro dive rite in, shop there often. my wife and daughter are both divers too. just got back from little cayman, heading to curacao in sept. did you go to our world underwater this spring?

 

[Marie13]

i am about 10 miles fro dive rite in, shop there often. my wife and daughter are both divers too. just got back from little cayman, heading to curacao in sept. did you go to our world underwater this spring?

I went to OWU for a bit on Sunday. Too tropical for my tastes. My overwhelming passion for more than 25 years has been Great Lakes wrecks. A lot of people don’t get it. I went to Ghost Ships in Milwaukee last year and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival in Ann Arbor this year. I was in hog heaven.

 

[glennster]

I went to OWU for a bit on Sunday. Too tropical for my tastes. My overwhelming passion for more than 25 years has been Great Lakes wrecks. A lot of people don’t get it. I went to Ghost Ships in Milwaukee last year and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Festival in Ann Arbor this year. I was in hog heaven.

Have you dove the freighter wisconsin off winthrop harbor, the prinz willie milwaukee, or milwaukee car ferry? All nice dives but deeper, then the roscinco or grace shannon, those are 150 to 190, but really intact. The shannon is a schooner.

 

[Marie13]

Have you dove the freighter wisconsin off winthrop harbor, the prinz willie milwaukee, or milwaukee car ferry? All nice dives but deeper, then the roscinco or grace shannon, those are 150 to 190, but really intact. The shannon is a schooner.

I want more experience under my fins before I do those.

 

[Marie13]

It looks like everyone is wearing wet suits. Were you in 7mm or semi dry? I'm a midwesterner and I haven't done a lot of local diving because it's too cold. We wore 7mm suits for our checkout dives in a local quarry, and remember it being uncomfortably cold after the second thermocline at 30 feet, at about 52°F. I just joined the local club, so I need to figure out how to handle cold water.

How to handle cold water...

Have body fat. I’m not kidding. It does help!

Like cold. Like winter. My heat at home in the winter stays about 60-65F.

If you don’t want to dive dry, get yourself a good 7mm/Farmer John/semi-dry. Hollis Neotek or AquaLung Solafx are really liked by people I personally know.

Hooded vest for under a regular 7mm (not semi dry) really helps. I have a Lavacore. Neoprene socks inside boots. I wear my 5mm hood OVER the vest hood! Rash guard on top helps you slide into wetsuit easier.

Gloves of your choice. I wear 3mm Fourth Element gloves as I want dexterity to work bolt snaps and camera controls.

Go dive the quarry at the beginning of the season and dive every weekend to get acclimated to colder water.

Good “boat coat.” The $150 I spent on a Surf-fur has been worth every single penny I paid.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

My first 800 dives were in wetsuits. Making wreck dives in Southern California involves temps in the low 50s/high 40s. Shivering during deco stops stopped being fun long before I stopped diving wet. Even a dive parka stopped feeling good. For the past 18 years all of my west coast diving has been in drysuits. I can't even go without dry gloves now. It's so much nicer making long dives without thinking about the water temperature.

 

[Joneill]

great video!! you had good viz and a calm day!!! we dove off chicago for many years on the wrecks. i had my own boat, and it was prior to the zebra mussel invasion!! its a shame the wrecks are all covered in clams. what town are you near?, i am by plainfield.

That’s good viz? I guess I’m spoiled as all but 2 of my 95 dives so far have been in the Caribbean. I’m also surprised that the wrecks seem devoid of any fish life? I’m not criticizing as anytime/place you are diving it is a good thing - just observations as I’ve never seen Great Lakes diving footage.