Tobermory, Canada
Lake Huron Shipwreck Dives
August
14- 15 2004
Trip
Report
 On August 13th we headed north to the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario Canada for a shipwreck adventure we will not soon forget. We were diving in the Fathom Five National Marine Park of Canada.
Our first dive of the weekend was the Carolina Rose. This 132' schooner was towed to Driftwood Cove and sunk by a group of sport divers to make a dive site in late August 1990. The ship was majestic in her day. You can see what she looked like with her sails since her nearly identical sister ship is featured on the back of the Canadian Dime. When she was sunk, they did not put her deep enough so that first winter the ice and
storms did a lot of damage. She now lies in about 55ft of water and has a lot of interesting stuff to see. There are a variety of tools and fittings and the prop is clearly visible. The water on this dive was incredibly clear and very warm for Tobermory.
With the weather kicking up a bit our captain of the Teak Bay, Steve suggested that we change our second dive to the Wetmore which would be a bit more sheltered. The waves were building a bit but that was normal for the Tobermory area. Because of the numerous shipwrecks and rocky islands, no matter what the weather there is some place that we are able to dive.
Our second dive of the weekend was the W. L. Wetmore. This 213ft steamer was wrecked during a storm in November, 1901 when it ran aground on the end of Russel Island. This dive is fantastic with a lot of stuff to see. The impressive boilers come within a few feet of the surface and the anchor, chain pile, broken propeller and rudder are easily found. Since it is only in 25ft of water, some of the non divers that came out on the boat
with us were able to snorkel this wreck and see most of it easily. The visibility was super clear and the dive was really fun.
Since the weather was not as nice as we wanted, we went back into the harbor to wait until the wrecks of the Sweepstakes and the City of Grand Rapids opened up to divers later that afternoon. We set up the grill and had lunch right on the back of the Teak Bay.
The wrecks in Big Tub harbor that we were waiting to visit are the most popular wrecks in the Provincial Park. They are visited throughout the day by Glass Bottom Tour boats that allow non divers to take a peek at the ships from the surface. Because the large tour boats can pose a danger to divers, access to the area is strictly controlled.
Once we were allowed to dive the area we headed out to big tub harbor to do our final dive of the day. The Sweepstakes is a 119' schooner that has been carefully preserved and sits on the bottom upright and intact in about 20' of water. Access to the interior of the schooner has been blocked to better preserve the 137 year old vessel but there is still a lot to see on it. This two- masted schooner was damaged
off of Cove Island then towed to Big Tub Harbor where she sank in September of 1885. The hull is still intact, with the windlass and a portion of the bow rail still in place. It is a super dive by itself, but there is an added bonus. Nearby
lies the city of Grand Rapids. This 122ft steamer sank in 1907 after burning to the waterline and lies less than 100ft from the wreck of the Sweepstakes. The divers were joined by snorkelers on this dive which is fun for everyone since there is a lot of interesting stuff to see. After such a fantastic first day we were ready for more.
 After the Diving was over we headed into town for a fun evening of shopping,
eating and just making the weekend into a mini vacation. When a group of Divers Incorporated divers get together it is always a fun time and this was no exception. Our dinner location looked out over the beauty of Big Tub Harbor at sunset and the people of the
 Bruce Peninsula were very accommodating. A perfect end to a perfect day.
On our second day, the weather cooperated more and we were looking at a fantastic, mill pond
 calm lake. We packed up our gear on the Teak Bay and motored out to our first dive site, the famous wreck of the Arabia. This 131ft Barque foundered off of Echo Island in October of 1884. The wreck is in fantastic condition. The bow section has a complete bowsprit and three anchors, along with the windlass and lots of rigging.
This site had a bit of a current running along the wreck but since it is intact it is easy navigate. The warm water we enjoyed on the previous day was a dim memory as the cold deep water surrounding the Arabia made us glad we had our exposure suits.
 The next two dives of the day were on the newest wreck in the area, the Niagara II. This vessel was deliberately sunk by the Tobermory Maritime Association in May, 1999 as a dive site. To call this a typical shipwreck would be an understatement. It is more a Jungle Gym for divers. This 182' sand sucker was carefully prepared to offer a number of penetration opportunities and a super fantastic dive site. Almost everything is there. The wheel in the pilot house, the open engine room with lots of empty space (they took out the engine.) Lot of nooks and crannies to peek into... you could do 10 dives
here and not see it all. This was the perfect ending to a fabulous weekend.
We are planning many more dives in the Tobermory area next year and we are really looking forward to another fantastic time.
*Check out our Photo Gallery for more Tobermory pictures.
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