Hi all-
I'm wondering if anyone can offer advice on getting started in wreck diving, also becoming acquainted with drysuits and colder water diving. I'm an experienced diver, have done some of my certs. here, also worked as a DM in Thailand for a while. At this point, most of my diving has been in warm, tropical waters, in a 5ml wetsuit.
BUT! recently I've been thinking more about doing wreck dives, deeper dives, maybe... even... in cold water! I don't really know where to begin, and not sure what questions to ask! It would be great to hear about the options in MN, and in the midwest. I'd love to do some of the wrecks in Superior, but how to go about it? I would imagine there are charters, but what of certifications, getting the experience?
Go wreck Diving in Lake Michigan from Racine, Wisconsin (just south of Milwaukee. Enjoy our 10+ wrecks in the 75-140ft range, including my favorite the S.S. Wisconsin. Wrecks include: Prins Wilhem, Norland, Car Ferry Milwuakee, Gillen Tug, Lumberman, S.S. Wisconsin, and many others. Charters are available 7 days a week and weekends.
See a picture of our 30ft boat Rylo!
If interested call Captain William (Bill) Myers at (262) 412-8259
As far as classes: I would consider Dry Suit, Deep Diving, Nitrox, and Wreck Diving and just plain old experience. The more you dive the better!
I recommend starting slow. I'm sure you have quite a bit of time underwater but your work experience won't directly translate to our regional dive sites. The gear requirements, cold water, lower visibility and the resulting task load make regional dives more challenging.
You should rent some gear and try some dives in our local lakes. Join in on some of the fun dives. Make sure you like cold water diving before spending time and money on training and gear.
You will find dozens of charters and hundreds of shore dive sites in the Midwest. Have fun!
I would have to agree. I went to Cozumel this last week, and found the diving to be easy. I never even put on a wet suit (as I don't own one), and found that being able to see the bottom from 100' away pretty cool. Being at 150' felt like I was on the 20 foot platform in wazee. With 81 degree water all out dives were without cold gear ridden techie stuff.
I normaly dive a CCR and to dive open circit again was ok.
All I know is the two different places require major changes in the way you dive. Making a deco stop without a visual referance is near imposible, and the cold dark water takes away your easy feeling of being able to see everything.
With that said, I love to dive dry, and find that putting on a drysuit is as easy as putting on fins. I even found myself trying to add air to my non-existant drysuit in coz.
Thanks for all the tips- I'm reading a few books now, and more than anything else, I'm gaining a healthy respect for how much more complicated cold water/ wreck diving is, and how much more potentially dangerous.
In order to rent a drysuit, would I need to take a course? I'm just trying to figure out a balance of what I can rent, what I should buy (after lengthy consideration!), and what kind of training I should undertake. I'm not against training, but I do prefer honest, hands-on experience rather than the kind that comes pre-packaged by PADI or similar, when I can do it that way.
looking forward to more insight
Get the training and think about what type of drysuit you want to use before making a major investment! Smith Diving has a drysuit workshop coming up on Tuesday, May 23. If my son didn't have a T-Ball game that night I'd sign up for it myself! There is also the Equipment Demo Day, Saturday, September 16th. Check with other dive shops and see what their schedules are too (I'm just partial to Smith Diving because that's where I took my first dive class from. And they are great people to learn from!)
Ask Questions! Compare notes with other divers! Ask around when you meet other divers at fun dives and other events...Why do you dive with that brand of drysuit?? Does it really keep you warm and dry?? Etc...
Best wishes and good luck!
Lisa
You would probably need to convince the shop that you have adequate experience before they let you rent a drysuit. I don't think you need a class. You can try a dry suit out at an easy dive site with an experienced mentor. I recommend starting out by renting a 7mm. It's less task loading and it will get you started with an exposure suit that should be relatively familiar to you.
The great lakes offer some of the best shipwreck diving in the world, bar none. The cold water keeps things well preserved. Superior especially, has some incredibly nice wrecks in all depth ranges. For example, the Apostle islands has some wrecks you can visit with a snorkel only and Whitefish point has wrecks in the 250+ foot depth range and there are places all in between these depths.
I suggest you buy the following books, both by Khris Kohl:
The Great Lakes Diving Guide
The 100 Best Great lakes Shipwrecks volume II (Michigan and Superior).
Secondly, get some trianing in dry suit use and practice until your skills are solid. A good place to practice for Great Lakes diving is Lake Wazee in Black River Falls, WI. Wazee has conditions that approximate the Great Lakes (cold water, plenty of depth, similar visibility).
Hook up with a dive shop that offers Great Lakes trips. For example, Scuba Dive and Travel () makes weekend trips to Superior to do shore dives on the Madeira shipwreck. That is a good wreck to start with. (this was my first shipwreck dive).
Another good place to start is in the Munising, MI area. The wreck of the Burmuda is only 30 feet deep, but it is an awesome wreck. The Selvick (65 feet) and Smith Moore (110 feet) are also in this area and are nice wrecks. The Bermuda though is a must see. It's one of the oldest wrecks in Superior and it is really a fun dive.
After you gain experience, go on a trip to Isle Royale and dive the America, Congdon bow and the Monarch.
One additional favorite of mine is the Mesquite, which sank in 1990.Â
The web sites I gave you above are just examples and you can find a lot more information out there.
Find a shop that is active in great lakes diving and one that has lots of trips going on. You have to start meeting people, asking questions and getting involved. I also suggest you talk to Greg Such . he does training and has a charter service. He'll be glad to talk with you about how to get into diving on the Great Lakes.
i think you all need to keep in mind that milwaukee is only 6 hrs away..its a larger city with small town mentality..usually..during the summer, there is a festival of some kind every weekend..they are usually quite large and a pleasure to attend..there is a ton to do in the city in general, ..but most importantly..it is very simple to get on a charter that can leave the dock and have you moored over a series of different wrecks in 15 minutes....These wrecks range from 19th century schooners in tact... to 20th century steel freighters ..in tact...wrecks ranging in size from 60ft and less to 340ft on length sitting in anywhere from 40ft to 200ft of water..these are all within minutes on milwaukee harbor..there are plenty of wrecks south and north of milwaukee as well...there are plenty of dive shops that are capable of filling any gas you dive..with any equipment you may need and charters ranging from 15people max to 6 max...recreational and technical charters available......i am leaving the area in a couple of months heading back up to Duluth...and this saddens me..there is fantastic diving down here.....you should all give it a try....get out and dive..i am cetain that i will make several trips back each year to dive with friends
happy diving
deano
The Smith Diving Drysuit seminar is $75 (Free if you buy a drysuit there).
You practice dumping air through wrist or neck seal. Run away inflation. Recovery from feet full of air inversion... etc.