Great Lakes & Michigan Underwater Preserves

Diving on shipwrecks

Not far from the Hackley and Hume historic sites and the Muskegon County Museum downtown are structures waiting to provide visitors a look at a different time in our history.

Yet few people realize the existence of these structures, some more than 100 years old and hundre… Continue

Like the legendary Long Point in Lake Erie, the Keweenaw Peninsula on the South shore of Lake Superior and has often been a “catcher’s mitt” for wayward ships. Over the years many storm driven ships have run out of lake on the Keweenaw. As a result, the 103-square mile preserve is host to a variety of shipwrecks, including one recent addition.

In the fall of 1989, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Mesquite ran aground off Keweenaw Point while retrieving buoys. During the winter, storms pounded the sh… Continue

Whitefish Point reaches into Lake Superior at the Southeast end of the Lake, providing the geographic separation between the “Greatest Lake”, Whitefish Bay and the entrance to the Soo Locks. The locks connect Lake Superior with the Saint Mary’s River and the lower Lakes. All traffic must pass through the bay and around Whitefish Point before entering or leaving Lake Superior. The “Point” provides a natural shelter for ships during late November gales sweeping across the big lake from the Northwe… Continue

The DeTour Passage is located at the easternmost tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The area, which includes Drummond Island, became the state’s tenth underwater preserve.

The DeTour Passage Underwater Preserve features a variety of dive sites. Among the most popular are the John B. Merrill, which lies south of Drummond Island in about 65 feet of water. Although broken up, the John B. Merrill offers divers an opportunity to see many small artifacts, including tools, ship hardware, and personal… Continue

There are nineteen major shipwrecks in the 276 square miles of the Thumb Area Bottomland Preserve in lower Lake Huron. Although there were never any major communities in this region, ships traveling between Buffalo and western ports such as Duluth, Milwaukee and Chicago made this area a busy place where storms, accidents and fires claimed their share of vessels.

Divers can expect to find shipwrecks in a variety of conditions, from intact to very broken up. Visibility in this region is often exc… Continue